Dallas will try to bounce back from its loss to the Panthers in a key NFC East matchup with Washington.

The Dallas Cowboys once again find themselves under .500 on the season after tripping up in Carolina last week against the Panthers. They get a chance to right the ship on Sunday with a key NFC East matchup against the 3-3 Commanders.

Things haven't gotten much better for the Cowboys defense, as Dak Prescott and the offense have been required to light up the scoreboard to keep the team in games. Thankfully, that difficult task for the offense gets a little easier for Dallas with the return of CeeDee Lamb from his ankle injury.

Meanwhile, the Commanders are coming off a home loss to the Bears and are facing serious questions amid their slow start. Expectations were high in Washington after a trip to the NFC championship game last year, but the Commanders enter Sunday's game badly needing a win.

With Prescott playing at a MVP-caliber level and Jayden Daniels plenty good enough to dice up the Cowboys' porous defense, might we be in line for another high-scoring shootout at AT&T Stadium? Our columnists and beat writers at The Dallas Morning News gave their predictions on how Cowboys-Commanders will go.

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Tim Cowlishaw

His name is Jacory Croskey-Merritt and his nickname (weirdly) is Bill, and he was the last running back taken in the 2025 draft, but his 5.7 yards per carry trails only two others (one of them Rico Dowdle) among the top 20 rushers. So he's as big as any story for Sunday's game. If the Cowboys can do a lot better against him than they did against Dowdle, Dallas has a chance. But it needs to be a lot better because the Commanders are a better team than Carolina.

Commanders 33, Dallas 27

Joseph Hoyt

The Cowboys have scored 40 points in each of their first two home games. Why not make it a third? And let's be honest: if they want to win -- or tie, in a previous case this season -- they may have to. Six games in is enough of a sample size to make definitive assumptions about where this team is and where they're going. Right now, I see an offense that's one of the best in the NFL being held back by a defense that's one of the worst. Can the Cowboys' defense make enough stops to allow their offense to persevere?

Cowboys 40, Commanders 37

AdvertisementDamon Marx

What have we learned about this Cowboys team after six weeks? Try to predict the outcome of their games at your own peril. After flopping in Carolina, Dallas returns to AT&T Stadium, where their high-powered offense is a tick better. The Cowboys have scored 40 points in each of their two home games, and they'll need that and more against a tough division opponent. Dallas seems to perform its best against NFC East competition, and here's betting the Cowboys will be at the top of their game again.

Cowboys 38, Commanders 30

AdvertisementAbraham Nudelstejer

It's hard to imagine the team with the worst defense in the league could beat the one favored by the oddsmakers, but that might be the case for the Cowboys this week. Dallas remains undefeated at home, winning against the Giants and tying the Packers. In those games, Dak Prescott had a personal feast, racking up 680 passing yards and five touchdowns to lead his team to score 80 points. On Sunday, Prescott will shine again at AT&T Stadium, and Dallas will pull off the upset against the Commanders.

Cowboys 30, Commanders 28

Kevin Sherrington

Predicting what the Cowboys will do from week to week is like guessing which way an 8-year-old will turn at the State Fair. Do they bounce back from an embarrassing loss on the road to Carolina with a win over Washington at JerryWorld? Both lost to Chicago. Can Dak Prescott outduel Jayden Daniels? He'll have a tougher defense to deal with.

Commanders 34, Cowboys 30

Calvin Watkins

The way this season has gone it wouldn't surprise anyone if Cowboys-Commanders ends in a tie, right? Cowboys can put up the points and they really don't need a run game. However, that Cowboys defense is a problem. Expect plenty of points.

Commanders 38, Cowboys 27

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Expert predictions for Cowboys-Commanders: Is another high-scoring affair on tap?