Cowboys 37, Commanders 20: Prescott Passes Romo, Daniels Goes Down

September 20, 2026 - Arlington - Dak Prescott already owned this building against Washington. The 249th touchdown pass made him own the franchise list too.

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 37-20. Prescott completed 26 of 31 for 279 yards and four scores. No interceptions. A 143.8 rating. CeeDee Lamb caught eight for 153 and two touchdowns. Jake Ferguson caught all four of his targets for 43 yards and the other two. Dallas is 1-1. Washington is 0-2.

The record ball was Lamb's 24-yarder in the fourth, the one that passed Tony Romo's 248. Prescott also tied Romo with a 79th career multi-touchdown game. He is 8-0 at home against these Commanders now, and ESPN had the home winning streak against NFC East clubs at 20.

17-10, then the cart

Dallas led 10-0 after a touchdown and a Brandon Aubrey kick. Washington got even enough to make the half a game. Jayden Daniels scrambled 18 yards on one field-goal drive and 20 on another. He threw a 4-yard touchdown to Stefon Diggs with 6:37 left in the second after Rachaad White moved the sticks. 17-10.

The last play of the half was the one that will follow this club for months. Three seconds, Dallas 1. Left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels' foot as he dropped. The non-throwing elbow bent the wrong way as he braced and threw incomplete. His head was in a towel on the cart after both sidelines had already gone in. Dan Quinn confirmed the dislocation. Imaging showed no fracture. Daniels flew home with the team. More tests were set for Monday, the same left elbow that ended his 2025 season.

Before he left, Daniels was 11 of 17 for 96 yards and that Diggs score. He ran seven times for 69. Washington finished with 182 rushing yards, per the Cowboys. The defense still needed a quarterback who could keep doing that. It did not have one after halftime.

Mariota, Diggs, then Lamb from 24

Marcus Mariota took over and hit Diggs for the receiver's second touchdown. 30-20 with nine minutes left. Mariota finished 11 of 16 for 111 yards. Diggs caught five for 47 and both Washington scores. White ran seven times for 43 and caught six for 40.

Prescott's answer was 11 plays. He dropped one down the right sideline to Lamb for 35. Then Lamb went up over a defender from 24. 37-20. That was the 249th. That was the list.

Aubrey made all three of his field goals from 25, 44, and 60, plus four extra points. The 60-yarder is the kind of kick that sits on a card even when the quarterback is the story. Ferguson now has three career games with two receiving touchdowns. Lamb has nine with two.

The Commanders will wait on ligaments and a surgery question. Quinn does not have a timetable. Seattle visits Washington next week. Dallas goes to Rio de Janeiro to play Baltimore. Prescott can enjoy the record for a night. The other sideline does not get a quiet week.

AthX Engine on a 249th-touchdown card

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 2 lines in. Lamb's 153 yards and two scores land at 54.25, the top total in this game. Prescott is 52.82. Aubrey's three makes, including the 60-yarder, are 35.00. Daniels is 30.93 in a half. Ferguson is 28.75. Diggs is 26.25. Dallas' team line is 95.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Prescott past Romo, and for a Commanders quarterback whose elbow went the wrong way at the 1. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Prescott, Lamb, Daniels, Mariota, and both clubs on the marketplace. Seattle visits Washington on Sept. 27. Baltimore meets Dallas in Rio de Janeiro later that afternoon.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), Cowboys.com, Reuters, NBC Sports. AthX Engine Week 2 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats. Information only; not financial advice.*