Quarterback Jayden Daniels wants a victory over the Cowboys he can call his own when Washington visits Dallas on Sunday.

He’s also trying to keep the Commanders from dropping below .500 for the first time since they were 0-1 last season. Daniels lost to the Cowboys at home and was watching when Marcus Mariota led a late drive to the winning score in a mostly meaningless regular-season finale.

The Commanders were already in the playoffs when they visited the Cowboys, and Dallas had been eliminated to end a three-year postseason streak. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott didn’t face Washington last season. He’s 11-2 against the Commanders and off to a hot start in 2025.

Commanders player to watch

WR Luke McCaffrey. After playing his first 19 NFL games without a touchdown, the younger brother of 49ers star Christian McCaffrey has scored in three of the past four games. That includes a 33-yard TD catch in Week 6 — his only reception of the game. The third-round draft pick out of Rice in 2024 is averaging 31.5 yards on kickoff returns, the highest rate of anyone in the league with at least 10 runbacks.

Cowboys player to watch

QB Dak Prescott. Prescott missed both Washington meetings last season after tearing a hamstring eight games in. He has found the form of 2023, when he was runner-up to the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson in MVP voting and beat the Commanders twice. Prescott has thrown at least three touchdown passes without an interception in three consecutive games. A fourth in a row would put him in the company of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks to do that. He leads the NFL in completions (164) and is second in yards (1,617) and TDs passing (13).

Key matchup

The defenses won’t be on the field at the same time, but which struggling unit will get enough done to win? Dallas is 32nd in total defense; Washington is 26th. On paper, the Commanders have the edge because they’re a respectable 13th in scoring defense. The Cowboys are 31st in scoring, allowing 30.7 points per game. Both teams are having coverage issues in the secondary, which is good news for Prescott and Jayden Daniels.

Key injuries

Commanders: WR Terry McLaurin, Daniels’ favorite and best option, will miss a fourth consecutive game with a quadriceps injury. ... WR Noah Brown, another starter, was placed on injured reserve with knee and groin injuries, sidelining him at least another four games after he missed four already. ... RG Sam Cosmi has been out all season after tearing a knee ligament in the playoffs, but his 21-day practice window is open. He appears set to return against Dallas. ... DE Dorance Armstrong, who spent his first six seasons with the Cowboys, is nursing a hamstring injury. He’s fifth in the NFL with 5 1/2 sacks.

Cowboys: WR CeeDee Lamb, rookie RG Tyler Booker and WR/KR KaVontae Turpin are trending toward returning after missing multiple weeks. Lamb and Booker have been out three weeks with high ankle sprains, and Turpin has a foot injury that sidelined him the past two games. ... CB Trevon Diggs is out after sustaining a concussion in an accident at home Thursday night.

Series notes

Daniels didn’t beat Dallas during his dynamic rookie season in 2024. He threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 34-26 loss at home in November, when the teams combined to score five touchdowns in the last five minutes. Daniels was watching when Marcus Mariota led the winning drive in a mostly meaningless regular-season finale last season. The Commanders were playing only for seeding after qualifying for the playoffs. Daniels didn’t play in the second half.