Dak Prescott threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys blew most of an 18-point lead before squeezing through the ball. Washington commanders 30-23 Thursday.
Dallas (7-8-1) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions to improve to 21-3. Although the Commanders (4-12) closed the gap three times by touchdowns, they were unable to complete the comeback and overcome their 10th loss in 11 games.
Both teams were previously eliminated from playoff contention, seriously diminishing the significance of this matchup between longtime NFC East rivals.
Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes and helped Dallas convert on all six of its fourth-down attempts. His two passes gave him 30 points, tying Tony Romo's record of four seasons with at least 30 touchdown throws.
Prescott shrugged off six sacks, including three by Jer'Zan Newton.
Playing without injured quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota (quadriceps, arm), Washington turned to 39-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson. Making his 10th career start and first since 2021, Johnson went 15 of 23 for 198 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Jacorey Croskey-Merritt scored for Washington on runs of 10 and 72 yards. The final touchdown put the Commanders up 24-17 in the third quarter, but Dallas regained its double-digit lead on Brandon Aubrey's 52-yard run.
Aubrey added 51 yards to make it 30-20 with 3:59 remaining.
After Prescott threw a seven-yard pass to tight end Jake Ferguson early in the game, Johnson went 3-of-3 for 68 yards to put Washington up 7-3. The key play was Deebo Samuel's 41-yard completion, Johnson's longest since 2018. Samuel finished by running into Donovan Wilson, knocking off the defender's helmet.
On their second possession, the Cowboys converted three fourth downs in a 17-play march that ended with a Javonte Williams touchdown. Prescott then threw three touchdowns on three passes, throwing an 86-yard scoring pass to KaVontae Turpin.
