DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys began the Andy Dalton era with a thud on Monday night as they fell to the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 at AT&T Stadium. Nevertheless, Dallas still leads the NFC East with a 2-4 record as they travel to Washington to take on a division rival.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as Dallas aims to stay on top of the NFC East:
SERIES FACTS (10)
-The Cowboys are 2-4 for the ninth in team history. None of the previous eight teams with that record through six games made the playoffs, though the 1974 team at least finished with a winning record (8-6).
-Since 1990, the last time playoff formats were reformatted, 36 of 197 teams that started 3-4 made the playoffs with 16 of those 36 having won the division.
-Washington is 1-5 for the 13th in franchise history. None of those previous 12 teams made the playoffs.
-Since 1990, 7 of 146 teams that started 2-5 made the playoffs with 3 of those 7 having won the division.
-Since 1990, 0 of 78 teams that started 1-6 made the playoffs, and none finished with a winning record.
-One cliché thrown around heading into a Dallas vs. Washington game is how the respective records need to be thrown out. However, team records are still very predictive:
Dallas with winning record: 31-18-1
Washington with winning record: 22-14
Both teams with the same records (Dallas perspective): 19-13-1
-Dallas is 33-29 against Washington on the road. Here is the breakdown by venue:
Griffith Stadium: 0-1
RFK Stadium: 18-20
FedEx Field: 15-8
-The Cowboys’ 15-8 record at FedEx Field is the best in the NFC East:
Dallas: 15-8
Philadelphia: 14-10
NY Giants: 13-9-1
-Dallas is 10-12 against Washington in October with a 4-8 record on the road.
-Dallas is 34-25-2 in initial encounters against Washington.
ANDY DALTON FACTS (9)
-Last week, Dalton was tied with Philip Rivers for the eighth-shortest time to throw at 2.57 seconds.
-Dalton’s 3.2 completed air yards were the second-lowest of Week 6.
-Last week, Dalton had the third-lowest intended air yards with 6.1.
-Last week, Dalton’s average depth of target was 2.9 yards behind the line to gain, the 10th-lowest in the league.
-The longest completed air distance for Dalton in Week 6 was 28.3 yards.
-Dalton had the most pass attempts last week with 54.
-The other quarterbacks who threw two or more interceptions last week were Kirk Cousins, Teddy Bridgewater, Cam Newton, Baker Mayfield, Drew Lock, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Aaron Rodgers.
-Dalton is 1-0-1 against Washington with one game played on the road and the other played in London.
-Dalton is 4-3-1 against the NFC East with a 2-2 record on the road.
KYLE ALLEN FACTS (8)
-Allen had the 10th-longest time to throw last week with 2.85 seconds.
-Allen was tied with Nick Foles for the seventh-most completed air yards on average last week at 4.6 yards.
-Allen had the fourth-lowest intended air yards on average last week at 6.2.
-Allen had the seventh-lowest air yards to the sticks last week at 2.6 yards behind the line to gain.
-Allen had the fifth-most pass attempts last week with 42.
-Allen had the ninth-best passer rating last week at 97.3.
-Allen had the seventh-highest passing yards last week with 280.
-Though Allen played 13 games last year, he was fifth in the NFL with 46 sacks.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (10)
-Elliott’s 413 rushing yards are the ninth-most in the league. However, his 68.8 rushing yards per game are the 15th-most in the league.
-Among running backs with at least 100 carries, Elliott’s 4.1 yards per carry is the fourth-best.
-Elliott has churned 280 rushing yards on first down, the sixth-most in the NFL.
-Elliott has picked up 28 first downs by rush, the third-most in the NFL.
-Elliott is tied with Aaron Jones for the seventh-most yards after contact with 220.
-Elliott is tied with Dalvin Cook and Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the seventh-most broken tackles with 10.
-Elliott has taken the sixth-most carries this season with 101.
-Elliott is tied with Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Cam Newton for the second-most red zone rushing touchdowns with five.
-Elliott has fumbled five times and lost four fumbles. The next closest running backs in fumbles this season are Miles Sanders, James Robinson, Joshua Kelley, Benny Snell, and Chase Edmonds, who each have two.
-Elliott and Tony Pollard are tied for the fourth-most drops in the NFL with four.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (12)
-This is the 58th week that McCarthy has held undisputed first place in his division, and his second week to do so as the Cowboys coach.
-McCarthy is 2-4 for the second time in his career. The first time was in 2006 with the Green Bay Packers, who finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
-McCarthy is 3-3 against Washington with a 1-3 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 14-9 against the NFC East with a 7-6 record on the road
-McCarthy is 54-23-2 in division games with a 25-14 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 33-17 in October with a 14-9 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 65-48-1 against playoff-winning coaches with a 25-35 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 6-12-1 with backup quarterbacks with a 4-5 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 13-5 against backup quarterbacks with a 2-2 record on the road.
-The Cowboys’ 46 penalties are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the sixth-most in the NFL.
-The Cowboys’ 46 penalties are the fourth-highest of McCarthy’s career through the first six games.
-McCarthy is 47 for 94 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 1 record in 2020.
RON RIVERA FACTS (11)
-Rivera is 8-5 against the rest of the NFC East with a 5-3 record at home.
-In terms of winning percentage, Rivera’s 1-2 record against the Cowboys is his worst amongst NFC East opponents:
Philadelphia: 4-2
New York: 3-1
Dallas: 1-2
-Rivera is 1-5 for the fourth time in his career.
-A win would join Rivera with George Allen, Jack Pardee, Richie Petitbon, Jim Zorn, Mike Shanahan, and Jay Gruden as the only Washington coaches to defeat the Cowboys in their first try.
-Rivera is 17-21-1 in October with an 8-10 record at home.
-Rivera has a 53-48-1 record in early afternoon games with a 34-23 record at home.
-Rivera is 46-45 against playoff-winning coaches with a 23-23 record at home.
-Washington has the 14th-lowest penalties in the NFL with 30.
-Washington’s 30 penalties are the second-fewest Rivera’s teams have had through the first six games. Only the 2012 Carolina Panthers’ 26 were fewer.
-Rivera is 3 for 3 on challenges in 2020 and 31 for 61 for his career.
-George Seifert is the only former full-time Carolina Panthers coach that didn’t get another job after leaving Carolina.
BROADCAST FACTS (9)
-Dallas vs. Washington has been played on 5 of 7 possible broadcast networks. Here is a breakdown of the Cowboys’ record against their arch-rival by network:
CBS: 32-24-2
FOX: 25-10
NBC: 4-2
ABC: 7-7
ESPN: 4-1
-Dallas is 142-129 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
-Washington is 129-179-1 all-time on FOX, including the postseason.
-This week’s play-by-play team is Joe Davis and Daryl Johnston, making them the 49th different play-by-play team in the series.
-Sunday will be Davis’ sixth NFL on FOX game.
-Davis took over for Vin Scully as the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers on SportsNet LA in 2017.
-The Cowboys are 22-14 with Daryl Johnston as color commentator.
-Washington is 20-33 when Johnston does color commentary for their games.
-This is the 47th early afternoon game in the series. Dallas has a 30-16-2 record in such games.
RON TORBERT FACTS (11)
-This week’s referee is Ron Torbert. The Cowboys have a 2-3 record in his games:
2015 – CAR, 14-33 – L
2016 – NYG, 19-20 – L
2017 – @SF, 40-10 – W
2018 – WAS, 31-23 – W
2019 – GB, 24-34 – L
-Dallas has had fewer penalties 1/5 times with Torbert:
2015 – CAR: 8/53; DAL: 8/40
2016 – NYG: 4/40; DAL: 6/50
2017 – SF: 2/22; DAL: 5/36
2018 – WAS: 4/25; DAL: 4/30
2019 – GB: 9/78; DAL: 11/124
-Torbert is tied for the third-highest home team winning percentage at .667.
-Torbert is tied for the fifth-lowest percentage of home teams having fewer penalties at .500.
-Washington is 4-4 in games where Torbert is the referee:
2014 – JAX, 41-10 – W
2015 – @NYG, 21-32 – L
2015 – @CHI, 24-21 – W
2016 – @RAV, 16-10 – W
2017 – @SEA, 17-14 – W
2018 – @DAL, 23-31 – L
2019 – @PHI, 27-32 – L
2019 – NYG, 35-41 – L-OT
-Washington has had fewer penalties than the opposition 4 of 8 times with Torbert:
2014 – JAX: 6/44; WAS: 11/98
2015 – NYG: 8/67; WAS: 7/58
2015 – CHI: 7/79; WAS: 8/63
2016 – RAV: 9/65; WAS: 4/46
2017 – SEA: 16/138; WAS: 7/62
2018 – DAL: 4/30; WAS: 4/25
2019 – PHI: 6/55; WAS: 12/96
2019 – NYG: 4/33; WAS: 6/51
-Torbert’s games are tied for the third-fewest sacks per game at 3.3 per contest.
-Torbert is middle of the pack when it comes to offensive holding calls per game at 1.7 per contest.
-The Cowboys are 1 for 3 on challenges under Torbert while opponents are 1 for 1. Replay Assistant has not been a factor in Torbert’s games.
-Washington is 0 for 1 challenging Torbert with opponents going 0 for 1. Replay Assistant has not been a factor.
-Torbert is tied for a perfect challenge overturn rate this season at 2 for 2.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (20)
-Washington is tied with the Texans for the eighth-most sacks in the NFL with 16.
-Washington is tied with the Ravens for the fifth-most tackles for loss with 32.
-Washington is tied with the Bears for the ninth-fewest blitzes this season with 49.
-Washington is tied with Kansas City, Seattle, and the Jets for the fourth-most interceptions with seven.
-Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller is tied with Miami’s Xavien Howard for the most interceptions in the league with four.
-The average depth of target against the Washington defense is 10.4, the highest in the league.
-Washington’s defense is tied with the Falcons for the 10th-most missed tackles with 47.
-Washington safety Landon Collins is tied for the third-most missed tackles in the league with nine.
-The Cowboys and Washington defenses are tied with the Vikings for the third-fewest pass breakups in the league with 16.
-Opposing quarterbacks have compiled a 106.1 passer rating against the Cowboys defense, the eighth-highest in the league.
-The Cowboys and Texans are tied for the fewest interceptions in the NFL with one apiece.
-The Cowboys defense has given up 173.3 rushing yards per game, the second-most in the NFL.
-Dallas is tied with the Bengals and Titans for the second-highest yards per carry at 5.1.
-The Cowboys defense has given up 10 rushing touchdowns, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles for the most in the NFL entering Week 7.
-Washington gives up 130.0 rushing yards per game, the ninth-most in the NFL.
-Washington receiver Terry McLaurin has benefited from 247 yards after the catch, the third-most in the NFL.
-McLaurin also has the fourth-most broken tackles after the catch with six.
-Dallas is 5-3 on Oct. 25. Here are the results:
1964 – @Cardinals, 31-13 – W
1970 – @KC, 27-16 – W
1981 – MIA, 28-27 – W
1987 – @PHI, 20-37 – L
1992 – @Raiders, 28-13 – W
2009 – ATL, 37-21 – W
2010 – NYG, 35-41 – L
2015 – @NYG, 20-27 – L
-Washington is 8-2 on Oct. 25. Here are the results:
1942 – @PIT, 14-0 – W
1953 – @CLT, 17-27 – L
1959 – @CLE, 7-34 – L
1964 – CHI, 27-20 – W
1970 – CIN, 20-0 – W
1976 – CRD, 20-10 – W
1981 – NE, 24-22 – W
1987 – NYJ, 17-16 – W
1992 – @MIN, 15-13 – W
2015 – TB, 31-30 – W
-The Cowboys have one death to remember on Oct. 25. In 2015, former running back Dennis Morgan passed away. Morgan played one season for the Cowboys in 1974.
Did you know that the Cowboys have scored 2,807 points to just 2,332 for Washington during the history of the rivalry? Share your favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
