3 Instant Over-Reactions to Washington's Thumping of the Cowboys

3 instant over-reactions to Washington's thumping of the Cowboys originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

FEDEX FIELD -- The Cowboys are terrible. 

There's lots more to discuss after Washington's impressive 25-3 win over Dallas, but let's reiterate that first point: The Cowboys are terrible. 

Beyond that, it's time to talk about Washington's improvement and what it means going forward. 

1. Playoffs? - With the big win, Washington moves into a virtual tie for first place in the NFC East with the Eagles. Philadelphia holds a tie-breaking advantage right now at 2-4-1 just ahead of Washington's 2-5 record, but the Burgundy and Gold have a head-to-head win over the Eagles. It's also crazy to think that if Washington converted a two-pointer last week in the closing seconds against the Giants, the WFT would be all alone in first place. Anyway, the NFC East is bad, but there's a real case that Washington could be the best of a bad lot, especially if the team can continue to improve in the second half of the season. 
2. Impressive offense - At halftime, Washington had rolled up more than 250 yards of total offense and scored 22 points. That's by far their best first-half performance of the season, and it was the first time Washington scored more than 20 points since Week 1. QB Kyle Allen played fine, completing 60% percent of his passes and threw two touchdowns but more importantly he didn't turn the ball over. The Washington run game got going in a major way with rookie Antonio Gibson getting his first-ever 100-yard game. For the second straight week too Washington performed well on third down, converting 60% percent and dominating time of possession. Without being a downer, it's also necessary to point out how bad the Cowboys defense is. Coming into the game against Washington, the Dallas defense was giving up more than 35 points-per-game. 
3. Shut down mode - Washington's defense completely destroyed the Dallas offense. Ezekiel Elliott was held to just 45 rush yards and with fewer than four minutes remaining in the game, Dallas had converted just three of 12 third downs. The Cowboys quarterbacks were sacked six times and harassed throughout the contest. There was an ugly moment, however, for the defense when linebacker Jon Bostic planted Dallas QB Andy Dalton while he was sliding. The hit got Bostic ejected and sent Dalton in for concussion protocol.