The Dallas Cowboys held off a late rally from the Washington Commanders to open the NFL’s Christmas Day slate with a 30–23 victory on Thursday.

After piling up 480 yards of total offence on 87 plays, Dallas improved to 7–8–1 and snapped a three-game losing streak. Washington fell to 4–11 despite a spirited second-half response.

The Cowboys dominated the opening half, taking a 24–10 lead into the locker room. Tight end Jake Ferguson opened the scoring with a bobbling touchdown catch — his lone reception of the game — before Dallas continued to pile on the points.

Wide receiver KaVontae Turpin provided the highlight of the half with an 86-yard touchdown, the longest score in NFL Christmas Day history. Running back Javonte Williams added another, finishing the game with 54 yards on 13 carries.

Washington showed renewed fight after the break, sparked by rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He ripped off a 72-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 24–17 — the longest run of his career and his longest of the season. It also marked his third consecutive game with a touchdown.

Croskey-Merritt finished with a game-high 105 rushing yards on 11 carries. Both teams exchanged field goals in the closing stages, but the Cowboys did enough to see out the win.

Up next on Christmas Day

Lions at Vikings
The Detroit Lions face the Minnesota Vikings in the mid-day game, with Detroit needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. A loss would officially eliminate the Lions from postseason contention.
Streaming on Netflix.

Broncos at Chiefs
The Denver Broncos travel to Kansas City for the night game with a chance to clinch the AFC West, provided the Los Angeles Chargers also lose.

Kansas City will start third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, with both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew sidelined through injury.