Writers from Blogging The Boys review Dallas’ problems in the loss to the Giants and identify specific fixes to pursue against Washington: defensive discipline, third-down stops, interior physicality, and more balance on offense.
Defense must improve third-down performance and tackling after allowing 9-of-11 conversions and 165 rushing yards to the Giants.
Discipline problems—penalties, blown assignments, poor timing—turned manageable situations into game-changing possessions.
Control the point of attack: stop being bullied up front and maintain edge discipline to limit mobile-quarterback gains.
What was the biggest problem that the Cowboys had against the Giants in opening week? The Giants also controlled the ball for nearly 37 minutes, which shaped the whole game and kept the Cowboys offense off the field. That all boils down to one issue, the defense playing efficient football, very simple.
The defense is still really bad, and the effort and attention to detail were poor in Week 1. That cannot happen against Washington and Jayden Daniels, because if the rush lanes get sloppy or the tackling is loose, he can turn broken plays into back-breakers. Dallas has had a real problem with excessive penalties for years now, and to me, that just screams undisciplined play.
What to look for in Commanders game Here is our latest roundtable with a panel of BTB writers giving us their answers to this week's questions by Mike Poland Sep 17, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer's perspective on each headline. This week we have Jorge Guajardo, Dyllan Rivers, Tom Ryle and Sean Martin. Dallas' biggest issue was the defense not getting off the field.
The Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Commanders for a super-important Week 2 NFC East battle. Both teams are coming off a divisional loss last week to unsatisfyingly kick off the new season. It’s very early in the season, but the loser of this game will be subjected to a dreaded 0-2 start and enter crisis […]
A look at three things the Dallas Cowboys must have on their radar when they face the Washington Commanders this Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
We are moving on to Week 2 for the Dallas Cowboys. They host the Washington Commanders in another NFC East clash at the start of the season. The loser of this game will be forced to think about a season wasted. Few teams turn an 0-2 start into something meaningful (except for the 1993 Cowboys). […]
The Dallas Cowboys will try to get back on track after a disappointing Week 1 in New York. They will host another NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders. The Commanders lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. Both teams will be trying to avoid a dreaded 0-2 start on the 2026 season. Not only […]
If the Week 2 matchup with the Washington Commanders isn’t a must-win game for the Dallas Cowboys, it’s as close as it gets. Losing in back-to-back weeks against divisional opponents and dropping to 0-2 in the NFC East could be extremely detrimental to any hopes of making the playoffs. But a victory, could help them […
The Dallas Cowboys come into their Week 3 game with a 1-1 record. The offense found itself in the game last week against the Washington Commanders, well, at least the passing offense found itself. The run game and the defense are still works in progress. This week they face a 1-1 Baltimore Ravens squad who […]
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