FRISCO, TX – The Cowboys hit the road Sunday to take on a rejuvenated Washington Commanders franchise led by their former defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn. Can Dallas break their five-game losing streak against their old friend? Let’s see how they could do that in this week’s “Here We Goooo”:

1. Take Jayden Daniels’ legs out of the equation

A big part of Washington’s resurgence so far in the season has been their 2024 draft class, led by second overall pick Jayden Daniels, who has had a strong start to his NFL career. A year removed from winning the Heisman at LSU, Daniels has used both his arm and legs to get the Commanders offense going in his rookie year.

That hasn’t been the case lately, however, after Daniels suffered a rib injury against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7 that sidelined him for the rest of the game. He was due to return next week but has not been himself in the four games since the injury, especially on the ground.

In the six games in which Daniels was injured, he completed 75.3% of his passes and ran 63 times for 322 yards and four touchdowns. In the four games following his injury, Daniels completed just 59.5% of his passes and ran the ball 26 times for 110 yards and no touchdowns.

Washington’s offense has also been on a downward trend over the past four games, going from scoring 29.6 points per game prior to Daniels’ injury to 22.5 over the past four games, including back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia . The offense generated a league-best EPA of +90.6 through the first eight games of the season, but that number has dropped to -7.8 in their last three games. Daniels’ run game opens up so much for the offense, and taking it away has changed things.

If that’s the case, the Cowboys need to make sure Daniels beats them with his arm on Sunday, especially if his completion percentage hovers around an average of 59.5% compared to the last four games. When Daniels has used his legs often, he has added a whopping +33.5 EPA for the Commanders this season, so taking that out of the equation is critical for Dallas.

2. Now it’s time to establish the run

Yes, I know the Cowboys have the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL this season. So how can this be a game where they can open things up?

Keep in mind that Dallas has fielded six of the top nine rush defenses in the NFL this season. On Sunday, they face a Commanders defense that has given up the most rushing yards of any team in the NFL (1,655) and allowed the third-most rushing yards per game (149.9). Rico Dowdle was held in check last week by the Texans (who held the 9^e lowest rushing yards allowed per game in the league), so this is the week to get things going.

When looking at what kind of runs can open things up for Dowdle and the Cowboys, look for it outside of carries. Washington has given up 898 yards and nine touchdowns on outside runs this season, also allowing 5.8 yards per carry. Dowdle averages 4.1 yards per carry on those runs, even though it’s only 31 for 128 yards.

Dowdle also ran better after contact, averaging 3.1 yards after a defender’s initial contact. Commander’s defense gives up an average of 2.8 yards after contact, which should work in Dowdle’s favor.

It’s a steep hill to climb for Dallas’ run game, which has generated a career-worst -143 rushing yards over expectations in 2024, but if there’s a game you can lean on, as Mike McCarthy has said that if he wanted to, then this is the game to do it.

3. Cooper Rush must be accurate

Cooper Rush’s second start of the season was much better than his first, but he will have to play better – and throw the ball more accurately – if he wants to lead the Cowboys to wins this season.

Rush threw the ball 55 times in Dallas’ Monday night loss to the Texans, completing 32 of those attempts for 354 yards. He has been thrown into tight windows on 22.2% of his throws this season, the highest percentage in the league among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts this year. He has completed seven passes in 26 attempts in those windows for 72 yards. The positive spin is that the Commandant defense has given up a league-high five touchdowns on tight window throws, so that could ultimately work out in Rush’s favor.

The fact that Rush and even Dak Prescott, who threw the second-highest percentage of tight window throws this season, have had to make these types of plays speaks to the lack of separation among Dallas’ wide receivers. At the same time, however, the Cowboys are only targeting open downfield receivers on 4.9% of their attempts this season, the second-lowest percentage in the league. “Open downfield” is defined as a wide receiver with a throw of 10 or more yards, and a throw that travels 10 or more air yards. When Dak Prescott was playing, he completed all 15 of his attempts in that category for 291 yards and five touchdowns. Rush, on the other hand, is three for five with 51 yards and an interception.

With throws of more than 10 air yards this season, Rush has completed just four of his 20 attempts in the two games he has started this season, with a completion percentage of -24.1% above expectations. That’s 9.9% lower than any other qualified quarterback this season. Dallas doesn’t necessarily need to push the ball down the field with Rush, but they can’t become too dependent and predictable on the short field either.