Whitt's End Notebook: Dak Prescott surpassed Tony Romo for the franchise touchdown record as Dallas dismantled Washington, but defensive lapses and a looming trip to Brazil keep the pressure mounting.
The Dallas Cowboys registered a resounding 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, where Dak Prescott literally never loses to the guys from D.C.
"I'm blessed, honored," Prescott said of breaking the franchise passing TD record with four scoring tosses. "As I told you earlier in the week, records are meant to be broken. This is my time to break this one. ...
"But ... it's just the beginning. I want to double it and plan to play for a while, so just getting started."
Whitt's End Notebook ... top 10 takes on the record-setting win that moves Dallas to 1-1 ...
10. AUBREY ALRIGHT – After a relatively shaky start to the season – a missed extra point, a squirrely kickoff and a couple of kicks dangerously close to uprights – Brandon Aubrey calmed our nerves with four extra points and three field goals including a 60-yarder that hit well up the net behind the goal posts. He now has seven 60+ field goals in his career.
9. REWRITTEN RECORD – It’s been a tough stretch for Tony Romo. First the DUI in Wisconsin this Summer that cost him his CBS analyst gig. And Sunday Dak Prescott passed him for the most touchdown passes in franchise history.
It wasn’t his best scoring pass – a well underthrown ball to CeeDee Lamb with three minutes remaining – but it gave Dak 249 touchdown passes, more than Romo or Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach or anybody to ever wear a star on their helmet.
8. ARROGANT, AGAIN? – After last week’s ugly loss to the New York Giants, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said his team was humbled. With a blowout win under their belt, do the Cowboys revert to being cocky?
Schottenheimer has his hands full not letting that happen.
7. DEFENSE DENTED – The Cowboys’ allowed a whopping 182 yards rushing, making it the ninth time in 19 games they’ve over 150. That’s a tad alarming. And if we’re being honest, this game would’ve been much closer had Jayden Daniels not gotten hurt, had referees overturned Dyami Brown’s touchdown into an incompletion and if the Commanders didn’t misfire on a wide-open trick play touchdown.
6. SLOW DOWNS – Rookie Caleb Downs can already do a lot of things on the football field. But keeping up Stefon Diggs after a running start isn’t one of them. Commanders put Diggs in motion and Downs stayed a step behind on second-quarter touchdown grab.
5. COMMANDING THE COMMANDERS – Dak absolutely owns Washington, improving to 14-2 against the NFC East rival with the win. It is also his fifth four-touchdown game against the Commanders.
4. THE ‘BOYS OF BRAZIL – Next time we see Dallas they’ll be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next Sunday chasing Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson.
3. RG3 2.0? – When Daniels won Rookie of the Year in 2024 it was as though no one could tackle him. And, like Robert Griffin III 15 years ago, they don’t really have to.
The frail former Heisman Trophy is injury-prone again this season, leaving the game with a dislocated left elbow after getting stepped on by his own lineman and falling awkwardly near the end of the half.
A flash in the pan, I think we call it. The best ability is availability.
2. BARHAMMER SIGHTING – I was particularly tough on rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham after last week’s dumpy debut. But he stepped up in this one big-time, causing a third-quarter fumble with a stand-up-and-strip that led to Dallas blowing this one open.
In a week, Barham went from Red Alert to Green Dot.
1. DOMINANT DAK – Dak strolled into Arlington on Sunday dressed half J.R. Ewing (Ten gallon cowboy hat) and half Roger Staubach (throwback jersey.) Then he produced a performance worthy of two DFW legends, throwing almost as many touchdowns (4) as incompletions (5).
Dak on his wardrobe choice: “Just felt right. He’s the standard. He was the first great one here and I think he still is. To win the Heisman, to go serve for our country and then to come back, win two Super Bowls, be the man that he is, be as great as he is off the field, do so much for the community.
“He’s the epitome of what a Dallas Cowboys quarterback should be and he’s who I’m chasing. I’m thankful for the relationship that we do have and just wanted to support him.”
