Washington let the Cowboys stick around far too long and develop the confidence needed to pull an upset on the road in a division game.

While the 34-26 loss to Dallas made headlines because of the 41 points scored in the fourth quarter (31 in the final four minutes) as well as the two Cowboy kickoff returns for touchdowns, it should have never reached that stage. Washington began three of its first five drives in Dallas territory but entered intermission tied 3-3.

 

Instead of taking advantage after dodging early bullets when the Cowboys missed 35- and 42-yard field goal attempts on their first two drives, Washington let the Cowboys stick around far too long and develop the confidence needed to pull an upset on the road in a division game.

From an underwhelming offense in the first half to a defense that allowed multiple scoring drives in the second half to special teams mishaps that included multiple misses in the kicking game, this was a team loss and the worst execution since the opening day loss in Tampa Bay.

The bye can’t come soon enough, but the Burgundy and Gold have to find a way to beat a Tennessee team that’s fresh off an upset of AFC South-leading Houston. If not, it might be bye-bye to the Commanders’ playoff hopes.

First down: Should Washington have gone for two points with 21 seconds left in regulation and trailing 27-26? Especially with Austin Seibert missing an extra point earlier in the second half as well as a field goal in the first quarter? I can see the case for going for the victory, but Washington had already used its best two-point conversion play earlier in the quarter.

 

The game didn’t come down to Seibert’s miss, it was lost when they weren’t able to take advantage of multiple scoring opportunities in the first half. For those expecting perfection in the kicking game, keep in mind this is a guy they signed in September (players available at that time are there for a reason).