Two teams that fell apart down the stretch last year meet again in Dallas, and this time it's not garbage-time football — it's Week 3, and neither side can afford another slow start.
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SUN SEP 20 · 3:25 PM CT
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Jayden Daniels enters Sunday's trip to AT&T Stadium with a new play-caller and, for the first time in his young career, a scheme built partly around lining up under center. Washington fired Kliff Kingsbury and promoted David Blough, who was Daniels' assistant quarterbacks coach, to offensive coordinator — a collaborative rebuild Daniels has called "a blessing" even while admitting in June he's still got "a long way to go" mastering it. On the other sideline, Dak Prescott is coming off a minicamp where he was limited by knee soreness, though coach Brian Schottenheimer downplayed it as nothing serious. Both quarterbacks are the swing factor for teams desperate to be something other than what they were in 2025.
Washington's 2025 was a full-blown collapse — a 5-12 finish a year after an NFC Championship Game run — and the roster still shows the scars. There's no clear No. 2 receiver behind Terry McLaurin, the backfield picture between Rachaad White and Jacory Croskey-Merritt is unsettled, and new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones is installing a scheme from scratch after last year's unit fell apart. Dallas isn't in a much different spot. The Cowboys went 7-10, and their defense finished dead last in the league, allowing 30.1 points per game — the reason Matt Eberflus is out and Christian Parker is in as the new coordinator.
Dallas didn't sit on that problem. The Cowboys traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary, moved up to grab safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 overall, added pass rusher Malachi Lawrence in the first round too, and signed safety Jalen Thompson — the most aggressive defensive overhaul this front office has made in years. The offense, meanwhile, barely needed the help: it was one of the better units in football last season, and Schottenheimer has already talked up the chemistry between Prescott and George Pickens heading into year two together.
Washington Commanders
Dallas Cowboys
Washington actually finished 2025 with some signs of life, closing the year by beating the Eagles 24-17 in the finale after alternating losses and wins down the stretch. That's a Daniels-led offense that can still hang points on a good defense when the protection holds up — which matters against a Dallas front that's retooled but hasn't played a snap together yet. Rasul Douglas is back in the secondary on a one-year deal, giving Washington a corner who at least knows the division.
Washington Commanders
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Dallas Cowboys
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
This is technically the earliest of previews — training camp hasn't even opened, let alone the games that decide depth charts — so treat any of this as a snapshot, not a script. But the storylines are already loud: a Commanders team trying to prove last season was the outlier, and a Cowboys team that spent the offseason admitting its defense was the problem and doing something about it. Kickoff is set for 3:25 PM CT.
