National Football League

Cowboys take care of business, dominating Commanders. Now it's time for real tests

Published Nov. 23, 2023 8:37 p.m. ET

Consider the business handled.

That's been the refrain for the better part of a month. During a three-week stretch against unimpressive opponents, all the Dallas Cowboys could do was handle business and hold serve.

Having just roasted the Washington Commanders like a Thanksgiving turkey by a score of 45-10, it's safe to say they've done so.

Like it so often has during this 13-game win streak at AT&T Stadium, it happened all at once. One moment, Dallas was settling for a fourth-quarter field goal and a 23-10 lead. Solid, if unsatisfying. Within seven minutes of play, the Dallas defense had forced a turnover on downs, followed by a short touchdown drive — then repeated the process. It took a quarter of an hour for a 23-10 lead to balloon into 38-10, and a game that had felt surprisingly competitive no longer did.

Of course, these Cowboys are not so quick to take their collective feet off the gas, evidenced by their absurd point differential of +162. With the game all but decided, Washington quarterback Sam Howell looked for a shallow out route near the sideline — only to see DaRon Bland step in front of it, outpacing several Commander skill players for his fifth pick-six of the season. It turned into that type of night.

Bland set the NFL record for pick-sixes in a season. The Cowboys scored 40 points for the fourth time in five home games. Their pass rush, tortured at times by Howell, finished with four sacks.

That's without yet mentioning Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense, which continue to hum at an incredible level — perhaps even an MVP level.

Scoff if you must, but Prescott has been playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL in the six weeks since that disaster in San Francisco. With four more touchdown passes on Thursday night, he (for now, at least) leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 23. He has thrown for 1,874 yards in the six games since the bye week for an average of 312 yards per outing.

That goes along with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions in that stretch, posting a 5-1 record in the process. As long as it may have taken for the explosion, it wasn't for lack of trying. Prescott led the Cowboys to three first-half touchdowns; it just took his defensive counterparts a bit longer to solve Howell. The second-year signal caller did play fairly well en route to 300 passing yards, though it's not reflected in the box score.

Regardless, the points eventually came, punctuated by Prescott and his teammates feasting on turkey legs that had been strategically stashed in the team's famous Salvation Army red kettles. If you need an indicator of the confidence dripping from this group right now, that feels like all the proof necessary.

Of course, in the eyes of many, it will all come with a caveat.

The Cowboys have proven themselves adept at crushing overmatched opponents. Their eight wins have come by an average of 26 points, but they have also all come against opponents under .500. The heartbreaking loss in Philadelphia looms large in the division race, and there is still the lingering reminder of the no-show against the 49ers.

But that can all change starting now. The Cowboys' next five games come against teams with winning records. It starts next week, but the Dec. 10 rematch with the Eagles will be one of the year's most anticipated games. Beyond that, games against Buffalo, Miami and Detroit await.

At the very least, the Cowboys haven't fallen on their faces during this stretch. Far from it; they've been dominant. But it's over now.

Now begins the process of proving that they can win the big games, that they can compete for the division, that Prescott belongs in the MVP conversation. Name the goal, and it currently seems to be in reach. Now, can the Cowboys grasp it?

The coming weeks will be telling.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team's official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback's time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.