Mark the Washington Commanders with three straight defeats. They were just finishing a three-game halftime break when the Dallas Cowboys took their home field and defeated them 34-26.

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and star wide receiver Terry McLaurin gave the team a great chance to win the game. With less than 30 seconds left and a seven-point deficit, the two ran for an 86-yard touchdown.

However, Austin Seibert missed the PAT and the Cowboys scored on a one-hop onside kick, clinching the game. They almost pulled off another miracle that would have ended their losing streak, which has now stretched to three games.

Michael Bacha of NFL.com offered three insights into what was learned about the Commanders following their loss to their NFC East rival. The first of these was: “Special teams ebbs and flows are a wild affair.“

This is a completely valid insight. Dan Quinn’s team needs to be sharp in all three phases. Seibert’s missed PAT wasn’t the only special teams event that impacted the game. The Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey missed a couple of kicks, credit to Washington’s efforts to stop them.

The next insight is quite simple and lies in the hands of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury as “The commanders’ offensive problems continue.“

“Before the late comeback, it was a tough race for Washington’s offense (198 of 412 total yards were gained in the final 5:16 minutes), and it all started at the point of attack when the Commanders’ offensive line struggled to create running lanes Cowboys pass rush harassing Jayden Daniels all afternoon,” Bacha wrote.

The Commanders just aren’t doing enough on this side. Kingsbury is slowly being understood and he has to counter what he hasn’t done well. Brian Robinson Jr.’s departure due to injury was brutal, and his lack of impact on the floor helped compound the team’s offensive woes.

The final realization of all might be the most brutal, because “Cowboys D mostly shined against Dan Quinn.“

“A long season for the Cowboys defense saw some relief on Sunday when it faced off against its former defensive coordinator. It was a collective effort by Quinn’s alumni and one of his favorites, Micah Parsons, led the way with two sacks, three QB hits and two tackles for loss,” Bacha wrote.

Quinn came into the game with a chance to prove as head coach why the Cowboys shouldn’t have moved on from him. However, that wasn’t the melody that was being sung. Dallas’ defense, in turn, was able to put tremendous pressure on Daniels while slowing down the Commanders’ offense.

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• “Commanders embrace everything ‘weird’ after Cowboys loss.”

• Did the Commanders play it too safe compared to the Cowboys?

• The Commanders’ late TD isn’t the only important play – but perhaps the most important

• Terry McLaurin’s 86-yard touchdown stuns, but the Commanders miss the extra point