The Washington Commanders don't have much time to lick their wounds after a particularly crushing loss against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. They need to figure out the best way to send their longtime division rival, the Dallas Cowboys, sputtering further down the sinkhole they find themselves in.
The shame of it all for Dallas this year is that Dak Prescott has played at an MVP level while new head coach Brian Schottenheimer also has the running game humming. The problem lies with the defense, which Jayden Daniels should have no trouble picking apart from the pocket.
This unit would obviously be much more dangerous had the Cowboys not traded arguably the most impactful defensive player in the NFL, Micah Parsons, for pennies on the dollar. As he likes to do, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones continues to defend this trade to the hilt.
Commanders fans will laugh at Jerry Jones hyping up Cowboys pass rush
Jones said in a radio interview that the Parsons trade makes sense because of how deep the Cowboys are at the edge rusher position without him, ignoring the fact that the lack of a pass rush might be the second-biggest issue currently facing Dallas at this point.
Only two players on the Cowboys have more than one sack this season. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who came over in the Parsons trade, has a whopping 1.5 so far this season. James Houston's 3.5 sacks are covered up by the fact that he is not a good enough run defender to be an every-down player.
Donovan Ezeiruaku and Marshawn Kneeland have potential, but neither of them is being put in the best positions due to Matt Eberflus' defense. Laremy Tunsil and the rest of the Washington offensive line are likely licking their chops in preparation for this game.
Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury needed a get-right game against perhaps the worst secondary in the league. Eberflus is not only dealing with a severe talent deficiency, but he is also exacerbating the issue by employing one of the most static and vanilla schemes out there.
The Cowboys will give Washington a very tough game thanks to the sensational play of Prescott. Still, the defense is ultimately poised to let them down once again, providing Commanders fans with the emotional boost they need after a few rough patches in recent weeks.