Task Enterprises presentsNFL Intelligence

2006 · Week 2 · Division

Final

Commanders

Washington

QB Mark Brunell

10·27

Cowboys

Dallas

QB Drew Bledsoe

Texas Stadium · outdoors · fieldturf · 73°F · wind 0mph

Closing spread

DAL -7

Total

37

Model margin

-0.8est.

DAL perspective

Push chance

4.3%est.

the line sits on a key number

Win probability

  • Cowboys
  • Commanders

How each play moved the game.

Cowboys winsCommanders wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Commandersedge mapCowboys
  • -0.006EPA / play+0.072
  • 40.9%Success rate45.5%
  • +0.034EPA / dropback+0.143
  • -0.052EPA / rush-0.024
  • 10.8%Explosive rate9.8%
  • -2.46CPOE+3.73
  • 38.5%Third-down rate49.3%
  • 52.5%Red-zone TD rate66.8%
  • 1.58Points / drive2.18
  • 1.7%Turnover rate2.6%

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

DAL lead 38–16 since 1999

DAL have won 2 straight. Meetings average 44.3 points. DAL are 31-23 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W17DAL @ WAS3023DAL
2025 · W7WAS @ DAL2244DAL
2024 · W18WAS @ DAL2319WAS
2024 · W12DAL @ WAS3426DAL
2023 · W18DAL @ WAS3810DAL
2023 · W12WAS @ DAL1045DAL
2022 · W18DAL @ WAS626WAS
2022 · W4WAS @ DAL1025DAL

Box score

Individual performances

Commanders

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Mark Brunell18/3319701

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Ladell Betts11403.60
T.J. Duckett5244.80
Santana Moss11919.00
Mark Brunell2157.50
Antwaan Randle El1-5-5.00

Cowboys

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Drew Bledsoe19/3823720

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Julius Jones20944.70
Marion Barber8394.91
Tyson Thompson351.70

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line +74.5%3.0%7.4%7.3%2.9%4.3%

Positive margins favour Cowboys; negative favour Commanders.

Half-point at risk

4.28%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

46.9%

Expected total

47.7est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)+1.54
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment-4.97
  • Rest differential+0.08
  • Expected margin-0.79