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The Washington Commanders’ 2025 season hasn’t started exactly the way they’d hoped. Being at 3-3 heading into Week 7 wasn’t the goal, but that’s where they are. This week is a tough road test for the Commanders as they travel to Arlington, Texas, to face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
Despite the disappointment in their record, it really could be worse, as the Commanders have battled injuries to key players early in the season. The Cowboys aren’t having a great season either, currently sitting at 2-3-1, and desperate to win at home. Both teams are struggling for different reasons, and both teams are coming off losses that they’d love to erase from the history books, but only one team can come out on top.
Let’s take a look at three reasons for optimism in Week 7.
Cowboys’ defense is historically bad
The Cowboys’ defense is really bad this year. They rank last in DVOA, last in opponent EPA per play, and 30th in yards allowed per play (6.2). This means the Commanders will have a relatively easy time moving the ball down the field consistently, especially behind an offensive line that ranks second in run-block win rate and ninth in pass-block win rate. Daniels may have cooled down a bit since last season, but he is still very capable, and this is a big opportunity for him to bounce back.
Dallas’ pass defense is also allowing explosive plays and struggling with coverage breakdowns, which means that Daniels will be able to pick them apart with ease. Expect the offensive line to win the trench battle and give Daniels time to operate while opening lanes for Bill Croskey-Merritt.
Cowboys injury concerns
The Cowboys’ injury report is lengthy. Not all of those players will be absent from the game this week, but that there are so many with nagging injuries poses a problem for Dallas. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb returned to practice for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 3, and will play. Will he be on a “pitch count?” The offensive line is pretty banged up, and defensively, there are a lot of question marks. Even if all of the players dealing with injuries can play this week, they won’t be 100%, and the Commanders will take full advantage of that.
Commanders are road favorites
Which team is favored in a game generally doesn’t mean much, but when you are favored to win on the road against a divisional opponent, you have to remember that means the oddsmakers are confident in the Commanders’ matchup advantage. They may have lost in Week 6, but analysts and experts expect Washington to rebound and cover the spread.
On top of that, the NFC East is wide open. It’s anyone’s division at this point. The Philadelphia Eagles are on a two-game skid, and if the Commanders win to make their record 4-3, they could sit atop the NFC East standings. That should be some serious motivation for Washington.
#reasons #optimism #Cowboys #Week
