Explosive offense sparks early lead, then Dallas weathers Washington's fierce comeback, securing a gritty win and a Dak Prescott record.
The Dallas Cowboys came out on Christmas Day like they had somewhere to be, detonating on Washington with touchdowns on their first three possessions and building an 18-point lead before halftime.
Then they did the very Cowboys thing and made it sweaty anyway.
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Still, a win is a win, and Dallas held on for a 30-23 victory over the Washington Commanders in a game that featured fireworks, fourth-down chaos, and another Dak Prescott milestone.
Prescott was sharp and aggressive, throwing for 307 yards and two touchdowns while completing 19 of 37 passes. The stat line had a little turbulence, but the impact was evident. He steered an offense that converted all six of its fourth-down attempts and kept landing punches even when Washington refused to fold.
Prescott's two touchdown passes also gave him 30 on the season, tying Tony Romo's franchise record for four seasons with at least 30 TD throws.
Dallas opened the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown strike to tight end Jake Ferguson, setting the tone immediately. Washington answered with its best early sequence behind 39-year-old Josh Johnson, who was starting in place of injured quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
Johnson went 3-for-3 for 68 yards on that response drive, highlighted by a 41-yard completion to Deebo Samuel, his longest throw since 2018. Washington got within 7-3, but Dallas never truly let the game settle.
The Cowboys' second drive was a demoralizing masterpiece. A 17-play march that featured three fourth-down conversions before Javonte Williams finished it with a touchdown run.
On the next possession, Prescott hit KaVontae Turpin for an 86-yard score, and suddenly it was 21-3 and Dallas in full bully mode.
But Washington kept clawing back.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt ripped off touchdown runs of 10 and 72 yards, the long one cutting the deficit to 24-17 in the third quarter and injecting real tension into what felt like it should've been a cruise.
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But Brandon Aubrey, as automatic as ever, stabilized the moment with a 52-yard field goal, then later added a 51-yarder to make it 30-20 with under four minutes left.
Prescott absorbed six sacks, including three from Jer'Zhan Newton, but never stopped pushing the offense forward when it mattered. Johnson, meanwhile, was efficient at 15-for-23 for 198 yards and mistake-free, but Washington couldn't find the one drive that completed the comeback.
Dallas got a feel-good result, a Dak milestone, and a reminder that even when the Cowboys try to turn a blowout into a thriller, they can still finish the job.