The NFL world was tuned in to the blockbuster Thursday Night Football matchup between the Packers and Commanders. What was expected to be a wire-to-wire thriller quickly devolved into Green Bay asserting its dominance after just a few drives.
Dallas Cowboys fans are very familiar with Dan Quinn's pitiful track record against Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. That reared its ugly head as Green Bay smoked Quinn's defense to the tune of 404 total yards and 6.4 yards per play.
While the Packers are one of the very best teams the league has to offer, the result suggests that Washington might take a notable step back after making the NFC title game last season. It looks like they're on a similar playing field as the Cowboys after the rivals split the series in 2024.
The Cowboys might be better than the Commanders this season
For starters, Commanders receivers struggled to create separation all game, including Terry McLaurin, who might be starting to show his age. Former Cowboy Noah Brown was targeted multiple times in high-leverage situations. Not exactly a recipe for success. A 34-year-old Zach Ertz is one of Jayden Daniels' most reliable weapons.
Through two games, Deebo Samuel is their leading receiver with 14 catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, and most of that production came in garbage time on Thursday.
It all points to a huge flaw in how the front office constructed Washington's roster: adding veterans in the backend of their respective careers at key positions. Between Ertz, Bobby Wagner, Von Miller, Marshon Lattimore, Austin Ekeler, Deatrich Wise, Samuel, and Eddie Goldman, this roster isn't built to withstand the trials and tribulations of a 17-game regular season.
RELATED:Commanders learning a harsh Dan Quinn lesson Cowboys fans already knew
While unfortunate in every sense of the word, it's not overly shocking that Ekeler (Achilles) and Wise (quad) suffered season-ending injuries in the game.
Daniels is good enough to lead the Commanders into the playoff conversation, but regression is seemingly on the horizon. They have the oldest roster in the sport, are no longer playing a last-place schedule, and blue-chip talent is few and far between outside of Daniels.
At an average age of 28.0 years, Washington has the oldest roster in the NFL, per The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala. They also have the most 30-year-olds (17) and the fewest rookies (6) of any team. That formula might be enough to beat some of the league's weaker opponents, but their age was badly exposed on Thursday
None of this guarantees the Cowboys will sweep the Commanders this year. But maybe it was a little premature to believe a veteran-heavy roster would take the league by storm just because they made a deep run last season and have a special talent at quarterback.
More Cowboys News and Analysis