The Washington Commanders fell to 4-12 on the season, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 30-23 on Christmas Day in the home finale at Northwest Stadium.
It was an ugly start for the Commanders, allowing Dallas to score on all four of its first-half possessions. Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt did his part to keep the Commanders in the game, rushing for 105 yards on 11 carries and scoring two touchdowns, including a 72-yard run in the third quarter.
Advertisement
With Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota both out, veteran quarterback Josh Johnson made his first NFL start since 2021, completing 15 of 23 passes for 198 yards. Johnson played as well as can be expected, only putting the ball in harm’s way one time. He did not turn the ball over. The problem for the Commanders was that they only ran 41 offensive plays, compared to 87 for the Cowboys.
So, which players shined in defeat for Washington? Who struggled? Let’s look at the Week 17 edition of studs and duds.
Stud: RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Bill didn’t have a lot of touches, again, Washington had only 41 offensive plays, but he made them count. Croskey-Merritt had a two-touchdown day, with his first touchdown run an impressive 10-yarder, in which he made some moves at the line of scrimmage. He could have had a third touchdown run, but lost his footing inside the 10-yard line. Croskey-Merritt now has 776 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. And he has done it with limited opportunities. That’s not bad for a seventh-round pick.
Dud: CB Mike Sainristil
It’s been an up-and-down year for the second-year cornerback. While Sainristil did break up a potential touchdown pass in the end zone, he gave up several catches and missed some key tackles.
Stud: WR Deebo Samuel
On Washington’s first drive, Deebo Samuel had a 41-yard catch-and-run where he trucked over Dallas safety Donovan Wilson. Samuel had another 27-yard reception, where he stiff-armed Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs to the ground. Samuel finished with 68 receiving yards and 25 rushing yards on only four touches. Samuel’s performance against the Cowboys is exactly what Washington envisioned when trading for him last offseason. Samuel has had a good season, but has had to play more of a traditional receiver role for much of the year due to the Commanders’ injuries at receiver. An impactful day for Deebo.
Dud: LB Frankie Luvu
Remember how linebacker Frankie Luvu was supposed to be even better in his second season for the Commanders? That feels like years ago. Luvu was so good in his first year in Washington that he was named second-team All-Pro. He was expected to have an even bigger year in 2025, especially rushing the passer. That never happened. Luvu’s numbers across the board are down; he has only three sacks and missed tackles have been a recurring issue. In this game, Von Miller sacked Dak Prescott on a third-and-9, which would have forced the Cowboys to either punt or attempt a long field goal. Instead, Luvu was flagged, the Cowboys had an automatic first down and eventually kicked a field goal. That made it 27-17.
Advertisement
Stud: DT Jer’Zhan Newton
It was a career day for the second-year defensive tackle. With Daron Payne out, Newton took advantage of his opportunity, finishing with nine tackles, including two for loss, three sacks and five quarterback hits. Newton was an active presence all game and clearly Washington’s most impactful pass rusher. This is the type of performance the Commanders have been waiting on from Newton and the hope is he can finish strong next week against the Eagles.
Dud: Run defense
For as much as we have blasted Washington’s pass defense, the Cowboys rushed for 211 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Dallas was picking up big yardage on simple draw plays. On one third-and-8, fullback Hunter Luepke took the handoff from Prescott and picked up the eight yards needed for the first down. It was one of a series of embarrassing plays from Washington’s defense. The run defense was better in the second half, but that’s a low bar. Overall, it was a pathetic effort.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Studs and duds from Christmas loss to Cowboys
