My Quick Thoughts on Washington at Cowboys 2013

(GIF originally posted to Deadspin.com by Samer Kalaf)

• Dwayne Harris has now been a major factor in two of the Cowboys’ three wins so far this season.  Without his 86-yard punt return for a touchdown and 90-yard kickoff return that led directly to another touchdown, Dallas might not have won this game.  Harris also made his presence felt last night as part of the coverage unit, as well.  PREDATOR GO HARD!
• Harris definitely picked a great night to give the Cowboys such a huge special teams boost, since neither Tony Romo nor Dez Bryant generated their usual amount of offensive production, though Romo did play a fairly solid game.  His TD pass to Terrance Williams was an absolutely spectacular play, and his one interception on the night was on a tipped ball.
• Speaking of Williams, it’s amazing to think how much he’s improved when comparing his performance these past two games to how lost and unprepared he looked during the season’s first four.  His emergence clearly spells the eventual end of Miles Austin’s career in Dallas.  Austin simply can’t keep his glass hamstrings healthy, and even in those rare games he is able to play, he simply does not contribute.  His effort is poor, from running half-hearted routes to cutting them off altogether to not going up after the ball to fight off the defender.  Austin needs to go – the sooner, the better.
• Kudos to the Cowboys for overcoming in-game injuries to a couple of their most important players.  Let’s all hope Ware and Murray both get healthy soon, because the Cowboys can ill afford to have DeMarcus and DeMarco on the DiSabled List.
• It was quite impressive to see how the Cowboys’ defensive line really seemed to ratchet up the pressure after Ware went out, especially considering the fact that they are largely comprised of guys on leave from their day jobs at Home Depot.  The one fully legitimate NFL-caliber player still healthy in that unit, Jason Hatcher, has been absolutely huge all season.  Last night was certainly no exception, as he added two sacks to his team-leading total of five on the year.  And Kyle Wilbur showed signs he may yet develop into what the Cowboys thought he was when they drafted him, with an enormous strip sack and fumble recovery of RG3 deep in Washington territory to help seal the win.
• Bob Costas has always been a tremendous broadcaster, but these halftime soap box preachings of his are simply insufferable.  Why he feels the need to serve as America’s moral compass is beyond me.  It’s especially off-putting when delivered in such a sanctimonious and condescending tone.  It takes a LOT to leave viewers wishing they were watching Chris Berman, instead, but Costas is trying his hardest to make that seemingly impossible task a reality.
• Next week, the Cowboys travel to Philly in a first-place battle for NFC East supremacy.  The Eagles have bounced back from a 1-3 start by winning two straight on the road.  Dallas has not yet won a road game this season, so it will be a difficult test.  Perhaps the biggest challenge will be for Monte Kiffin to figure out how to do a better job of slowing down Chip Kelly’s offense than when they last faced each other back in the PAC-12.