The Washington Commanders' Week 2 road trip to the Dallas Cowboys could not have gone worse, thanks to a devastating elbow injury to quarterback Jayden Daniels. It was a disaster all around, leaving the outlook for head coach Dan Quinn's team extremely bleak for the rest of 2026.
Independent of that, Washington's defense also took a major step back against the powerful Cowboys offense. But if there's one positive takeaway, it's the progress new offensive coordinator David Blough made in his second game in the role.
The Commanders' offense may have scored only 20 points, but with better execution, this was a winnable game even without Daniels for half of it.
All in all, Blough had a much better showing.
Commanders were three plays away from an upset win in Dallas
Let's change the outcomes of exactly three plays from the contest at AT&T Stadium.
Daniels missed a wide-open Treylon Burks streaking down the sidelines late in the second quarter. Washington was robbed by the refs of a Dyami Brown touchdown early in the third. Later in the same frame, Antonio Williams and Terry McLaurin ever-so-slightly disconnected on a trick play that should've been an easy six.
The Commanders scored three points on those three drives. Had all three plays been touchdowns, that's 18 more points, assuming they make all three extra points.
They lost by 17.
Even with the devastating injury to Daniels and the defense giving up 37 points, Washington could've won this game if the offense had done its job. Receivers were getting open, and Blough was scheming up ways to expose Dallas' weak secondary.
Obviously, the Cowboys' defense is bad. But for Blough, as he settles into his new role, this had to be a major confidence boost.
David Blough must build on impressive Week 2 showing to save the Commanders' season
After Washington's offense looked lost for three quarters against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, fans saw more glimpses of the Ben Johnson-style system they're hoping to get. Now comes the hard part.
Building on it, and doing so without Daniels.
Marcus Mariota is one of the league's better backups, but he is still a backup. Blough will have to elevate him, and he'll have to do it now.
The Commanders are already without five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Sam Cosmi is in concussion protocol, and Brandon Coleman left Week 2 early with a finger complication.
If they cannot go versus the Seattle Seahawks' vaunted defensive front, that's a real problem.
It won't be easy. But that is why Washington banked on the upside of the 31-year-old Blough, who last season was the assistant quarterbacks coach.
He's been talked up as a rising star with future head coaching potential. Had he not been promoted last winter, Blough likely would have left the building.
Washington's season is looking grim, but there are still ultimately only two games in the books. The Commanders need to find some way to tread water, and that will be up to both coordinators to maximize their talent.
This was a nice start for Blough. We'll now see what he's truly made of.
Add us as a preferred source on Google