Dallas Cowboys highlights from chaotic win against Commanders

Sunday was a wild ride for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys pulled off the upset and snapped their five-game losing streak while extending the Washington Commanders’ losing streak to three. It was a wild game with a litany of special teams gaffes on both sides and a fourth quarter so explosive you’d think it was the Fourth of July, but these five plays were quietly some of the most impactful in the final outcome of this one.

Austin Seibert’s first miss of the day looms large

Both kickers had a couple of misses throughout this one, but Brandon Aubrey largely atoned for his with a solid second half. Austin Seibert, who returned in this one after missing the last two games with an injury, did not.

The Commanders’ first drive of the game was moving, but it ultimately fizzled out. Seibert came on for a very makeable field goal, but he completely shanked it, coming up both short and outside the goalposts.

Given that Washington at one point trailed by just one late in this game, this missed field goal really hurt the team. More than that, it played a part in the Commanders not having a lead at halftime, completely shifting the dynamic of this game right from the start.

Missed extra point predictably comes back to haunt Washington

The Commanders came out firing in the second half, and the offense quickly moved the ball down the field. It wasn’t long before Jayden Daniels ran in for the first touchdown of the game from either team.

Seibert came out to kick the extra point, but he missed as the kick went wide left. The miss was shocking, as Seibert had hit on 100% of his extra point attempts in the year up until that point.

When the Cowboys scored a touchdown on the following drive, Seibert’s miss allowed them to take a one-point lead. Later in the game, when Seibert missed another extra point that would’ve tied the game, it was hard not to think how the game would at least have still been tied if he had made this one early in the third.

Phantom holding call on Tyler Guyton wipes out first down

Following the Cowboys’ touchdown to take a 10-9 lead, the Dallas defense forced a three-and-out and a punt, giving Dallas a chance to march down the field again and take a – ahem – commanding lead.

After two runs from Rico Dowdle, the Cowboys faced a third and two at their own 22. Cooper Rush fired a quick pass on the sideline to CeeDee Lamb, who forced his way through the tackler to get the first down. However, a flag was on the field.

Tyler Guyton had been called for holding, which erased the first down and instead brought up a third and long. On the replay, the penalty appeared to have been a phantom call, as the defender simply lost his footing and fell down while engaged with Guyton. As a result of the 10-yard penalty, though, Dallas came up short and was forced to punt.

Tyler Guyton illegal formation wipes out another first down

A few drives later, shortly after the fourth quarter had begun, the Cowboys still led 10-9 after a series of dueling punts between the two teams. But a short punt had set the Cowboys up with a short field, and a couple big plays had them in field goal range.

On third down and needing nine yards to move the chains, Rush fired to Lamb on an out route that picked up 17 yards and an easy first down. However, there was another flag on the field, and it was once again on the rookie left tackle.

This time, Guyton had been correctly called for illegal formation, as he had not lined up close enough to the line of scrimmage. The penalty wiped out the first down and backed them up five more yards. The Cowboys managed to pick up 10 yards on first down, but it wasn’t enough and they settled for a field goal, which further kept the Commanders in the game.

Donovan Wilson forces fumble at critical moment

Following that field goal by Aubrey, a 48-yard make, the Cowboys increased their lead to a narrow 13-9 score. All it would take is one touchdown from the Commanders to be trailing again.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Daniels hit tight end John Bates over the middle, and Bates began to run with an open field. Donovan Wilson, who had been trailing him in coverage, came up from behind and executed a perfect punch-out technique:

Eric Kendricks recovered the ball, handing it back to the offense at the Washington 44-yard line with just over eight minutes left in the game. Dallas ultimately scored a touchdown five plays later, which greatly increased their odds of winning, but it wouldn’t have happened without Wilson creating a takeaway on what initially looked to be a big catch-and-run for Bates.