‘Just Getting Started’: Dak Prescott Throws 4 TDs, Breaks Dallas Cowboys Record In 37-20 Win Over Washington Commanders

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott threw his 249th career touchdown pass with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter Sunday, a 24-yard throw to CeeDee Lamb that moved him past Tony Romo for the most in Dallas Cowboys history. It was the last score of a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders in the home opener at AT&T Stadium, where the paid crowd was 93,188.

Prescott went 26-of-31 passing for 279 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, good for a 143.8 passer rating. Lamb caught 8 passes for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jake Ferguson caught the other 2 touchdowns among his 4 receptions for 43 yards. Dallas is 1-1 after losing 28-20 to the New York Giants on Sept. 13. Washington fell to 0-2.

In the locker room afterward, the team presented Prescott the ball from the record throw. He told his teammates he would not be in that position without them, and they cheered him through it.

“That made me emotional,” Prescott said. “I mean, I love those guys. I lay it on the line each and every day, my love for this game, my love for my teammates, any and every teammate that I’ve had. There’s tons of guys that aren’t in that locker room that I think about when I break this record, whether it’s them catching the ball or them blocking or them on defense, and just giving me confidence and getting the ball back.”

“But to see my teammates act that way, to see guys that only have been together for five, six months, have the joy, have the cheers that they do. It was emotional,” Prescott continued. “Very, very appreciative of it. It shows me what this brotherhood means. It shows, it reminds me that everything that I do, the conversations that I have don’t go unnoticed and just reminds me how blessed I am.”

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer runs the postgame locker room himself, calling out the plays that won the game in front of the full team. On Sunday, he built the list so the record came last, with the ball ready when he got there.

“I did. I did,” Schottenheimer said. “We started with field goals. Then went to defense. Then we did the touchdown passes. And then went to Dak. And on the fourth one, we had the ball. And we presented him the ball. And he was able to make an amazing speech to his teammates, and as you guys can imagine, it was a lot about what motivates him, and it’s not about him, it’s about them, the guys looking at him, and it’s [a] very emotional scene.”

Lamb has caught 37 of Prescott’s 249 touchdown passes, more than any other player, and two of them came Sunday. The record throw was slightly underthrown, and Lamb went up over a Washington defender at the goal line to take it.

“That was crazy to find out,” Lamb said. “It was obviously a lot of emotion. We needed to close the game out. I’m happy he relied on me to make that play. And I’m happy for [him].”

Dallas Cowboys Score On First Three Possessions Against Washington Commanders

Washington won the coin toss and deferred. Dallas scored on each of its first three possessions, starting with a 10-play, 66-yard drive on which Prescott completed 5 of 6 passes for 53 yards, scrambled for 11 more, and found Lamb from 3 yards out.

“Honestly, personally, I just kinda take it offensive that they wanna put our offense out first, like we’re not who we are,” Lamb explained. “So from now on, I feel like we just gotta control the narrative and control what we do. If they give us the ball first, we go score first.”

It took Dallas 4:59 to score. Prescott completed passes to three different receivers on the drive, converted a third-and-2 with a throw to Pickens, and scrambled 11 yards to the Washington 3 to set up the touchdown.

“We definitely played better. We started faster. That was the biggest thing coming from last week to this week. Our two possessions in the second half were great last week, right?” Prescott explained. “And so my emphasis, I mean, I said it before we took the field, and I think I just kind of echoed it for the whole first quarter, is we have to start fast. The only thing I care about right now is the focus and the effort, start fast, and everything else will follow. And the guys did exactly that.”

“And so coming out and getting a touchdown on your first drive was huge, allowed our defense to play to their strengths and do what they want to do,” Prescott continued. “And I think that was a huge start of the game. And so if we start fast, we’re going to put ourselves in a great position. And that was kind of the emphasis of tonight for sure.”

The second drive reached the Washington 6-yard line after a Washington interception in the end zone was wiped out by a defensive offside penalty. Brandon Aubrey kicked a 25-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead after one quarter.

Washington opened the second quarter with a 27-yard field goal at the end of a 13-play, 73-yard drive. Prescott then completed all 6 of his passes for 49 yards, including three straight to Ryan Flournoy, and hit Ferguson for a 10-yard touchdown and a 17-3 lead. On the next Washington series, a 34-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin was overturned on replay. Jayden Daniels threw a 4-yard touchdown to Stefon Diggs four plays later to make it 17-10.

Schottenheimer calls the Cowboys’ offensive plays. Dallas threw 31 passes and ran 21 times for 66 yards, and Prescott’s 4 scrambles for 26 yards accounted for more than a third of the rushing total.

“We were disappointing ourselves last game. I was disappointing myself last game as a play caller,” Schottenheimer explained. “Had a great week of prep. Felt good about the plan. And we did a nice job moving the ball. And the plan was to come out and throw it around a little bit. That was the plan. I know the run numbers were pretty ugly. But that was a little bit of the plan coming into this game.”

A 25-yard run by Javonte Williams in the fourth quarter was wiped out by a holding penalty on George Pickens. Williams finished with 12 carries for 30 yards.

“Again, I didn’t think the numbers would be 66 yards, but like I said, I did want to come out and spread them out and use some of our play-action passing game,” Schottenheimer said. “Dak did a really nice job running, and then again, we had the long one called back in the fourth quarter. That was a nice run by Javonte. And it’s a good front, and they’re explosive and powerful, and they did a nice job. But, again, the commitment there from me was, ‘Hey, we’re going to come out throwing the ball around.’ And I think it worked pretty well for us.”

With 5:01 left in the half, Washington took over at its own 35 and drove to a first-and-goal at the Dallas 1-yard line with 12 seconds remaining. The Commanders had used their final timeout. Three straight passes fell incomplete, and Daniels was hurt on the last one with 3 seconds on the clock.

Schottenheimer celebrated on the sideline after Ferguson’s first touchdown, and television cameras caught him flinging his headset after the stand at the goal line as the half ended. It was his first home game of the season, a week after the loss in New Jersey.

“I think it was more of, again, just I know what we have. This is a tough business. I know what we’re built from,” Schottenheimer said. “I know what we’re about as a group of young men that have come together and forged a special and unique brotherhood. They have a bond. I hurt for them last game because we didn’t play our best football. But I knew what we were capable of, and now we’ve got to go and try to stack some wins.”

Washington ruled Daniels out early in the third quarter and turned to Marcus Mariota, who led a field goal drive to open the half. A 47-yarder came after Washington lost a challenge on an incompletion down the left side intended for Dyami Brown. Aubrey answered from 44 yards at the end of a 9-play, 38-yard drive that took 5:30, making it 20-13.

On Washington’s next snap, Jaishawn Barham knocked the ball loose from Brown on a screen pass. Dee Winters recovered at the Washington 18 and returned it to the 13. Two plays later, Prescott found Ferguson for a 12-yard touchdown that tied Romo at 248 and made it 27-13.

The offense stalled after the fast start. Between Ferguson’s first touchdown and Barham’s forced fumble, Dallas had two possessions. The first began with a 9-yard sack and ended in a punt three plays later, and the second stalled on a third-down sack at the Washington 26 before Aubrey’s 44-yard field goal.

“We got to find a way to have that energy and that stamina,” Lamb said. “I feel like towards the middle of the second quarter, early third quarter, we kind of tapered off a little bit, and then we find our groove again. The best teams, they play throughout the whole game, and I feel like we got to do that if we consider ourselves the best.”

Dallas led 17-3 midway through the second quarter and did not score another touchdown until the fumble. Prescott was frustrated when the Cowboys settled for field goals, and his teammates and coaches told him on the sideline to let it go.

“It’s one play at a time. And I echo it, and those guys know that. But it’s just human nature. You get up a couple of touchdowns, you get a couple of scores, and it may not be the whole group. It may not be everyone,” Prescott said. “But a player here, a player there just kind of lets off the gas a little bit, and it shows. This is a game where all 11 matters, whatever’s on the field. And I just think that was an example of that.”

“We talked, as we do. We’ve got great leaders. We’ve got guys that take a lot of pride in their jobs. And it wasn’t a lot of conversations or words need to be said. And we got it back going,” Prescott continued. “And, yeah, don’t let off the gas, because sometimes when you do, you put yourselves in a way tougher situation than you want to be in. And in this NFL, the ball bounces a funny way, and now you’re sick. And so, yeah, just continue to play it one play at a time and just trust the process.”

Washington missed a 51-yard field goal wide right late in the third quarter. Aubrey made a 60-yarder from the Washington 42 on fourth-and-4 for a 30-13 lead, the seventh field goal of 60 yards or longer in his career, which extended his NFL record. He finished 3-of-3 on field goals and 4-of-4 on extra points for 13 points.

“I never hesitate to throw them out there,” Schottenheimer said. “Actually, I really, if it’s anywhere near midfield, I just send them. I just point. I’m like, ‘Yeah, field goal.’ That’s all I do. I just point.”

Mariota threw a 20-yard touchdown to Diggs with 9:03 left to cut the lead to 30-20. Dallas answered with an 11-play, 83-yard drive that took 5:56. Lamb caught a 35-yard pass down the right sideline on second-and-12, and five plays later he went up over a defender for the 24-yard touchdown.

Dallas led 30-20 when it took over at its own 17 with 9:03 left. The drive went 11 plays before Schottenheimer called the throw to Lamb on second-and-6 from the Washington 24, and he said getting the record at home rather than in Brazil was not part of the thinking.

“No. I just, as we were going through that last drive, I could tell they were playing a little bit tighter on the outside. So we saw some things from a matchup standpoint,” Schottenheimer said. “But the hardest part for us was we called that play a little closer than we usually do. In true Dak fashion, he was fine with it. I kind of asked, ‘Are you good with this?’ He’s like, just nod. And then the catch seemed like it was incredible. Like it could have gone either way, and CeeDee wrestled [it] away.”

Dak Prescott On Tony Romo Record, Roger Staubach, And His Late Mother, Peggy

Prescott wore a Roger Staubach jersey to his postgame press conference. Staubach threw 153 touchdown passes for Dallas, Danny White threw 155, and Troy Aikman threw 165.

“I mean, we were just talking about it throughout the week. He’s just on my mind and, yeah, home opener. I knew that this was an opportunity to break this record. And just felt right. Just felt right,” Prescott said. “As I said, I mean, he’s the standard. He was the first great, great, great one here, right? And I think he still is.”

“And as we know, I was schooling up Q on the history of him, to win the Heisman, to go serve for our country, and then to come back, win two Super Bowls, be the man that he is, be as great as he is off the field, do so much for the community,” Prescott continued. “He’s the epitome of what a Dallas Cowboys quarterback should be, and he’s who I’m chasing. And so I’m thankful for the relationship that we do have. And, yeah, I just wanted to support him.”

Washington was also the opponent for Prescott’s first NFL touchdown, a 6-yard run in a 27-23 win on Sept. 18, 2016, which was also his first career victory. Ten years later, he broke the franchise record against the same team in his 11th season.

“I’m blessed, honored,” Prescott said. “As I’ve told you earlier in the week, records are meant to be broken. This is my time to break this one. Pretty cool to do it against the team I [threw] my first touchdown against, what, 10 years ago or so. So definitely humbling. Something I don’t take for granted, the great history of this organization, of the past quarterbacks before me, obviously wearing, to me, the greatest one, right?”

“And so super, super honored, super thankful. God’s great,” Prescott continued. “I’m not taking it lightly, but as I told you all, it’s just the beginning. I want to double it. I plan to play for a while, so just getting started.”

He came into Sunday three touchdown passes short of tying Romo and left with the franchise marks for passing yards, touchdown passes, completions, pass attempts, and completion percentage. Sunday was his 79th career game with multiple touchdown passes, which tied Romo’s team record. He entered 7-0 at home against Washington, and the win extended his home winning streak against NFC East opponents to 20 games.

Prescott took over as the starter as a rookie in 2016 after Romo was injured in a preseason game, and Romo spent that season behind him before the Cowboys released him in April 2017. Romo threw 248 touchdown passes in 13 seasons with Dallas.

“It’s interesting you said it like that. Yeah, I was a big fan of Romo. I was. I was a fan of the Cowboys, and so it led into being a fan of the quarterback of the Cowboys, as frustrated at times as he was or as some fans are of me,” Prescott said. “And there was a tweet out there, right, that when I got drafted that was brought back up, and I was just a dumb fan at that time too. And so, yeah, I didn’t know exactly what he was dealing with. But I do remember watching him throwing it to Dez, throwing it to Jason, and the accuracy, the command. Those are the two things that I was in awe.”

“And then, like you said, I get drafted here, and I remember sitting in meetings, listening to him and Scott talk, and they were talking so far over my head. I’m like, ‘Man, this is going to be tough to get on the field.’ Like, I had no idea what they were talking about,” Prescott continued. “They were talking about building plays and formations. And, yeah, just his knowledge for this game. Obviously, that’s evident, just who he is. And even him calling games on broadcast, you can tell that.”

“And so that’s what stands out to me, his command, being able to call his own offense, and then just ultimately the accuracy, being able to make any throw and every throw from whatever position he’s in is something that I’ve always admired and looked up to,” Prescott continued. “And, yeah, thankful for the relationship that me and Tony have. Tony always has been great to me, even that year. With whatever and everything that went down, he was a great supporter. He was there to help me on the sideline all the way throughout the year. And when we’ve been able to connect in the offseasons or I’ve asked a favor or vice versa, it’s been mutual. So, super thankful for him.”

Dez Bryant, who wore No. 88 for Dallas from 2010 to 2017, was in the locker room after the game with his son. Lamb wears No. 88 now.

“I just dapped him off right before I walked in here. And he’s screaming at CD, who was getting interviewed. And I was just like, ‘The 88s,’” Prescott said. “Yeah, it’s awesome. I’m blessed. Obviously, as I said in the locker room, I told the guys I wouldn’t be in this position without so many of my teammates. And whether I said it was the guys blocking, the guys on defense getting the ball back, or those kind of individuals right there who are catching it and believe so much in me, but also believe so much in themselves and this team. It just creates for great chemistry.”

“Super thankful for who Dez was or who he is, and the older veteran he was when I came into the locker room. First guy that ever greeted me walking into the locker room. One of the biggest supporters of young guys, gave me so much confidence,” Prescott continued. “And then now to be pouring that into CD, and CD tells me right after the game, run on the field, nobody’s more deserving. I’m just super blessed for having those guys, but it’s not just on the field, it’s off the field and that personal relationship.”

Prescott’s mother, Peggy, died in 2013, while he was at Mississippi State. When he got to the sideline after the record throw and teammates came to him, he said, memories from his first NFL season started running through his head.

“I don’t know. I woke up this morning just a little emotional, way more than normal. And I don’t know if it had a part in. God knew it was going to happen today and I was going to break this record and have to talk to you guys or not. And so, yeah, I don’t know,” Prescott said. “I just felt it, and actually the touchdown to Jake right before that play, or I broke that huddle, I felt like that was the touchdown to tie it. I literally in my head said, ‘Thank you, God,’ before I even snapped the ball, and it happened. And then on this drive I was kind of like, ‘God, if you’ve got it in store for me, let’s break this thing and just get it over with.’”

“And the moment it happened, yeah, I just felt my mom,” Prescott continued. “My mom was never short or never hesitant to tell me how proud she was of me. She was never, never, never short of that. And I could just hear that. And that’s enough. Thankful that my teammates, my coaches, and everybody believe in me and all that, but that’s enough. I heard that my whole life growing up, and I hear it now as loud as I’ve ever heard it. I’m just blessed.”

Prescott was the 135th pick in the 2016 draft, a fourth-rounder who opened his first training camp fourth on the depth chart. He now holds every major Cowboys passing record, and regular-season wins are the one major category left. Sunday’s win was his 84th, one behind Staubach and 10 behind Aikman.

“Yeah, absolutely. And that’s credit to my mom. That’s credit to my brothers. I said I would do some of these things when I was a little kid. Being naive is great. Jerry said that one of the openers to a Hard Knocks, one of the Hard Knocks episodes, and I thought it was amazing. Sometimes it’s great being naive,” Prescott said. “And I was a little naive just growing up, thinking that I could do this and I could do that, but yet I think it puts such a insurmountable belief in my head that I can accomplish whatever I want to accomplish. Any thought that I said or anything that I wanted to do, and I mentioned it and I said it out loud, I had a mom and I had brothers who poured gas on those thoughts, who told me I could.”

“And as I said, you can call it arrogance, you can call it confidence, belief, whatever you need to. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have those thoughts, if I didn’t believe in myself like that,” Prescott continued. “And I just encourage the next little kid out there who comes from the trailer park in Louisiana or wherever he may come from and doesn’t know if he can do it or have the resources or have the family that you’re right, like, believe in what you want to believe in and find the people that support that, and you can do it.”

“That’s what makes me so emotional. As I said, I want to double this number, but to even be in this position, now being 33 years old, and just thinking back of like, why did I think like that?” Prescott continued. “And it’s because of my mom. It’s because of my brothers. It’s because of the people that are surrounded by, not just them, my friends, my teammates in high school, middle school, whatever it may be. And, yeah, I truly, truly believe I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have those thoughts. And so naive, arrogance, whatever you want to call it, I’m thankful that I did, and they’re not going to stop.”

Staubach last played for Dallas in 1979, nearly 14 years before Prescott was born, and what Prescott knows of him as a player comes mostly from film. Prescott, 33, grew up in Louisiana as a Cowboys fan.

“I really don’t think about that. I don’t. It’s not that I don’t care, but for me it’s about being present. When I hear that Jake pivots that conversation there, I see the way that my teammates react in the locker room or when I score that touchdown, that’s enough for me,” Prescott said. “That’s more than enough for me that when I’m done playing this game or when I’m not here anymore, life’s life, and life’s going to continue to go on. People are going to look up history. People are going to believe what they want to believe.”

“The simple fact that I actually had to explain Roger’s history to a teammate, there’s going to be Cowboy players that don’t give a damn or know who I am one day,” Prescott continued. “And so I just want to be present as much as I can every second and every opportunity that I have, and I think that’ll be enough.”

FOX cameras caught Lamb hunting for the ball after the touchdown. He brought it to Prescott on the sideline and told him nobody was more deserving.

“Yeah, it’s awesome that he went to go look for it. It just kind of goes in, as I was saying, the way that my teammates react is humbling and makes me as emotional as anything to see how much they care for it. And it’ll be a good keepsake,” Prescott said. “Obviously, I’ve got it. I’ve got my jersey. It’s not something I’m rushing to get framed or put up. I don’t have a place for it yet. I mean, I’m not even in my house.”

“Yeah, so it just [will] collect dust until my girls get old enough and they care to show somebody and show it off,” Prescott continued. “I’ve got the memories. I’ve got the relationships that show what that football with the jersey means. It’s just a sign of it that it will collect dust, and it will be a beautiful dust collector.”

CeeDee Lamb And Jake Ferguson Catch All Four Dak Prescott Touchdowns

Lamb caught 3 passes for 41 yards on the opening drive, the touchdown included, and had 6 catches for 94 yards by halftime. His 38-yard catch down the right side on the second drive was the longest play of the game for either team.

“It’s just what the defense was giving us. I mean, obviously we’re putting CD in places to get the ball, but so we are for George, Ferg, and Flo, and those guys are giving a lot of attention to George right now. I mean, both teams we’ve played have, you’re right, and so that gives CD the opportunity for some one-on-ones, and he’s going to keep doing what he’s done in these games if they’re going to do that,” Prescott said. “And so, yeah, I don’t think that was the plan, like, ‘Hey, let’s get the ball to CD coming out here.’ I wouldn’t say that. It was just do the things we do well and the plays that we run well. And it just so happened they went to CD, and he got in a groove, and he had a hell of a night.”

The record throw came one quarter after the tying touchdown to Ferguson, on a drive that began with Dallas protecting a 10-point lead. Lamb had already caught a 35-yard pass down the right sideline on the same drive.

“Yeah, it was definitely fitting. And it wasn’t a great ball. And I just saw it was one-on-one. I put it out there. I’m like, ‘CD, please, just get this over with,’ right? And he did,” Prescott said. “And then I heard the crowd. I’m like, ‘Did he catch it? Did he not?’ And then when he’s running down the end zone, I’m like, ‘Thank God. Yeah, this is over. We can just move on and just play ball now.’”

“And so definitely fitting. That guy, he’s been amazing. And as I just said, we’re just getting started. He’s just getting started. And so he’s a hell of a player,” Prescott continued. “He’s had one touchdown in each game, and I don’t think it’s going to stop. Just his mindset, his mentality, just where he is in life, it’s only going to get better, and I’m excited for it.”

Dallas punted once all game, went 3-of-4 in the red zone, and converted 7 of 11 third downs. Prescott completed passes to five different players.

“They spent a lot of time together, man. They’ve thrown a lot of balls together. And it was really great to see Dak break the record at home to CD,” Schottenheimer said. “I thought George made some really tough catches at really big times for us. Ryan Flournoy, Fergie, a couple touchdowns. I just thought the passing game was hitting on all cylinders today.”

Pickens caught 6 passes for 40 yards, including third-down catches of 4 and 9 yards that moved the chains in the first half. Lamb converted a third-and-5 with a 10-yard catch on the second drive.

“Honestly, it was just about how fast can we come out? How efficient can we be? Just make as many plays as we possibly can. And I meant positive plays. But we just want to come out and be flawless,” Lamb said. “Like, obviously, we feel like that’s our standard. And the only way that we can do that is going out there and converting every first down, staying ahead of the chains, relying [on] one another, and then one of us getting [in] the end zone. It just happened to be me first this week.”

Lamb was targeted 9 times and caught 8. Four of those catches went for 20 yards or more: 38, 35, 24, and 23 yards.

“Nah, I was just ready to go play ball. I’m ready to go play ball. If that means you’re relying on me, you’re safe. If not, I’m going to go do my thing,” Lamb said. “We’re committed. We’re committed. We want to dominate our division. Essentially, you do that, you get rewarded with a spot in the playoffs, and that’s what we’re looking for. So I’m happy for Dak, and I know we can continue this thing going.”

Sunday was Lamb’s ninth career game with multiple touchdown catches and his 28th with at least 100 receiving yards. His 153 yards were the fourth-highest total of his career. Lamb now has 23 games of 100 or more receiving yards since 2022. That ties Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown for the most in the league over that span.

“No, I’m just happy for him,” Lamb said. “Nobody else is more deserving than he is as far as that achievement. And I know we’ve got many more to go.”

Ferguson’s two touchdowns gave him the third multiple-touchdown game of his career. The second one came two plays after the forced fumble, on the possession after Dallas settled for Aubrey’s 44-yard field goal.

“Yeah, I mean, the first one, we knew that formation and that look in the red zone, depending on what they’re going to do, was going to give them trouble. We were interested to see how they would play that. And so kind of got exactly what we wanted,” Prescott said. “And the second one, I think we had stalled out the drive before that, kicking a field goal, and I just said, ‘Man, let me get vertical.’ It’s like I just think we need to run by him. And [Schotty] called a good play, and they once again leaned over to GP, double GP, leaving Ferg one-on-one with the frontside safety or the backer trying to push, and just threw it off of the backer’s ear, understanding where Ferg was going to be, and that’s just trust.”

“That’s stuff that we talked about. That’s actually almost identical to a play we talked about last week where I wanted to hit him. And I didn’t think he gave me his eyes fast enough. And we had a conversation on the bus about it,” Prescott continued. “And it wasn’t the exact same play, but we came back in a very, very similar look, very similar attack. And he did exactly what I wanted him to do. And I just trusted it and ripped it. And he made the catch. And that’s what those conversations and all those moments on the bus and all those things matter, because you never know when they’re going to come up, and [it] came right back up tonight.”

Flournoy caught 5 passes for 23 yards, including three straight on the second-quarter touchdown drive that Ferguson finished from 10 yards out. Flournoy had 3 catches for 18 yards in the first half.

“I think that just goes back to offseason. There were times where there might not be many guys in town, but we’re still throwing routes. We’re still figuring it out,” Ferguson said. “I remember I grabbed Flo after this game, and I was like, ‘That’s all those routes that were just me and you in April, just running routes in our free time.’ And I think that just shows. We’ve been putting in a lot of work. We’ve been putting in a lot of work on the connection, the brotherhood that we’re trying to build here. And we’ve got a lot to do, but that’s just what we’re striving for.”

Ferguson was targeted 4 times and caught all 4. His first touchdown came one play after a third-down catch by Pickens drew an unnecessary roughness penalty that moved the ball to the Washington 10.

“Yeah, it means the world to me. The kind of man he is off the field is pretty special. How he carries himself, how he treats people. And I’m not just talking about the football player. I’m talking about the man. The father he is, it’s unbelievable,” Ferguson explained. “It’s who you strive to be. He’s a role model for me. And he’s been there for some hard stuff for me. I lost my stepfather in camp, and he was there for me through the whole time, pulled [me] out of a meeting, came to talk to me, and really kept me together. And, yeah, he means a ton to me and means a ton to this team, and it’s pretty special.”

Prescott and Ferguson have been teammates since 2022, when Dallas drafted Ferguson in the fourth round, the same round it took Prescott six years earlier. Ferguson has been voted to two Pro Bowls, in 2023 and 2025.

“Yeah, they make up more than the records. This world’s about people, man. This life’s about people. It’s about loving and pouring into people and being there for somebody and giving them what you can through your own experiences, being a helping hand,” Prescott said. “And, yeah, me and Jake obviously have grown close over this offseason and just over the past years. And then, yeah, when he lost his father in camp, I knew where he was. I’ve been in that position and just wanted to be there for him and check on him and let him know that whatever your feeling is, okay. Like, you’re mad, pissed, whatever.”

“He handled it as good as anybody can, losing a stepfather and being there for his mom and for his family and being a rock. I just wanted to be a little help if I could,” Prescott continued. “So just for him to even pivot, talking about a record to that, it just goes back to me just saying that all these little things matter. It’s not what I do it for, but it’s humbling, and it makes me emotional to think about that small thing, small gestures can mean so much.”

Terence Steele started at right tackle on a line that allowed 2 sacks for 13 yards. Prescott threw 31 passes behind it without an interception.

“Man, it’s fun to see. We got some really, really good wide receivers, and obviously Dak’s a legend. So it was cool to see that,” Steele said. “But, no, a lot of those deep passes were set up off of some run action.”

“Man, that was a really cool moment,” Steele explained. “Dak works his butt off. So to see him have the success, it’s not surprising. But obviously we’re all super, super, super happy for him.”

Brian Schottenheimer, Jerry Jones, And Quinnen Williams On Dak Prescott

Schottenheimer joined the Dallas staff in 2022 and is in his second season as head coach. He led the locker room celebration for Prescott on Sunday.

“I mean, the man. You can’t talk about Dak, the player, without starting with the man. The man is unique. He’s just special,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s why I was emotional watching the guys celebrate him in the locker room. I hope the cameras caught it, because you could see the love and admiration that he has from all of his teammates. I mean, they literally, the way he plays this game, the way he leads us is special. He’s a unique, special, special man, and I’m blessed to be able to coach him.”

Prescott wore the Staubach jersey into the building for the home opener, needing four touchdown passes to break the record. He got the fourth with 3:07 left.

“No, he’s always locked in. I thought the focus on the sidelines throughout the course of the game, you saw the competitive fire in him. I mean, the guy’s just a different, unique competitor, man, the way he’s wired and the way he loves his teammates. He loves his game. He loves the Lord. He talked about that. His confidence comes from his faith,” Schottenheimer said. “And just couldn’t be more proud of him. But back to your question, he and CeeDee have played a lot of football together. And it was really cool to see those two guys connect.”

Schottenheimer said Prescott’s hours at the facility are the part of his work nobody outside the building sees. Some nights, he said, he has to kick Prescott out.

“I’ve been blessed. I’ve been around some elite, elite quarterbacks. And Dak Prescott’s preparation is something that is abnormal. They all work. They all prepare. They all study film. But this guy takes it to a different level,” Schottenheimer said. “I mean, just the amount of film he watches, the communication, he’s up in our office until all hours of the night and watching film with a couple of our coaches. And it’s just unique, and I think that’s what it takes. And that’s what you love about the guy.”

“But most people don’t see it. The fans don’t see it,” Schottenheimer continued. “I mean, he’s there until 9:30, 10 o’clock at night. Sometimes I feel like I’ve got to kick him out. But special young man, and he deserves everything he gets because he does it for his teammates and his brothers, not himself.”

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has owned the team since 1989, when Dallas drafted Aikman first overall. Jones said the record put Prescott in pretty good company.

“I just think it’s such a statement for how he did it, how he does it. And he does it with hard, hard work,” Jones said. “And he makes it look pretty easy out there, but anybody that knows that, you guys that see him at practice and training camp, knows that he’s the hardest working guy on the team. So I’m proud for him. And, boy, he stands in with pretty good company to have broken that record.”

Jones called the win very important for the players and for the coaching staff, and he did not limit his assessment to his quarterback. Dallas outgained Washington 266 to 207 in net passing yards.

“Of course, we all know what he means to the team, the success of the team. And we’ve got to build the complementary things around that to take advantage of what he can do. And we’ve done that to a big degree,” Jones explained. “I was really pleased with the way our offensive line, we saw some good things out there tonight with Guyton in particular. So I was pleased with the way they played. But particularly, we’ve got to understand we’re working with work in progress over on defense, but it was a lot better.”

Quinnen Williams came to Dallas in a trade and started at defensive tackle Sunday. He said he heard about Prescott’s leadership before he got to Dallas.

“It’s unbelievable, man. You hear about how the leader he is, how hard he worked, how much he dedicates to this team, to this organization. So when I got traded here and get a chance to be a leader next to him, it’s unbelievable,” Williams said. “When it comes down to the leadership, the leader he is, the player he is, the competitor he is, and how much he pours out to this organization and this team, it’s super inspirational, and I’m super happy for him.”

Jaishawn Barham Wears The Green Dot, Forces Key Fumble For Dallas Cowboys Defense

Barham, a rookie linebacker from Michigan, made his first NFL start in his second game, at middle linebacker with DeMarvion Overshown inactive. He also wore the green dot, relaying the calls from defensive coordinator Christian Parker to the rest of the defense. He finished with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and the forced fumble.

Barham’s forced fumble came with Dallas ahead 20-13, on Washington’s first snap after Aubrey’s 44-yard field goal. Mariota threw a screen to Brown that had already lost 6 yards when Barham punched the ball out.

“I think he did a really tremendous job. We had to rotate green dot some when Shemar would come in certain packages. I thought overall we handled that really well,” Schottenheimer said. “And then Jaishawn had a couple stingers. And he’s tough, man. And I think you love that about him. We knew that’s what we were getting when we drafted him, and he showed that tonight.”

A video of a heated sideline exchange between Barham and Parker circulated in the days before Sunday, and veterans in the locker room spent part of the week backing Barham publicly. Prescott had not seen the video when a reporter brought it up to him Thursday.

“Yeah, I wasn’t surprised. He’s a guy [who], when I had a conversation when he first came in or when he first got to training camp, and it was a short conversation, but when I walked off, I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s wired the right way for defense.’ I like that,” Prescott said. “And as you know, during our interview, I was kind of lost, and then after that I went and watched the video, and I think it was the next day or maybe even two days after that, I actually caught up with him in the cold tank, and I asked him, like, ‘The media asked me, I finally saw the video.’”

“And it was just out of context, to be honest with you. He was passionate. It wasn’t an argument between him and CP by any means. And so it was the epitome of who he is,” Prescott continued. “He wasn’t happy with what they were doing [or] his performance, and he was expressing that, and CP was just saying, ‘We’re going to be okay.’ And so not surprised at all that he went out there and played this kind of game.”

“I mean, just even how he answered that question to me, and it’s like, ‘Yeah, no big deal. I just didn’t like, I thought we were playing soft or whatever, and I was pissed off about it.’ That, yeah, I mean, he’s going to be a great ball player for us, great ball player in this league,” Prescott continued. “And, yeah, he’s just, every opportunity he gets, the way that he’s wired and what this game means to him, he’s going to show. And I think tonight was just his second opportunity in doing so.”

Lamb, a 2020 first-round pick, is in his seventh season with Dallas. Barham’s forced fumble led to the touchdown that tied Romo’s record.

“I just know a dog when I see one, and I know my teammates,” Lamb said. “I’m with these guys every single day. Been with them since the spring. You get a good feel of a guy and how passionate he is about it and how much love he has for this game. Just every day on how he prepares, how he approaches the game. I know Jaishawn. He’s a dog, man. He don’t mean no harm. He just wants to go play ball and exceed.”

Kenny Clark plays in front of Barham on the defensive line and finished with 3 tackles and 1 quarterback hit. He is in his 11th NFL season.

“Yeah, just, man, just commanding the huddle. Doing everything that he [was] coached to do, and coming out there being physical at the point of attack, getting guys lined up in the right spot, communicating all day,” Clark said. “He did a great job today.”

Williams had 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 quarterback hit. He is in his eighth NFL season and has watched Barham make the same plays in practice.

“The plays he’s making, man, is super dope. I see him make it in practice, super confident in him. And like I said, just keep building on the things he do well,” Williams explained. “And just like all of us, got to build on the things we got to correct and just keep going, man. He played a great game. He played phenomenal when it came down to wearing the green dot as a rookie, second game of the year, getting everybody in order, especially up front, and different things like that. Just continue to build on it. We all got huge trust in him.”

Von Miller was drafted second overall by Denver in 2011. He had 1 assisted tackle Sunday.

“I think it’s great just to show them, like, it’s just football at the end of the day. Like, this is what you’ve been doing your whole entire life. Don’t make it bigger than what it is. Don’t make it smaller than what it is. Enjoy the moment. And, like, it’s dope,” Miller said. “This is my 16th year in the NFL. This is the first year in the NFL to see guys really, like, get going. Like, this is what I do it for. So it’s amazing to see him get started. And there’s going to be more plays to come, big plays to come.”

The defense Parker installed this season allowed 389 yards Sunday, 182 of them on the ground, and Washington converted 8 of 14 third downs. Daniels ran 7 times for 69 yards before he was hurt. Dallas held Washington to 1 touchdown in 3 trips inside the 20 and won the turnover battle, 1-0.

“Until I watch the film, I won’t really comment on that. Again, we don’t feel like we have a finished product. I think there’s a lot of things to clean up. Like I said, the third down, we’ve got to get people off the field on third down. But the red zone was an improvement. We won the turnover margin, which is good. That gives you a chance to win,” Schottenheimer said. “But, like I said, the one thing I’ll say about the defense and CP this week was they were like this, man. They didn’t blink. I’ve been in a tough situation like that before as a young coordinator and not sure, and you’re taking a lot of bullets. He didn’t blink, and that’s a sign of a competitor that has a very bright future.”

Parker is 34 and made his debut as Dallas’ defensive coordinator in the Week 1 loss at MetLife Stadium, where the Giants scored 28 points. Sunday was his first win in the job.

“Yeah, absolutely I noticed the difference, and it was in the way that we approached it, as those guys mentioned, in the way that we approached the process and how we attacked the week. We didn’t change anything up. We doubled down,” Prescott said. “And I think it was a question Ed asked me on Thursday of like, why do we have a good record in being able to bounce back? And it’s because if you believe in your process in the way that you do, you just do everything just a little bit more and a little bit extra. And I know that’s what they did on defense. And we just did as a team.”

“And I know that they were upset with themselves after last week because it was lack of communication. They gave up some big plays. They gave up some scores. And it was all things that were controllable, and they can control,” Prescott continued. “And so I think they went into this week preparing to do exactly that, communicate, as we said. There’s two ends of communication, the guy giving and the guy receiving the information, and making sure both parts are clear. I think they did a much better job at that tonight. But it’s week two, and I’m sure there’s times that we’ve got to clean up. I know there is on offense, and I’m sure there is on their side.”

“But it’s just great to get this win at home. And what I was saying earlier, just the confidence builder. And so I know it’s huge for them,” Prescott continued. “Just even after we broke it down, said my little speech or whatever to the team and broke it down, just to watch them celebrate for CP. And I’m guessing it was CP. It was water bottles thrown everywhere and somebody was in the middle. So I’m guessing it was CP, first win as a DC. And so just to see that spirit, that energy, confidence can grow from that.”

Miller thinks the defense is ahead of schedule in its first season under Parker, even with corrections left over from both games. Dallas allowed 28 points in the opener and 20 on Sunday.

“It was great. I mean, it’s a great opportunity for us to be in, too. We got a really good offense. Dak went crazy. CeeDee went crazy. Christian Parker, our defensive coordinator, is jelling in. It’s his first win. Congratulations to him,” Miller explained. “It was, it’s just a great day. It’s a great day all over. These are the games that you work hard for. I still want to tighten up a few things. That’s always going to be there, but we get back in the lab tomorrow and adjust and finish out this game and get ready for a good Ravens team.”

Williams is one of the defensive leaders Parker went to after the opener. He said Parker’s message to the unit after the Week 1 loss centered on communication.

“Just with the message to the whole entire unit, the message that we need. We need to communicate. We need to execute. Today, even today, we got some communication things we need to fix, and we need to execute a little bit more, but we got the win,” Williams said. “And definitely every single game, win or loss, you got to learn from it. So I think that’s the main message for this week. Continue to learn, continue to grow, and let’s get better.”

Dallas did not record a sack. Washington tried a double pass in the third quarter, a deep throw from a receiver to McLaurin that fell incomplete.

“Yeah, I think it was. I mean, they got us on a double pass that fortunately they couldn’t connect on,” Schottenheimer said. “But overall, I thought the communication was better. There’s certainly things to clean up. We certainly did a poor job of containing Jayden, but he can do that. He does that to a lot of people. That’s really where the rush yards got away. And then we got some things to improve on third down. I thought we really rushed the passer well. I don’t know what the pressure numbers were. You guys will have to give me those. I know we didn’t get any sacks, but he and Marcus were both moved off the spot quite a bit. I felt good about that, but there’s always things to clean up. We certainly have not arrived. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Mariota ran once for 3 yards, a third-quarter scramble on second-and-1 that moved the chains, and had another scramble wiped out by a holding penalty. Washington’s quarterbacks combined for 72 rushing yards.

“I mean, Mariota, he’s a runner, and we didn’t do a good job at containing neither quarterback. But, I mean, same thing. We got to stop him from running,” Clark explained. “I think it all starts with setting edges and stopping the run, inside and outside, forcing them to pass. Definitely think we got to do a better job in our rush lanes, communication on that part, and whether it’s getting the quarterback down or pressuring them and keeping them in the funnel. But other than that, I feel like we played a pretty solid game.”

Dallas led by at least 14 points from late in the third quarter until Washington’s touchdown with 9:03 left. Mariota threw all 16 of his passes in the second half.

“This is the type of game that I excel best at. We get up on the team and they’re trying to get back in the game, and I can just time snap count and just go and just rush,” Miller said. “Had a lot of opportunities to do what I do best. I still do a lot of things great, but I had a lot of opportunities individually to do what I do best. Defensively, we got them one-dimensional, and our offense was able to take off. Aubrey [made a] 60-yard field goal, like, easy. So he was able to keep the leverage on our side, and it was a great team win.”

Donovan Ezeiruaku, a second-year edge rusher who wears No. 6, had 3 tackles and no sacks. He was drafted in 2025 out of Boston College.

“For me personally, I don’t really pay attention to outside noise. I don’t really listen to it,” Ezeiruaku said. “So me personally, I want to continue to grow and develop this defense and this team so that we can get wins or whatever the case may be. For me, myself and my play, [I’m my harshest] critic. So there’s nothing nobody could say to me that I don’t know myself or that I’m not trying to work on every single day to get myself in a better situation to make plays and to get the quarterback on the ground and to help this team win ball games. So that’s how I feel, but I’m excited for the win.”

Caleb Downs broke up a pass, made 7 tackles, and forced a fumble on a kickoff return that Washington recovered. In the third quarter, Schottenheimer saw him bring a schematic question to Parker.

“I don’t want to speak out of turn because I haven’t seen the film. That was a great play. This guy’s growing as a football player. He’s growing as a leader. I saw him come over in the third quarter. He had a really good question that he asked Christian Parker about, something schematically that he wanted to make sure that we were right with. So the curiosity, I think, is great,” Schottenheimer said. “But, yeah, terrific football player. I thought Malachi Lawrence showed up today. I felt like he had some really good pass rushes. Donovan Ezeiruaku. Like I said, I wish we could have finished a few of those. But, man, they were moving those guys off the spot. And they’re both pretty athletic guys.”

Shavon Revel Jr. had 3 tackles and a pass breakup. The 2025 third-round pick missed the first 10 weeks of his rookie season recovering from a torn ACL.

“Oh, yeah, definitely. This is a big win, especially because it’s a division game. And we start off the week 0-0. I mean, that’s just how we look at it. We approach each day with the intention to get better and better each day. And this day didn’t make any difference. We came out there to be violent, be physical, give the ball to Dak as much as possible,” Revel said. “Honestly, it was the same. It had the same feel. It had the same vibe. Just the ball bounced our way a little bit. Jaishawn was able to get a forced fumble. [Dee Winters] was able to recover it. Just little plays like that bounced our way that didn’t bounce our way last week. Yeah, it was a great team win.”

Winters left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and was listed as questionable before returning to finish with a team-high 9 tackles. He also recovered Barham’s fumble at the Washington 18 and returned it 5 yards.

“Yeah, anytime you can get turnovers and get the ball back to our offense, they’re going to do what they do. As soon as we got that turnover, two plays for them to score. We want to keep that going,” Clark said. “We keep getting better and keep stepping with the right foot. And getting turnovers, stopping the run, and eliminating explosives, I think we’re going to be a dominant team.”

Overshown, Malik Hooker, and James Houston IV were among the Cowboys’ inactives. Dallas lost two more defenders during the game. Safety P.J. Locke hurt his foot on Washington’s first series, and cornerback Cobie Durant hurt his hamstring on the first-and-goal sequence at the end of the first half. Neither returned. Markquese Bell made all 5 of his tackles in the first half after replacing Locke.

“Yeah, usually the positions that you’re strongest in, you end up getting injuries. Markquese Bell, I thought, did a really good job stepping in there. He’s obviously one of the leaders of the special teams group. And I thought he was inserted in there and did some really good things,” Schottenheimer said. “But we did carry the two practice squad elevations for Barron and Robinson. That was a big part of special teams. And that certainly helped us out at linebacker.”

Jayden Daniels Dislocates Left Elbow Again As Dallas Cowboys Head To Rio De Janeiro

On third down from the Dallas 1 with 3 seconds left in the first half, left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels’ foot as Daniels backed away from center. Daniels’ non-throwing elbow bent backward as he braced himself, and his throw fell incomplete as time expired. He stayed down, started walking to the sideline, and went to the turf again. Several minutes after most players had left for the locker rooms, he was carted off with a towel over his head.

Daniels was Washington’s leading rusher when he left, with 69 yards on 7 carries, and had thrown for 96 yards and a touchdown. Schottenheimer opened his postgame news conference by addressing him before taking a question.

“Before I get started, I just want to say to Jayden Daniels, what a great competitor, man, and I know he’ll make a great recovery,” Schottenheimer said. “But what a great player, and you hate to see that in our game.”

The injury came on the 15th play of a drive that began at the Washington 35 with 5:01 left in the half. Daniels had scrambled for 9 and 14 yards on the drive to get Washington inside the Dallas 20.

“What happened? Because I turned around and I started running to the locker room. Then I hear he’s hurt, and then I see the play, and I saw he hopped and extended his elbow,” Lamb said. “And I don’t really like for people to get hurt for us to win. So, prayers to him and his family, and I hope he has a speedy recovery.”

Washington ruled Daniels out before its first snap of the second half. Mariota took over on a drive that began at the Washington 40 after a Dallas kickoff penalty.

“I really was more, frankly, I was more focused on the fact that they hadn’t scored right before the half and the meaning of that,” Jones said. “It didn’t soak into me until, because there were no more plays, I really didn’t know the seriousness of it until almost we started the second half.”

Commanders coach Dan Quinn confirmed after the game that Daniels dislocated his left elbow. He said imaging showed no fracture and that Daniels would fly home with the team.

“I thought he was really playing his [rear end] off,” Quinn said. “And we will rally so hard around Marcus until Jayden’s back. And that’s what we talked about as a team.”

Daniels missed all but one game in the second half of last season after dislocating the same elbow in a loss to Seattle last November. He finished Sunday 11-of-17 passing for 96 yards and 1 touchdown. Mariota went 11-of-16 for 111 yards and 1 touchdown. Diggs caught 5 passes for 47 yards and both Washington touchdowns.

Dallas goes to Rio de Janeiro at 1-1 after opening the season with a division loss. Sunday was the Cowboys’ only game at AT&T Stadium in the first three weeks of the schedule.

“Yeah, definitely was thinking we can’t go 0-2 going to Brazil and definitely wanted to get this out of the way in front of our fans. And, I mean, look forward to going to Brazil, but I’m sure more of our fans are here. And so I wanted to get it done, get it over with. And I think it would have just been odd doing it out there in Brazil,” Prescott said. “And so it was a great day overall. We needed to go. We need to get this win. We need to get in the win column. We’re back home. We need to win all of our games at home. And you can’t go 0-2. You can’t go 0-2 in the conference or the division. And so, yeah, this was a must win. I know Clarence had asked me about it Thursday, and it is. It was. And glad we got it done.”

The Cowboys play in Rio seven days after beating Washington, in the NFL’s first regular-season game in the city. Locke and Durant both left Sunday’s game in the first half and did not return.

“Yeah, players will be off tomorrow. It’s going to be unusual. Tuesday is Wednesday. And then we’ll finish the game plan, so we’re going to treat it like a short week. And then we’ll fly Thursday night through the night, get down there, move around a little bit Friday. But we’re used to weird schedules and short weeks,” Schottenheimer said. “And got beat up a little bit tonight. I mean, P.J. Locke’s got a foot. Cobie Durant’s got a hamstring. Got to get some more tests there. Barham had a stinger. He came back. But we did get beat up a little bit. So we’ll figure that stuff out in the morning. But, yeah, it’s a unique week, but one that we’re looking forward to. And we’ll take any tests people want to throw at us.”

Questions about the playing surface at Maracanã Stadium came up at both Schottenheimer’s and Jones’ news conferences. Schottenheimer said he was aware of comments from soccer players about the field.

“Yeah, again, we talked a little bit today with the operations people. Todd Williams and his team have been in direct contact with the league. The league seems to feel like everything’s going to be fine,” Schottenheimer said. “In reality, we were focused on this. But I have no concerns.”

“I’m not up to date on it. I was asked about it before the game. I don’t know any more now than I knew then. So we’ll look at that, and I know that’s of utmost concern to the league and the teams to have a good playing surface down there,” Jones said. “So we’ll obviously, you’ll certainly stay informed as we look to it, and it’s front of mind now that we’ve gotten past the Washington Commanders.”

Baltimore also makes the trip this week. Miller, 37, is in his 16th NFL season.

“They’re leaving at the same time we’re leaving. They’re playing on the same field that we’re playing on. Everything’s even. Just got to go out there and play football. I really enjoy games overseas. I think it’s an opportunity for us to grow the game that we love. It’s sacrifices that we got to make,” Miller said. “But all in all, we have to have these games for our league to continue to grow. It’s going to be somebody in Brazil that has never seen a football game before. I’m going to have [the] opportunity to make Von Miller fans, and I take that opportunity to heart. So it’s tough on both teams, but as long as they coming in the same day we coming in, they’re playing the same field we playing in, like, it’s fair. Let’s just go play.”

All 69 of Daniels’ rushing yards came on scrambles. The Ravens’ quarterback is next.

“Yeah, we just got to communicate, especially as a defensive line. Jayden did a good job today getting out the pocket or going through the pocket to rush. We got to tighten that up, obviously, because we know what kind of guy Lamar Jackson is,” Ezeiruaku explained. “So that will be a really good challenge for this unit, for this team, for this defense.”

KaVontae Turpin returned 4 kickoffs for 122 yards, with a long of 35, and ran once for 1 yard. His longest return reached the Dallas 40 before a holding penalty pushed the drive back to the 17.

“Yeah, I thought he had a couple really good returns tonight. I still want to get Turp going a little bit on the offensive side of the ball. We tried to get him involved on a little toss-crack play to the edge,” Schottenheimer said. “But as a returner, he’s been close, and we feel like we’re ready to pop one, and maybe it’s going to be in Rio.”

Washington hosts the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks next Sunday. Dallas faces the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 27 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, with the Cowboys as the designated home team. Baltimore won 28-25 when the teams last met, in Week 3 of the 2024 season. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.