NFL Week 12 Game Recap: Dallas Cowboys 45, Washington Commanders 10

DaRon Bland made history as the Dallas Cowboys dominated the Washington Commanders, 45-10, in the second game of the Week 12 Thanksgiving slate.

The Cowboys opened the scoring at the end of the first quarter, with Rico Dowdle catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott.

Joey Slye got the Commanders on the board with a 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter before Prescott hit Brandin Cooks for a 31-yard touchdown to make it 14-3. The Commanders hit back when Sam Howell scored from a yard out after an impressive drive, but the Cowboys finished the half with a five-play, 75-yard drive in a minute and 25 seconds, capped by a Tony Pollard seven-yard run.

After a scoreless third quarter, Brandon Aubrey put the Cowboys back on the board with a 52-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, and they added to their lead when Prescott and CeeDee Lamb connected on a 15-yard touchdown.

The blowout was confirmed with a 34-yard pass from Prescott to KaVontae Turpin, putting the Cowboys up 38-10, and DaRon Bland made sure of it with his record-breaking fifth pick-six of the season with just under five minutes left in the game.

Offensive spotlight: The Cowboys' passing game started fast, was slowed in the third quarter and then exploded again late. Dak Prescott finished the game 22-of-32 for 331 yards and four touchdowns. The ball was spread around, with 10 players catching passes, seven of them having 20 or more receiving yards.

On the opposite sideline, Sam Howell rallied after a sack and hit early to have a nice first three quarters. He went 28-of-44 for 300 yards and added 13 yards and a touchdown on the ground. As the Commanders tried to rally in the fourth quarter, though, Howell was taken to the ground again with higher frequency and finished the game having been sacked four times.

Defensive spotlight: The worst situation you can find yourself in against a defensive front as good as the Cowboys' unit is chasing in the fourth quarter. That’s exactly what the Commanders faced, and it allowed the Cowboys’ pass rush to get after Sam Howell in the final frame. Micah Parsons finished the game with one and a half sacks, while Johnathan Hankins added a pair of his own.

DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception returned for a touchdown of the season, picking off Howell and then navigating through traffic on his way to the history books.

Rookie spotlight: Jartavius Martin saw plenty of snaps in the Commanders' secondary again. He was responsible for the CeeDee Lamb touchdown in the fourth quarter. For the Cowboys, rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker caught one pass for 12 yards from a pair of targets.

Box Score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving