The Washington Commanders' revamped secondary will be tested in another NFC East matchup, this time against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend
The Washington Commanders will meet the Dallas Cowboys this weekend looking to avoid a dreadful fate awaiting the losing team: an 0-2 start to the 2026 regular season.
Since 2015, teams who open winless through the first two weeks of the regular season have less than a 15% chance of reaching the postseason, a daunting stat for a Commanders' team looking for a bounceback season in year three of the Dan Quinn era.
Yet one week after putting an emphasis on avoiding the big plays on the ground in the eventual loss against the Eagles, the week two matchup presents a challenge to the Commanders' defense for maybe the unit's biggest question that emerged through August.
The Cowboys are coming off a rough offensive showing after amassing just 244 yards of total offense against the New York Giants in the start of the John Harbaugh era. The Sunday night showing marked the fewest yards gained since week nine during the Cowboys' 2024 season, giving Dallas fuel to turn the tide in their home opener.
Both Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens combined to register 43 catches of at least 20 yards in 2025 as the duo ranked among the top 14 across the NFL in the category last season. Yet they will also look to turn the page after combining for six drops and 72 yards while Lamb found the endzone for Dallas' first touchdown of the season. Add in the fact that the Cowboys had just two possessions through the second half, how defensive coordinator Daronte Jones and the Commanders' defense can extend the Cowboys' slowly developing passing attack again may be the biggest question mark.
Both Pickens and Lamb recorded at least four receptions and 45 yards each in both of the meetings in 2025, and it's a debate whether the unit is upgraded one season later. With Amos sidelined for at least another three weeks and uncertainty whether he'll be available in week five, Rasul Douglas, who Daronte Jones called a "savvy vet," has been able to step into an impact role with Amik Robertson and Mike Sainristil rounding out the top of the room. Though Douglas allowed a 31 yard completion on third down, the veteran showed why he can at least be a stopgap at the position. Yet the test goes beyond Douglas with Sainristil looking to bounceback as Jones pointed to "urgency" from his third year cornerback.
"We have to have the ability to respond, play to the echo of the whistle," Jones said.
The Commanders are coming off a performance where they allowed two passing plays over 40 yards in week one, one of just six NFL teams who own the claim. Even in a week one showing that offered multiple impressive plays within the aggressive defense, it's the type of stat the Commanders are looking to avoid after a lackluster 2025 showing. Now, week two offers a chance to prove week one was an early season outlier.
