QUICK HIT TUESDAY: Cowboys Nuggets

With the Cowboys playing on Thursday, we are foregoing WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY this week in lieu of QUICK HIT TUESDAY – lots of quick bits of info on the team, so welcome aboard. Linebacker Micah Parsons was as impressive as he has ever been in the Cowboys win over the Panthers on Sunday. Here are some quick hits (1,100+ words worth) on his performance, quarterback Dak Prescott’s play at home, winning at AT&T Stadium, this week’s opponent and more. Let’s get to it.

HIT NO. 1: Parsons Sacks Record

Despite the change from 3.0 to 2.5 sacks for the Cowboys linebacker on Sunday afternoon, he still reaches 10.0 sacks again this season. He becomes the first Cowboys player to record 10.0 sacks in his first three season, and the ninth in NFL history to do it since 1982. The Last player to accomplish it was Shawn Merriman (2005-07).

HIT NO. 2: Cowboys Pass Defense

The Cowboys pass defense has been smothering the last two weeks, where they held the Giants and Panthers to a combined 138 yards through the air. The last time Dallas allowed less combined passing yards in two games came in 1992, when the Eagles (106; 10/5/92) and the Seahawks (24; 10/11/92) combined for 130 yards passing.

HIT NO. 3: Micah The Game Wrecker

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons recorded 2.5 sacks against the Panthers on Sunday, after having 0.5 sacks taken from him and given to teammate Jayron Kearse early Monday morning. But his 2.5 sacks in the win is good enough to tie the best game of his career, when he did the same in his rookie season to the Broncos on Nov. 7, 2021.

HIT NO. 4: Prescott Light’s Out At Home

In the Cowboys four home games this season, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has a 124.4 passer rating. That is the second-highest home passer rating in the NFL this season. Overall, he is second this season in Quarterback Rating with 73.9 (Brock Purdy 77). Prescott is also third in passing and second in offense on the grades handed out by Pro Football Focus through Week. 11.

HIT NO. 5: Bland’s Heroics

Cowboys defensive back DaRon Bland that had his fourth pick-six of the season in the win over the Panthers, needs just one more to set the single-season NFL record. Bland leads all non-offensive players in the NFL with four touchdowns this season, which is the most by any non-offensive player since J.J. Watt (five) and Devin Hester (four) had a hell of a 2014 season.

HIT NO. 6: Lawrence Rising Up Record Book

With his four sacks this season, Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence now has 58.5 sacks in his career with the Cowboys that began in 2014. His next sack this season will vault him into the team’s Top 10 at No. 10 past Tony Tolbert (1989-97) and Larry Cole (1968-80) with 59. Lawrence has averaged 6.0 sacks per season in his career.

HIT NO. 7: Lamb’s Heater

With 10 catches against the Commanders on Thanksgiving Day, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb would become the first player in franchise history to record three-straight home games with 10 receptions or more. Lamb caught 11 against the Giants and 12 against the Rams in the last two games at AT&T Stadium.

HIT NO. 8: Ferguson Needs One

After catching the seventh touchdown of his career, tight end Jake Ferguson needs just one more TD catch this season to tie Jason Witten for the second-most in a Cowboys tight end’s first two seasons. Billy Joe Dupree had the most TD catches in his first two full seasons with nine.

HIT NO. 9: Parsons Licking His Chops

The Washington Commanders have given up 51 sacks this season, good enough for second-most in the NFL. In four career games against the Commanders, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has 3.5 sacks. Including 0.5 sacks in the last meeting between the two teams, a 26-6 win for Washington in Week 18 of last season.

HIT NO. 10: Prescott Likes Playing Washington

In 11 games against the Commanders in his career, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott owns a 9-2 record. He has completed 64.6-percent of his passes for 2,535 yards, with 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He has a 100.5 quarterback rating in those 11 starts against Washington in his career.

HIT NO. 11: Third Down Shutdown

The Cowboys defense has held its opponents to 42-of-138 on third downs this season, a 32.8-percent opponent conversion rate is second in the NFL. They have dominated teams on third and long (more than six yards needed), where they have allowed seven first downs on 60 attempts. That is an 11.7-percent opponent conversion rate, and it leads the NFL this season. The Cowboys defense have allowed opponents to convert on third and short (less than four yards needed) 25-of-42 times (59.5%, ranks tied for 18th), third and medium (four to six yards needed) 10-of-26 times (38.5%, ranks tied for ninth), third and long 7-of-60 times (11.7%, ranks first) and third and 10-plus yards 2-of-39 times (5.1%, ranks third).

HIT NO. 12: Home Cooking

The Cowboys have won 12 consecutive games at AT&T Stadium, with their last home loss coming in the 2022 season opener against Tampa Bay. Dallas’ 12 straight home wins  is the longest home winning streak by a Cowboys team since they won 18 straight from 1979-81 at Texas Stadium.

NEXT OPPONENT: WHAT’S UP WITH THE COMMANDERS?

The Washington Commanders continue to be stuck in the cycle of being a 4-to-6 win team every season. This year, they have four wins through 11 games, but are coming off a loss at home to the New York Giants. However, Washington appears to have found their quarterback in Sam Howell. A fifth-round draft pick in 2022, Howell has a 1-0 record against the Cowboys after starting in Week 18 last season and leading Washington to a 26-6 win against a Dallas team resting most of their stars. This season, Howell has started all 11 games and leads the Commanders offense with 3,038 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, while completing 66.7-percent of his throws. He has thrown 12 picks. He does have a couple of weapons in running back Brian Robinson (138 carries for 558 yards and 5 touchdowns, wide receiver Terry McLaurin (56 catches for 644 yards and 2 TDs) and tight end Logan Thomas (58 catches for 409 yards and 3 TDs) if he can get them the ball. Defensively, the Commanders appeared to waive the white flag at the trade deadline, dealing pass rusher Chase Young to San Francisco. They beat the Patriots to game after the deadline but have lost the two games since then. The Commanders are dead last in the NFL in yards allowed (372.8) and points per game (27.7), 29th in pass defense (258.5) and 20th in run defense (114.3). They are led by safety Kamren Curl, who has 88 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and four passes knocked down. In the last 10 games between the two teams, six of those games were decided by more than one score and the margin of victory over the five seasons has been 18.3 points.