NFL
NFL Week 17
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The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders are squaring off in an NFC East rivalry matchup for the first of three Christmas Day NFL games.
Follow for play-by-play updates and analysis on today's game.
Q1 12:28 – Cowboys 0, Commanders 0
And now, it’s Malik Davis. The Cowboys’ backup RB gashes Washington for 21 yards right up the middle, and Dallas is nearing the red zone.
Q1 12:28 – Cowboys 0, Commanders 0
It’s more Javonte Williams to get another first down. A powerful run, another incomplete swing pass and on fourth-and-1, Williams shows more power and gets the first down. Williams is a big part of the game plan early.
Q1 14:18 – Cowboys 0, Commanders 0
A short run for Javonte Williams and an incompletion on a swing pass to Williams put the Cowboys in a quick third-and-6. The third-down pass is incomplete, but the Commanders are called for pass interference, and it’s a first down for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys get the ball first. Here we go!
The Cowboys and Commanders kick off the tripleheader now!
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on the 1053thefan pregame show that he dressed up as Santa Claus and went around passing out gifts to players last night at the team hotel. "I know this (team) got so much out of it, I'll never forget it," Jones said, laughing. "A lot of fun."
Washington is 4-11 for a reason. Many reasons. Among them is its inability to finish drives and games. The Commanders can stay competitive for a half, but rarely have they played well in all three phases for a full game. Last weekend, they were competitive against the Eagles in the first half, but by the third quarter, and especially after Marcus Mariota left with injuries, the bottom fell out.
These last couple of games are basically glorified tryouts, similar to preseason. The roster will be overhauled in the offseason; Washington has nearly two dozen free agents and many more holes to fill. The team is also depleted, with 11 starters dealing with injuries. Washington is without its top two quarterbacks, its top two running backs, its leading tight end, its left tackle and right guard, its top two defensive ends, its best defensive tackle and its two starting cornerbacks. That creates opportunities for others. Ones I’ll be watching:
Week 16 was his first time in the huddle with Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, and the first time the offensive starters (what’s left of them after injuries) heard his cadence. He had no practice reps with the starters because the backup and third-string QB never do in-season. So this week, which was shorter because of the Thursday game, Johnson finally got some reps with them to try to nail down timing and general nuances of the game plan.
Johnson is the third quarterback to play for the Commanders this season, and with each, there have been some tweaks to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense to feature each player’s strengths. How much it changes, and if it’s been pared, given the limited practice team, bear watching.
The first meeting between these two teams took place in October in Dallas, and the Cowboys rolled 44-22.
Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb returned from injury and had a big day, and Dak Prescott was on point for the Cowboys.
The loss wasn’t the only bad part for the Commanders as quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a hamstring injury.
Take a look back on that game with Tobias Bass, Nicki Jhabvala and Jon Machota breaking it all down.
GO FURTHER
Cowboys-Commanders takeaways: Big day for Dallas; Jayden Daniels suffers hamstring injury
The Washington Commanders led early in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, but an injury to Marcus Mariota completely derailed their offense.
Josh Johnson stepped in at quarterback, and Washington’s attack cratered, unable to sustain drives as the Eagles’ offense heated up. Overall, the duo of Mariota and Johnson combined for just 138 yards passing while Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jacory Croskey-Merritt were bright spots, both scoring touchdowns on the ground.
Washington will look to get back on track today against a more vulnerable Cowboys defense.
Two years removed from a serious knee injury, Javonte Williams has put together an impressive season and put himself in a position to secure a substantial deal this offseason.
But he is coming off a quiet game. While the Cowboys trailing certainly hampered his opportunities in Week 16, Williams rushed for just 34 yards on nine carries. A week prior, Williams rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt against the Vikings.
Overall, his numbers are impressive, especially compared to expectations entering the season. He has 1,147 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 239 carries, along with 35 receptions for 137 yards and two more scores.
The Cowboys and Commanders have long been NFC East rivals, and that continues today on Christmas Day. Dallas leads the all-time series 80-49-2, including two playoff matchups (both of which Washington won).
Dallas won the first matchup this season, 44-22.
Cowboys All-Pro DT Quinnen Williams (neck) is active for today’s game after missing Sunday’s game against the Vikings with a concussion. Dallas’ most notable inactive is LB DeMarvion Overshown. He was ruled out on Saturday because of a concussion he suffered in Sunday’s game. The Cowboys’ other inactives are WR Ryan Flournoy, CB Caelen Carson, RB Jaydon Blue, DT Jay Toia and DT Perrion Winfrey. With Flournoy out, Jalen Tolbert is active.
The Commanders added running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. to the injury list as questionable Thursday morning because of an illness, then ruled him out as one of the team's inactive players. The Commanders have had 30 players miss a combined 140 games this season, and most of them are starters.
Their inactive list has no other surprises, but it's a significant group and shows just how depleted Washington is coming into this game. The others who will not play: quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (elbow), Marcus Mariota (hand/quad) and Sam Hartman (emergency third QB); left tackle Laremy Tunsil (strained oblique); defensive tackle Daron Payne (back); and linebacker/special teams ace Nick Bellore.
After two rough weeks for George Pickens, the Cowboys’ star wideout bounced back in a major way in Week 16 despite the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Targeted nine times, he caught seven passes for 130 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that appeared effortless. Pickens beat the Chargers’ secondary off the line, gained separation and calmly snagged a perfect pass from Dak Prescott in the end zone for his ninth score of the year.
Pickens’ talent was wasted in Pittsburgh, whether that was an issue of maturity or simply poor quarterback play. Now, he is blossoming in Dallas, and he likely will be paid accordingly.
Things looked promising for the Washington Commanders on Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles. They led 10-7 at halftime.
But Philadelphia dominated in the second half, outscoring Washington 22-8. The Eagles eventually won 29-18, handing the Commanders their 11th loss of the 2025 season. Marcus Mariota went 7-of-14 passing for 95 yards and zero touchdown passes and left the game with an injury.
Last week, the Dallas Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention even before kicking off against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Cowboys then fell to the Chargers 34-17.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert had a masterful game, going 23-of-29 passing for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott went 21-of-30 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
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