Despite a bold halftime proclamation, Cowboys playmakers faded in the second half, forcing Dallas to cling to a narrow Christmas win in Washington.
In the moment and at the time, it made sense enough for Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer to issue a cocky halftime comment on the state of his team's Christmas Day status in Washington.
“We trust our guys,'' he told the Netflix sideline reporter. "We trust Dak. We got playmakers everywhere. That's the way we’re gonna play the rest of the year."
Unfortunately, Dallas didn't even really "play that way'' in the second half as Prescott and company had to hang on for a 30-23 win over the Commanders.
Schottenheimer's intermission take was based on the fact that his offense had piled up 289 first-half yards for 24 points.
But ...
For the third straight second half, those "everywhere playmakers'' evaporated to a great degree, as the Cowboys failed to score a TD in the final two quarters ...
Just as was the case in the final two quarters in the team's losses to the Vikings and the Chargers.
In those six quarters, Dallas has nothing but field goals from Brandon Aubrey, who hit two more in the late going to provide the Cownboys with their only production in the half. ...
And to provide the Cowboys with enough room at the end to walk away with a 7-8-1 record.
Prescott tossed a pair of TD passes (including an 86-yard bomb to KaVontae Turpin) and totaled 307 yards in the air but was sacked six times. Javonte Williams, Malik Davis (103 yards), Hunter Luepke and Prescott rushed for a combined 207 yards. And receivers CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Jalen Tolbert all joined Turpin in having their moments.
The Cowboys were also "aggressive'' here against the 4-12 Commanders, with Schottenheimer opting to go for it six times on fourth down - and succeeding on all six tries.
Dallas ran twice as many plays as Washington did (87 to 41), another statistical sign of dominance that showed up in many ways ...
But not so much during yet another second-half scoring fade.
READ MORE: Could Jerry Jones Fire Himself? Cowboys Owner’s Sarcastic Answer Reveals A Truth
Schottenheimer's remark about how he wants his Cowboys to close the season (as they finish with a road game next week against the Giants hoping to brag about a 5-1 record inside the NFC East) represents a philosophy that some find controversial.
READ MORE: Cowboys 2026 Schedule Preview: Playoff Future Looks Blurry
"That's the way we’re gonna play the rest of the year,'' he said, an argument against "Organic Tanking'' and "Preseason in December'' and "Protecting Prescott'' and "Playing the Kids.''
But assuming they do so? We bet Schottenheimer is hoping his "everywhere playmakers'' perform for all four quarters.