ARLINGTON, Texas — Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he was worried about what an 0-2 start would look like before the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 37-20 at AT&T Stadium on Sunday. The Cowboys lost their opener 28-20 to the Giants on Sept. 13, and a second loss would have sent them to Rio de Janeiro winless in the NFC East.
Washington is coached by Dan Quinn, who was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023 before taking the Washington job. Jones said his respect for Quinn’s staff kept him from feeling confident coming into the game.
“Well, it would have been hard to walk down here and talk to you all like 0-2. I just, I really was worried about what it was going to be like if we did end up 0-2,” Jones said. “I can’t say that I was a [pillar] of strength in my mentality coming into the game, because I’ve got a lot of respect for the coaching over on the Washington Redskins, Washington [Commanders]. But having said all of that, this was a very important win for us, important to these guys who put the work in, the coaching staff, for Brian, and I’m really proud of them.”
Brian Schottenheimer: Dallas Cowboys ‘A Better Football Team’ Than Week 1
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is in his second season as head coach, and the Week 1 loss was his first game of 2026. His offense scored 20 points at MetLife Stadium, and his defense, under first-year coordinator Christian Parker, allowed 28.
Schottenheimer said the 0-2 scenario was not on his mind before kickoff Sunday. He was more focused on showing that the team at MetLife was not the real one.
“No, I was, like I said, very excited to get out there and compete again. We know we’re a better football team than the one that showed up in New York last Sunday. And I think we showed that tonight,” Schottenheimer said. “And, again, a lot to clean up. There’s some things still on third down we’ve got to clean up. I thought we did a really nice job defensively in the red zone. I thought that was great to see that. That’s big. The fourth down stop at the end of the half was huge. And I just thought we played better. But we were excited about this opportunity.”
The stand Schottenheimer referenced came with Washington at the Dallas 1 in the final 12 seconds of the first half. Washington threw three straight incompletions from first-and-goal, the last on third down as time expired, and Jayden Daniels dislocated his left elbow on that final play.
Dallas Cowboys Stay Unbeaten At Home Against Washington With Dak Prescott
Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes and broke Tony Romo’s franchise record with his 249th. Prescott is 8-0 at home against Washington, and the Cowboys swept the Commanders in 2025, winning 44-22 in Arlington and 30-23 in Landover on Christmas Day.
Dallas held Washington to 1 touchdown in 3 red-zone trips Sunday, but Washington converted 8 of 14 third downs and outgained the Cowboys 389 yards to 332. Washington fell to 0-2 after a 24-22 loss at Philadelphia in its opener.
The Cowboys, 1-1, face the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 27 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
