After three slow quarters, the NFC East rivalry came alive.
The Dallas Cowboys scored a 99-yard touchdown and the Washington Commanders scored an 86-yard touchdown in the final three minutes of a runaway fourth quarter.
In the end, the Cowboys snapped a five-game losing streak with a 34-26 win, improving to 4-7 as the Commanders fell to 7-5 with their third straight loss.
But before any of those results were secured, a wild fourth quarter ensued.
Let’s break it down.
The momentum began to pick up as the Cowboys’ defense took advantage of the skills they now took with them — Chiefs coach Dan Quinn had taught them during Quinn’s previous three years as their defensive coordinator. Safety Donovan Wilson fumbled the ball from Commanders receiver John Bates with 8:11 to play in the game, but linebacker Eric Kendricks recovered it to give Dallas a short field.
Quarterback Cooper Rush spotted a lapse in coverage in the red zone and responded with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker, the rookie’s first career score.
Then Daniels completed seven of seven passes, including a touchdown strike to tight end Zach Ertz and a 2-point conversion of his own.
Would Washington erase the lead Dallas built in the second half?
The Cowboys special teams unit, which made the most possible mistakes in the first half, had other plans.
Sure enough, the kickoff bounced through the legs of KaVontae Turpin, a fitting final gaffe for a group that had already suffered a blocked field goal, a missed field goal and a blocked punt. But Turpin nevertheless grabbed the loose ball at the 1-yard line and spun to confuse the Chiefs’ puck.
His 99-yard touchdown seemed to seal the victory for the Cowboys.
Cowboys special teams had a blocked FG, a missed FG and a blocked punt.
KaVontae Turpin also simply put a spin on the Chiefs to unlock a 99-yard kick return TD.
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Cowboys 27, commanders 17pic.twitter.com/vOrEWkcRH9
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) November 24, 2024
Until Daniels found Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard catch-and-run on the final play of their final drive.
Trailing by one, Washington decided to go for the surer extra-point attempt than the two-point attempt.
Austin Seibert’s kick — like many before what play-by-play announcer Joe Davis aptly called “the worst special teams day in history” — veered left.
Washington attempted an onside kick, the Cowboys recovered it instead and scored a touchdown.
Daniels’ Hail Mary lift in the last four seconds was caught.
This developing story will be updated.