Prescott, Dallas own Christmas: Commanders vs. Cowboys takeaways

The Dallas Cowboys already own Thanksgiving. This year, they owned Christmas.

Dallas took down the Washington Commanders, 30-23, in the first of three games on Christmas Day in 2025. The Cowboys leaned heavily on their run game against a Washington front missing Daron Payne, gashing them for 211 yards on the ground to earn their seventh win of the season.

The Commanders put up an admirable fight despite injuries to Payne, quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, and running back Chris Rodriguez, who was dealing with an illness. Their defensive struggles against Dallas’ run game doomed Washington to its 12th loss of the season.

Each team has one game left to play against another divisional rival — the Cowboys play the Giants on the road; the Commanders travel to Philadelphia — in Week 18. They’ll both head into long offseasons after missing the playoffs this year.

Here’s how the Cowboys’ Week 17 Christmas win went down as USA TODAY Sports provided live updates for the first game in the holiday triple-header:

Cowboys at Commanders takeaways from Christmas game

• Brian Schottenheimer does not care about your fantasy football matchup. During the week of most leagues’ championship matchups, the Cowboys’ top two receivers — CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens — combined for eight catches, 103 yards and zero touchdowns. Dallas leaned a lot more heavily on its run game with four different rushers accumulating a total of 190 yards and a touchdown on 38 combined carries — averaging five yards per carry. Malik Davis led the way with 90 yards on 17 carries.
• The Cowboys will have to spend this offseason overhauling their defense. Dallas’ secondary made a 39-year-old Josh Johnson look like he deserved to be starting all season long at some points of the game — yet it was his first start since 2021 and just the 10th start of his career. The Commanders’ third-string quarterback finished with 198 yards and a passer rating of 92.3 while only taking [one sack], and Washington’s offense mostly kept up with Dallas’ scoring efforts. The Cowboys’ offense ranks second in yards per game (393.1 on average) and fifth in points scored (28.3 per game). Yet Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs by Week 16. An upgraded defense could get the Cowboys back on track for another playoff push in 2026.
• Deebo Samuel was playing like a pending free agent hungry for his next payday. Which he is. Samuel didn’t get many touches, but each one of them stood out. He finished the game with two catches for 68 yards and 2 carries for 25 more scrimmage yards. Each time Samuel had the ball, he looked fast, took on would-be tacklers and trucked a couple of them to tack on more yards after contact on several of his touches. Outside of rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt — who had more than 100 yards and two touchdowns in the game — Samuel was Washington’s biggest standout on offense throughout their Christmas clash with the Cowboys.

Commanders vs. Cowboys highlights

Cowboys vs. Commanders final score: Dallas 30, Commanders 23

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Jake Moody knocks through 51-yard field goal

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn opted to be strategic with his possession and time left, asking his kicker to attempt a field goal on third down with just over two minutes left. That will force an additional clock stoppage during the Cowboys’ next possession while Washington can hang onto its three timeouts while on defense.

Moody’s longest field goal attempt of the day went through the uprights like his first two, drawing the Commanders within seven points. It’s 30-23 Cowboys at the two-minute warning. The Cowboys have the ball at their own 33-yard line.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Brandon Aubrey hits second 50+ yard field goal

Aubrey missed a 58-yard field goal on the Cowboys’ previous drive, but he bounced back with a 51-yarder on Dallas’ second possession of the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys’ lead is back up to 10 points. Dallas leads 30-20 with four minutes left in the game.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Jake Moody boots another field goal

The Commanders’ kicker sent a 23-yard field goal through the uprights after another Washington drive stalled in the red zone.

Moody’s second field goal of the day brings the Commanders back within seven points. The Cowboys still lead, 27-20, with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.

Jake Ferguson injury update

Ferguson exited the Christmas game against the Commanders with a calf injury and has been ruled out for the remainder of the matchup, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. The Cowboys tight end’s sole catch before his injury was a six-yard touchdown reception — his eighth of the season.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Brandon Aubrey knocks through another field goal

Dallas extends its lead back to 10 points on a 52-yard field goal from its kicker. Aubrey is 2-for-2 on field goal attempts on Christmas, in addition to a perfect 3-for-3 mark on extra point attempts.

It’s 27-17 Cowboys with 4:42 left in the third quarter.

Javonte Williams injury update

The Cowboys’ running back is questionable to return to his team’s Christmas game with a shoulder injury, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Williams already has 54 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Jacory Croskey-Merritt doubles up on Christmas TDs

Moments after former Washington running back Clinton Portis joined Netflix’s broadcast, Croskey-Merritt broke through with a 72-yard touchdown run on the Commanders’ first play of their second possession of the second half.

The score brought Washington within seven points of Dallas, but the Cowboys still lead, 24-17, with 9:34 left in the third quarter.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Brandon Aubrey knocks through 42-yard field goal

Aubrey’s first field goal attempt of the afternoon is good from just over 40 yards out.

It gives the Cowboys a 24-10 lead with 19 seconds left in the first half.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Jacory ‘Bill’ Croskey-Merritt scores Commanders’ first TD

Washington took advantage of three costly Cowboys penalties to score its first touchdown: a kickoff short of the landing zone, a horse collar tackle and a defensive pass interference.

The Commanders cut Dallas’ lead to 11 points after Croskey-Merritt’s seventh touchdown of his rookie season on his 10-yard run. They’ll kick the ball back to the Cowboys, who lead 21-10 with 4:35 left in the first half.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: KaVontae Turpin streaks past defender for 86-yard touchdown

Commander’s safety Frankie Luvu jumped offside, and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took advantage of the free play with a deep shot downfield. Turpin hauled in the throw right across the 50-yard line and took it the rest of the way for another Cowboys touchdown.

Dallas’ 97-yard touchdown drive took the fewest plays and the least time to score of any of their drives today. The Cowboys’ lead is up to 21-3 with seven minutes left in the first half.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Javonte Williams slams through defenders for TD

The Cowboys have been gashing the Commanders on the ground. They’re up to 92 yards on 17 carries (5.4 yards per carry) through two possessions.

Williams was the latest beneficiary of Washington’s poor run defense, pounding the rock through a few defenders to score Dallas’ second touchdown in as many possessions. The Cowboys now lead 14-3 with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Dallas has scored on two straight drives that each lasted over five minutes and featured more than a dozen plays each possession.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Jake Moody gets Washington on the board

The Commanders made it inside the Cowboys’ 5-yard line before quarterback Josh Johnson took a third-down sack.

On the ensuing fourth down, Washington’s kicker gave his team its first points of the holiday matchup with a 29-yard field goal. It’s 7-3 Cowboys with 4:44 left in the first quarter.

Cowboys vs. Commanders score update: Jake Ferguson snags one-handed TD catch

The Cowboys’ fourth-year tight end has his eighth touchdown of the season, extending his career high, and he did it with flair. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s throw was a bit high, but the 6-foot-5 tight end reached up to tip the ball to himself.

Ferguson’s score and kicker Brandon Aubrey’s extra point gave the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. The Commanders will begin their first possession with 9:42 left in the first quarter.

How to watch Cowboys game today vs. Commanders

• Matchup: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
• Location: Landover, Maryland
• Venue: Northwest Stadium
• Time: 1 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Netflix

Netflix is broadcasting the Cowboys-Commanders game on Christmas to a national audience. There is no national broadcast of the game available on cable TV.

Fans living in the local markets (Dallas or Washington) can watch the game on their local CBS affiliate.

How to buy Cowboys vs. Commanders tickets for NFL Week 17

You can buy tickets to see the Cowboys take on the Commanders from multiple sources.

• StubHub: Buy Cowboys vs. Commanders tickets on StubHub
• SeatGeek: Buy Cowboys vs. Commanders tickets on SeatGeek
• Vivid Seats: Buy Cowboys vs. Commanders tickets on Vivid Seats

Josh Johnson football player

The Commanders are starting veteran journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson for their Christmas game against the Cowboys, head coach Dan Quinn announced.

It will be the 39-year-old’s first start since 2021 and 10th start of his career. Johnson holds a 1-8 record in his nine career starts.

Johnson notably holds the NFL record for most teams played for in a career, with 14. Here’s who he has played for, in alphabetical order:

• Baltimore Ravens
• Buffalo Bills
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Denver Broncos
• Detroit Lions
• Houston Texans
• Indianapolis Colts
• Las Vegas (then-Oakland) Raiders
• New York Giants
• New York Jets
• San Francisco 49ers
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Washington Commanders

NFL games today on TV

There are three NFL games taking place on Christmas, though none of them are available on national TV with a cable subscription or antenna.

Here’s which games kick off on Dec. 25, when they start and how to watch each holiday matchup:

Commanders vs. Cowboys:

• Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
• Streaming: Netflix (national)
• TV channel: N/A (national) | KTVT – CBS 11 (Dallas) | WUSA – CBS 9 (Washington)

Vikings vs. Lions

• Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET
• Streaming: Netflix (national)
• TV channel: N/A (national) | WWJ-TV – CBS 62 (Detroit) | WCCO – CBS 4 (Twin Cities)

Chiefs vs. Broncos

• Kickoff: 8:20 p.m. ET
• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (national)
• TV channel: N/A (national) | KMGH – ABC 7 (Denver) | KSHB – NBC 41 (Kansas City)

What TV channel is the Commanders vs Cowboys game on?

• TV channel (national) N/A
• TV channel (Dallas market): KTVT (CBS Channel 11)
• TV channel (Washington market): WUSA (CBS Channel 9)

The Commanders vs. Cowboys Christmas Day game will not air on a national TV network, as it is being streamed on Netflix.

Viewers in the Dallas and Washington markets can watch the game on their local CBS affiliate.

What time is the Cowboys game on?

• Start time: 1 p.m. ET

The Cowboys and Commanders are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET. Dallas travels to Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland for the matchup.

Commanders vs Cowboys stream

• Live stream: Netflix

The Cowboys vs. Commanders matchup is the first of two Christmas games on Netflix. A subscription is required to watch the games.

Cowboys vs. Commanders picks, predictions

Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports NFL experts feel the Cowboys vs. Commanders matchup is going to tilt:

• Jarrett Bell: Cowboys, 30-24
• Nick Brinkerhoff: Cowboys, 30-24
• Chris Bumbaca: Cowboys, 33-22
• Nate Davis: Cowboys. 27-17
• Tyler Dragon: Cowboys, 30-21
• Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz: Cowboys, 34-23

Cowboys vs. Commanders odds, moneyline, O/U

National Football League odds courtesy of BetMGM. Odds updated Tuesday at 7:28 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

• Spread favorite: Cowboys (-6.5)
• Moneyline: Cowboys (-285), Commanders (+230)
• Total: 50.5 points

NFC East standings

The Cowboys enter today’s game in second place in the NFC East. The Commanders are in third. Both teams are eliminated from playoff contention.

• Philadelphia Eagles (10-5)
• Dallas Cowboys (6-8-1)
• Washington Commanders (4-11)
• New York Giants (2-13)

Dallas Cowboys inactives today vs. Commanders

• WR Ryan Flournoy
• CB Caelen Carson
• RB Jaydon Blue
• DT Jay Toia
• LB DeMarvion Overshown
• DT Perrion Winfrey