Tag: 2022 week 4

WATCH: Cowboys’ Diggs ends first half with 16th career INT

Time running out at the end of the half, Carson Wentz tested Trevon Diggs, who made it look easy with his second interception of the year. | From @CDBurnett7

After an inconsistent start from the Dallas offense, quarterback Cooper Rush found his rhythm thanks to a physical run game and capped off a 15-play drive with a touchdown throw to wide receiver Michael Gallup in his return from a torn ACL.

After the long-winded drive, Carson Wentz and the Commanders had a minute to chop into the 12-7 Cowboys lead. With 17 seconds left in the half, Wentz got impatient and tested cornerback Trevon Diggs, who ran the route better than the receiver and made his second interception in as many games.

Diggs’ interception is his third against Wentz, who doesn’t have fond memories of the Dallas corner. Following the emphatic takeaway, the Cowboys head to halftime with a 12-7 lead and much more momentum.

WATCH: Cowboys Michael Gallup makes TD catch in return from injury

Michael Gallup is making his presence felt early in his return, making a touchdown grab on a methodical Dallas drive. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys offense showed promise in the first quarter against Washington, but only had two field goals to show for it. Following a second three-and-out by Dallas, the Commanders put together their first strong drive, ended by a touchdown grab by Jahan Dotson, taking a 7-6 lead in AT&T Stadium.

Down a point, the Cowboys offense took the field and quarterback Cooper Rush almost turned the ball over but an illegal contact penalty kept him on the field and sparked a responsive drive. On the next third-down play, Rush found wide receiver Michael Gallup for his first catch in 2022 coming off of a torn ACL.

Kellen Moore relied on running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard on the drive to march down the field and it worked. The physical presence slowed down the Washington defense to the tune of 36 rushing yards. Facing another third down in the red zone, Rush went to Gallup again. This time, it was for a touchdown.

Dallas built a methodical drive, running 15 plays and chewing 6:01 off the clock before taking the lead on a 9-yard touchdown catch for Gallup, who has plenty of confidence in his return. The Cowboys take a 12-7 lead after a blocked extra point with a minute left in the first half.

Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis questionable to return after pregame injury

Cowboys nickel corner Jourdan Lewis suffered a groin injury pregame, with Dallas sending a rookie to take his place on the first drive. | From @CDBurnett7

Since being drafted by Dallas in 2017, cornerback Jourdan Lewis has made a living as the nickel corner for the Cowboys. Lewis has played in at least 15 games for the first five years of his career, becoming a consistent face on a defense that’s seen a lot of change.

While he had no injury designation, the Dallas defense took the field against the Commanders and Lewis was on the sideline without his helmet. Rookie cornerback DaRon Bland was the first to step into the nickel corner spot due to his absence.

Bland had an eye-opening training camp and preseason, setting him up for the backup nickel spot. Lewis suffered the groin injury pregame and the Cowboys quickly turned to the rookie to pick up the production. On the first defensive drive, Dallas stifled the Washington offense and Lewis is questionable to return in the game for later drives.

[vertical-gallery id=703309][vertical-gallery id=703291][listicle id=703326][lawrence-newsletter]

Michael Gallup to debut as Cowboys, Commanders announce Week 4 inactives

Michael Gallup’s 2022 debut headlines the non-inactives for the Cowboys’ Week 4 matchup with the Commanders. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys have waited for the return of wide receiver Michael Gallup to boost the limited unit. Coming off a torn ACL last season, Gallup was close to returning in Week 3 but didn’t feel confident although his body felt ready.

A week later, Gallup is suiting up for Dallas in his 2022 debut against the Commanders. The fifth-year receiver is a big boost to the receiver room, which inches closer to 100% as James Washington is working back from a training camp injury.

Due to Gallup’s return, wide receiver Jalen Tolbert is inactive a week after his NFL debut with one catch. Another boost to the offensive arsenal, tight end Dalton Schultz is back on the field for the Cowboys after a PCL injury kept him off the field in New York.

Starting left guard Connor McGovern is back from a high-ankle sprain, but the strong Dallas debut from Jason Peters presents a decision for the coaches against Washington. Quarterback Dak Prescott spends his third week on the inactive list, while a return is close for the franchise man in Dallas.

On the defensive side, safety Jayron Kearse is inactive for a third straight game with an MCL injury suffered against the Buccaneers. The strong play of Donovan Wilson has kept the key loss from being heavily impactful. Offensive tackle Matt Waletzko, linebacker Devin Harper and cornerback Nahshon Wright round out the Cowboys’ six inactives.

Washington’s five-man inactive list is full of reserve players while defensive end Chase Young is working back from injury. Quarterback Sam Howell, tight end Cole Turner and guard Chris Paul are the three offensive players out for the Commanders. For the Washington defense, defensive tackle Daniel Wise and cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields are inactive.

The Cowboys take on the Commanders in their first early slot of the year, 12 p.m. CT, broadcast on FOX.

Kearse likely out, Tyler the RINO among 11 biggest storylines for Cowboys-Commanders in Week 4

Don’t think just because the NFL stashed this game in an early slot there isn’t a lot to pay attention to in this NFCE showdown. @KDDrummondNFL explains.

The Dallas Cowboys (2-1) will play their first early kickoff of the season Sunday when they host their division rivals from Washington. The Commanders (1-2) have had their difficulties of late, after winning their season opener against the now-seemingly formidable Jacksonville Jaguars. Which version of the team will show up on Sunday?

Dallas would be more than happy to continue their misery, as they look to secure their second-straight division win and third straight overall. With two tough road games coming up on the schedule (@ Rams, @ Eagles), Dallas will need to get this victory to keep pace with the top NFC teams as Dak Prescott works his way back into the lineup. From Cooper Rush’s goals to teammates making fun of Micah Parsons, there’s a lot of intriguing storylines in this game, even if the NFL stashed it in the early window.

Enemy Intel: What’s wrong with Commanders, what Cowboys need to be aware of

We check in with @Washington_Wire and yes, Jack Del Rio is as much of the problem as Commander Wentz. Come get that intel. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The preparation is done. The rosters are stabilized and the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Football Te– err, Commanders are set to square off to renew their storied rivalry. Gone are the days of placing chickens in owner’s hotel bathrooms and holding fight songs (with conveniently erased third verses) hostage until franchises were born. Not gone are the always high stakes.

Every early-season divisional matchup helps set the stage for who chases and who’s being chased and this one is no different as Dallas and Washington try to keep pace with Philadelphia. How will they accomplish that? We went behind enemy lines to check in with Bryan Manning of Washington Wire. Giving him the real about the current state of the Cowboys in return for some dirt on what’s happening Under His Eye with Commander Wentz and the rest of the team. Take a look at our Q&A from this week.

Follow the Cowboys Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Statistical Breakdown: How the Cowboys and Commanders stack up in Week 4

Forget the traditional box score, here’s a look at how the Cowboys and Commanders match up in the stats that matter on Sunday. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys will host the Washington Commanders in a battle of NFC East rivals, as both face division battles for the second week in a row. In Week 3, Washington suffered a loss against the Philadelphia Eagles while Dallas picked up a win against the New York Giants.

The 2-1 Cowboys are expecting several familiar faces to return to the lineup this week. Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and Connor McGovern are expected to return for the offense while Jayron Kearse is expected to be back on the defense. Quarterback Dak Prescott will once again be out as he recovers from a thumb injury suffered on Week 1.

Meanwhile the Commanders (1-2) have dropped two straight and will look to bounce back after a tough loss that saw QB Carson Wentz sacked nine times as the offense struggled to move the football.

Each week we open up the Advanced Stat Notebook to analyze how the teams ranks in EPA, DVOA, ANY/A and Toxic Differential. These four key metrics have a high correlation to win probability.

53-man Week 4 roster: Cowboys elevate QB for final time without consequences

With the Cowboys getting healthier, there was only the need to elevate one player from the practice squad in Week 4. | From @KDDrummondNFL

There are three stages of roster adjustments when it comes to getting ready for an NFL game. The first is the final injury report, where the team announces which players have been ruled out due to injury, which are doubtful (25% chance to play), questionable (50/50) or no designation (ready to go). Once that’s determined the teams move to step 2, identifying which players will be elevated from the practice squad. Teams can bring up two players not on full contracts to play in that weekend’s game. Following that are the game-day inactive announcements where the full roster is trimmed to who can actually come onto the field of play.

On Saturday, the Cowboys announced their practice squad elevations for the Week 4 contest against the Washington Commanders. As expected, QB Will Grier has been elevated as Dak Prescott was again ruled out on Friday. This will be the third straight week Grier is elevated from the practice squad, the maximum total any player can be done so and returned.

This means that either Prescott is ready next week (with Cooper Rush as his backup) or Grier is added to the 53-man roster. Once that happens, Grier would have to be subjected to the waiver process before returning to the practice squad. With the way that Rush has played in 2022, Grier’s stock could have risen with the tide in the eyes of the rest of the league.

 

Follow the Cowboys Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

Final Injury Report: Commanders OL in danger, Cowboys have 3 questionable

A look at who is out, who is hurting and who is good to go in the Cowboys-Commanders Week 4 matchup. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are now less than 24 hours away from their second-straight faceoff against an NFC East foe. This time, they get to be on their home turf after winning their first road test of the year. The Commanders of Washington enter the chat on Sunday. Here’s how to watch.

The matchup will likely see the return of several Cowboys who were out last week, with three players receiving the limited designation and only one being ruled out. Of course that one is the most important, but backup Cooper Rush has been doing his thing as asked and one or two more games should be all that are required. Meanwhile the opposite sideline is suffering from a slew of injuries along the offensive line. Though only two players carry a designation, the Commanders are down to their fourth-string center, recently signed Nick Martin. Yes, Nick Martin is the brother of Cowboys RG Zack Martin.

 

Follow the Cowboys Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

3 keys to winning the rivalry-renewed Cowboys-Commanders game

Cowboys have dominated one of the greatest rivalries in NFL history, but here are the keys to winning their first matchup of 2022. | From @CDPiglet

The NFC East started to battle one another in Week 3, with the two undefeated teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, facing off against the two teams at 1-1, the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders. The latter two had very different outcomes to their matchups.

Washington got dog walked by the Eagles in a manner that was much worse than the 24-8 score would indicate. Philadelphia had 400 yards in total offense and an average of 5.9 yards per play, compared to 240 yards for the Commanders, 3.2 per play. Quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked nine times and the game was never competitive.

The Cowboys actually gave the Giants their first loss of the year, by coming from behind in a that included key moments from all three phases. The defense was once again dominant, staying one of four teams to not allow an opponent over 20 points this season. The special team unit blocked a field goal, converted long kicks, and had big returns. The offense also stepped up later in the contest and scored 17 straight points to put the game out of reach.

When teams with rivalries like these two play one another, the records go out the window and the ability to execute becomes critical. What specifically do Dallas and Washington have to key in on in order to get a win in the next game against their biggest antagonist though?