Can Washington get a road win against the Cowboys in Dallas early in the season to take Command of the NFC East?

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 25: Jacory Croskey-Merritt #22 of the Washington Commanders runs for a touchdown against Sam Williams #54 and C.J. Goodwin #29 of the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of the NFL game at Northwest Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesIt's 5 o'clock somewhere...The 5 O'Clock Club

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CLICK HERE to see the full 5 o'clock club archivePreviewing Washington's 14 opponents of the 26 season - one at a time

In 2026, the Commanders will, like every other team in the NFL, play 17 games against 14 opponents. With the amount of roster change that NFL teams undergo annually along with the unusually large number of head coach and coordinator changes in 2026, it seems useful to spend some time to review each of Washington's regular season opponents.

Dan Quinn and his Commanders will follow up the opening week game against the Eagles with another road trip and another long-time NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys.

Week 2 Preview: Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys

Date: September 20, 2026, 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX

(The two teams close the season when they play again at Northwest Stadium in Landover in Week 18)

The Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Commanders in Week 2, on September 20, 2026, bringing a fierce and longstanding NFC East rivalry back to AT&T Stadium. Dallas enters the divisional game as a preseason 4.5-point home favorite, but both teams look different than they did last season due to changes in personnel and coaching staff.

The All-Time Series Numbers

Dallas holds a clear lead in the historic series between the two franchises. Entering this game, the Cowboys have an 81-49-2 all-time record against Washington. Recent history also favors Dallas, as the Cowboys have won 12 of the last 16 matchups.

Washington has historically struggled when traveling to Texas. The Commanders are 17-43-2 all-time on the road against the Cowboys, though four of those Washington wins have come since 2014.

Dallas Coaching Changes

The Cowboys overhauled their defensive coaching staff during the offseason. After finishing with the worst defense in 2025 as measured by points surrendered, team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer replaced the previous defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus, with a new hire from another division rival.

Christian Parker is the new defensive play-caller. He previously worked as the passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. A former defensive backs coach under Fangio in Denver (2021) and passing game coordinator in Philadelphia (2024-2025), Parker will likely use foundational Fangio concepts to build his modern defensive schemes that rely on pre-snap 2-high safety alignments to obscure coverage intentions and limit big plays.

Similar to Fangio, Parker's defense is expected to focus on manipulating offenses by shifting coverages after the snap to confuse quarterbacks. He will probably utilize lighter boxes against the run in favor of coverage strength in the secondary, deploying both 3-4 and 4-2-5 alignments with versatile players, and favor rush efficiency (getting to the quarterback with a standard 4-man rush) rather than relying on heavy, exotic blitz packages.

His background as a defensive backs coach should heavily influence his packages, expecting cornerbacks and safeties to take on dynamic responsibilities on third downs. Parker is also expected to mix up his front structures and introduce five-man fronts to create pressure and confuse blocking

Offensively, Klayton Adams returns to serve as the offensive coordinator under head coach Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys kept their offensive coaching staff largely intact, making only a couple of minor tweaks to assistant roles, unlike their complete overhaul on the defensive side of the ball.

The 2025 Dallas Cowboys offense was one of the most prolific in the NFL, finishing second in the league in both total yards (6,663) and passing yards. Despite this offensive success, the team finished with a 7-9-1 record because of its historically poor defensive play.

Key statistical offensive rankings

• Total Offense: Finished 2nd in the NFL with 391.9 average yards per game.
• Passing Attack: Ranked 2nd in passing yards (4,527).
• Scoring: Scored 471 total points, good for 7th in the league (27.7 points per game)
• Rushing: Tallied 2,136 rushing yards, ranking 9th overall

Roster Moves: Trades, Free Agency, and the Draft

The Cowboys front office added several players through multiple avenues during the 2026 offseason.

Trades and Free Agency

Dallas traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers to acquire edge rusher Rashan Gary. He will line up on one side, with 2025 second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku lined up on the other side. The Cowboys traded away Osa Odigizuwa to the 49ers in March on the same day that they sent Solomon Thomas to the Titans.

In free agency, the Cowboys signed safety Jalen Thompson to a 3-year contract. The team also added safety P.J. Locke on a one-year deal. Wide receiver George Pickens was kept in-house with the franchise tag, while RB Javonte Williams and edge rusher Sam Williams were signed to normal extensions.

The 2026 NFL Draft

Round 1, No. 11: Caleb Downs (Safety, Ohio State) - An instinctive defensive back expected to play significant rookie snaps as a physical nickel/slot defender. Dallas traded two 5th-round picks to trade up one spot to draft him.

Round 1, No. 23: Malachi Lawrence (Edge Rusher, UCF) - A speed pass rusher with strong get-off quickness who will look to earn a role outside of just situational downs.

Round 3, No. 92: Jaishawn Barham (Linebacker, Michigan) - A versatile defender who has experience both off-ball and rushing the passer; he will start at inside linebacker.

Round 4, No. 112: Drew Shelton (Offensive Tackle, Penn State) - A tackle who made 34 starts on the left side in college, brought in for depth and competition.

Round 4, No. 114: Devin Moore (Cornerback, Florida) - A tall cornerback (6-3, 198 lbs) with zero penalties over his last two college seasons, adding size to the secondary rotation.

Round 4, No. 137: LT Overton (Edge Rusher, Alabama) - A heavy edge player (274 lbs) with inside/outside versatility who can help set the edge against the run.

Round 7, No. 218: Anthony Smith (Wide Receiver, East Carolina) - A deep-threat receiver with 4.40 speed who will compete for a roster spot via special teams.

Betting Lines

Oddsmakers have established the home team as the baseline favorite for this matchup.

• Point Spread: Dallas -4.5
• Game Total (Over/Under): 51.5 points

A 4.5-point spread represents the standard margin given for home-field advantage in the NFL plus 1.5 points favoring Dallas. The point total is set at 51.5, reflecting expectations of high offensive output from both sides.

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