Cowboys loss comes at the buzzer in 23-19 thriller against Commanders

The clock has struck zero at AT&T Stadium, and with that Dallas’s 2024 season has come to a close, and it’s unfortunately a bitter ending. This 23-19 Cowboys loss came at the very last second to the Commanders.

Dallas came into this game as a significant underdog, and as we’ve seen before, they pushed the odds to the side and battled with a team that was probably superior to them. Washington barely squeaked by.

It wasn’t a pretty game offensively, and the defense couldn’t hold up on the final drive of the game, but their effort in this one was commendable.

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We saw their flaws that were present throughout the season, and their strengths, like that effort, as well.

Let’s take a closer look at how this Cowboys loss unfolded.

Offensive Woes: Red Zone Struggles Continue

Let’s not mince words: if the offense could have scored in the red zone, this game wouldn’t have been this close, and Dallas would have won.

They finished this game going 1/6 in the red zone, with Rico Dowdle’s last game touchdown being their only successful trip. Pro Bowl Kicker Brandon Aubrey was busy today, to say the least.

It’s hard not to pin some of that on Trey Lance, as the young quarterback struggled mightily at times, and missed Dowdle on a wide-open 4th and goal pass.

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Lance’s passing performance was inefficient, as he went 20/34 for 244 passing yards and no touchdowns, but his rushing attack was solid. On six carries, he was able to total 26 rushing yards.

Rico Dowdle finished his strong 2024 campaign on another high note, rushing for a touchdown and 72 yards.

In the end, the Cowboys’ season-long red zone struggles continued, and it cost them this game.

Defense Shines: Pass Rush Dominates

It would be easy to blame the defense for this Cowboys loss, but they gave a strong performance against one of the league’s best.

Holding Jayden Daniels to just 38 yards on 12 passes, Dallas shut down the Commanders in the first half and created pressure for all four quarters. They ended this game with six sacks.

Of those six, 2.5 are attributed to Micah Parsons, who etched his name in the history books once again.

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He became the fourth player in NFL history to have 10+ sacks in each of their first four seasons. Keep in mind that he also missed five games during the year, which makes that sack total even more impressive.

Mike Zimmer’s guys did what they’ve been doing this season, and that’s fighting tooth and nail to get stops.

At times, they did, and on the last drive, they didn’t. That doesn’t mean this loss was on them.

Dallas’ Final Word: Scrappy Until The End

If there’s one thing we can say about the 2024 Dallas Cowboys, it’s that they are scrappy.

Regardless of injuries, controversies, and negativity in the fanbase, these guys fought like crazy and overperformed against better teams. Today was another example of that never-ending fight.

You have to give credit to Mike McCarthy for that. These guys played hard for him, and it may have saved his job.

With the season now over, the Cowboys officially head into a huge offseason that currently has more questions than answers.