Cowboys win thriller after Commanders miss late PAT

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders 34-26 in a wild matchup Sunday that featured an insane sequence of events in the final minutes.

The Cowboys seemingly had the game under control after giving the ball back to the Commanders - who had no more timeouts - with less than a minute remaining in the contest. However, Jayden Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 0:21 left that gave Washington a chance to tie the contest. But kicker Austin Seibert missed the ensuing extra point.

Washington then attempted to recover the ball with an onside kick, but Juanyeh Thomas returned it 43 yards to score a touchdown and extend Dallas' late lead.

The Cowboys had a 20-9 lead with 5:16 left in the fourth quarter. The Commanders cut their deficit with a Zach Ertz touchdown two minutes later, but KaVontae Turpin's jaw-dropping 99-yard touchdown on a kickoff return gave Dallas a two-possession lead again with under three minutes to play before chaos took center stage.

The 4-7 Cowboys had lost five in a row entering Sunday. With the defeat, the Commanders - who were dreaming about potentially winning the NFC East - have dropped three straight to sit at 7-5.

Dallas upset Washington on the road despite playing without injured quarterback Dak Prescott. Cooper Rush was under center for the Cowboys and completed 24 of 32 pass attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the Commanders.

Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels went 25-for-38 passing with 275 yards and two TDs against two interceptions, including a pick while attempting a desperate Hail Mary in the dying seconds. Daniels also led the Commanders with 74 yards and one score on the ground.

Special teams also stole headlines early in the NFC East clash, as the rivals missed three field-goal attempts combined, including a blocked Dallas FG.