Prescott's Big Day Masks Cowboys' Rushing Woes and Leaky Run Defense
The short version
- Javonte Williams rushed 12 times for 30 yards (2.5 YPC); Dallas ranks 30th in rushing with 135 yards.
- Jayden Daniels averaged 9.9 yards per carry against Dallas before leaving the game.
- Dak Prescott's 143.7 passer rating was the fourth-best of his career.
- Washington converted 57.1% of third downs; Dallas has the NFL's worst third-down defense.
- The Ravens, top five against the run, host the Cowboys' next test in Week 3.
Dallas evened its record at 1-1 behind a huge passing day, but the ground game and defense against mobile quarterbacks show problems ahead of a date with Lamar Jackson's Ravens.
The Dallas Cowboys evened their record at 1-1 with a home win over Washington, but the underlying numbers from Week 2 point to problems in the running game on both sides of the ball.
Dak Prescott finished with a 143.7 passer rating, the fourth-best mark of his 148-game professional career. His previous game above 140 came on Thanksgiving 2023, also against Washington.
The rushing attack managed just 66 team yards, the second straight game under 70. Javonte Williams gained 30 yards on 12 carries, averaging 2.5 yards per attempt, and Dallas ranks 30th in the NFL with 135 rushing yards through two weeks.
Defensively, the Cowboys allowed Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels to rush for 69 yards in one half at 9.9 yards per carry before he left the game. Dallas is surrendering more than 6.5 yards per run to opposing quarterbacks, with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens next on the schedule.
Third-down defense also remains a concern. Washington converted 8 of 14 third downs, and while that was an improvement from the Giants going 9 of 11 in the opener, Dallas still ranks worst in the league in third-down defense.
One bright spot was KaVontae Turpin, who averaged 30.5 yards on four return attempts and helped the offense start five of eight possessions with favorable field position, the team's best average start since a 2020 game against Atlanta.
