Prescott Leads Cowboys Past Commanders on Christmas Day.

Dak Prescott delivered an efficient and resilient performance on Christmas Day, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 30–23 road victory over the Washington Commanders in Landover, Maryland. Despite both teams being eliminated from playoff contention, Dallas showed urgency early and never fully relinquished control of the game. The Cowboys stormed out to a 21–3 lead by scoring touchdowns on each of their first three possessions. Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes and helped Dallas convert all six of its fourth-down attempts, a key factor in controlling the game’s tempo. Dallas also dominated time of possession by more than 17 minutes, running 87 offensive plays compared to Washington’s 41. Prescott’s two touchdown passes gave him 30 for the season, tying Tony Romo’s franchise record for four seasons with at least 30 touchdown throws. Though he was sacked six times—three by defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton—Prescott remained composed. “I took some hits, but I was able to come out clean,” he said after the game.

Washington, playing without injured quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, relied on 39-year-old Josh Johnson, who made his first start since 2021. Johnson completed 15 of 23 passes for 198 yards but did not throw a touchdown. While the Commanders managed to cut the deficit to one score on three occasions, they were unable to complete the comeback, suffering their 10th loss in 11 games. Jacory Croskey-Merritt provided a spark for Washington with touchdown runs of 10 and 72 yards, the latter trimming Dallas’ lead to 24–17 in the third quarter. However, Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey responded with field goals of 52 and 51 yards to keep Dallas comfortably ahead late in the game. Dallas sealed the victory by converting yet another fourth down in the final two minutes, preventing Washington from getting the ball back.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer praised his team’s effort, emphasizing that motivation remained high despite postseason elimination. The Cowboys will close their season against the New York Giants, while the Commanders will finish at Philadelphia during the final week of the regular season.