The Dallas Cowboys are likely down to their last chance at season-long relevance this week, needing a win against the Washington Commanders to have a shot at the postseason. Let’s take a look at a couple of keys to victory that they’ll need to be aware of if the Cowboys want to end up on the right side of the scoreboard.

Reestablish the Run

A large part of the issues that Dallas had against the Carolina Panthers was their inability to run the ball, logging only 31 yards on the ground. Javonte Williams only had 29 yards on 13 carries, while Jaydon Blue recorded zero yards on his three carries. 

For as good as Dak Prescott has been, he’ll need a more balanced offense to be at his best. Luckily, the Cowboys are facing a Commanders defense that, at least on the surface, you can indeed run on. 

Washington is surrendering 121.7 yards on the ground, good for only No. 20 in the league. However, PFF is much more bullish, giving them the third-highest team grade for run defense at 78.1.

It’s an interesting dichotomy of metrics, and one that Dallas will have to try and solve. Doing so will be key to securing a victory. 

Get to Jayden Daniels

Sounds obvious, right? Of course getting to the quarterback is key. While that’s true, consider the following chart that shows how Jayden Daniels performs while kept clean vs under pressure:

That 28-spot discrepancy in the rankings between the two scenarios is the largest in the league. And while fans may be rolling their eyes at the thought of the Cowboys pressuring the QB, they’ve actually recorded a team wide pass rush grade of 73.5 or higher in back-to-back weeks after doing so only once in the first four games. 

If they can continue that trajectory and force Daniels to play under pressure this week, Dallas could be facing a totally different quarterback than they expect. 

Be Smart with CeeDee Lamb

It looks like CeeDee Lamb will return from his three-game absence that stemmed from a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. While this is obviously welcomed news, it would behoove the Cowboys to be careful with their star wide receiver. 

Dallas has hardly missed a beat with Lamb out, as George Pickens has enjoyed the best stretch of his career. Pickens' emergence allows the Cowboys to be cautious with Lamb’s snap count and protect him against long term injury. 

While it’s easy to be excited about the potential of what Pickens and Lamb can do on the field together, the coaching staff will need to be very careful about pushing too hard this week.