Believe it or not, Cowboys might have hope yet after chaotic win at Washington

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A rare win as a double-digit underdog came just in time to let the Dallas Cowboys believe their playoff hopes aren't completely gone in 2024.

Cooper Rush probably will need three more victories in a row filling in for the injured Dak Prescott for any postseason talk to be realistic.

The thing is, the Cowboys (4-7) could be favored in two of those games, and already are by four points as an annual Thanksgiving Day host against the New York Giants (2-9) on Thursday, according to BetMGM.

Not to mention the losing record at the moment for each of the next four opponents for the defending NFC East champions, playoff qualifiers each of the past three seasons.

The Cowboys have a chance to make something of the improbable and chaotic 34-26 win at Washington that ended a five-game losing streak.

“Behind the eight ball,” Micah Parsons said, the star pass rusher acknowledging the reality that Dallas hadn't done much yet. “Let’s see how we can handle adversity and see if we can make a playoff run. But we got a long way to go.”

It was a start, though, powered in part by the best 55 minutes from the Dallas defense since the opener, when the Cowboys dismantled Cleveland and looked the part of a Super Bowl contender.

The last five minutes for the Dallas defense against the Commanders looked a lot like most of the nine games after that 33-17 victory over the Browns. Which is to say not very good.

Jayden Daniels easily drove Washington 69 yards to a touchdown before throwing an 86-yard scoring pass in the final seconds to Terry McLaurin, who weaved through five defenders when a tackle might have ended the game.

The Cowboys kept a 27-26 lead thanks to Austin Seibert's second missed extra point, and withstood another blunder when Juanyeh Thomas returned an onside kick recovery for a TD rather than slide and leave one kneel-down from Rush to end the game.

Dallas will have to remember it did hold a dynamic rookie quarterback's offense to 251 yards before the madness of the ending in the Cowboys' biggest upset victory since 2010 at the New York Giants.

That one was too late to save the season. This one might not be.

“We needed it,” embattled coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s been frustrating, no doubt. We’ve acknowledged that. We’ve got another one right around the corner here, so we have to get some wins and get some momentum.”

Rush ended a personal three-game losing streak with his best showing since the previous time he won as the replacement for Prescott, who is out for the season after surgery for a torn hamstring.

The 117.6 passer rating was Rush's best as a starter, and the NFL's second-worst rushing attack played a solid complementary role with Rico Dowdle gaining 86 yards on 19 carries.

KaVontae Turpin's electrifying 99-yard kickoff return did more than lift the Cowboys when it appeared an 11-point lead might get away in the final five minutes. It eased the worst day of special teams for Dallas since John Fassel took over that phase four years ago.

Suddenly struggling kicker Brandon Aubrey had one field-goal attempt blocked and missed another. Bryan Anger had a punt blocked.

For the second time in five games, Aubrey's attempt to bounce a kickoff in front of the return man backfired. The ball bounced outside the landing zone, putting the Commanders at the 40-yard line to start the second half and setting up the drive to the game's first touchdown.

CB Josh Butler, whose NFL debut earlier this season came five years after the end of his college career, had 12 tackles, a sack and three pass breakups. The pass breakups were the most by an undrafted Dallas player since 1994.

Rookie LT Tyler Guyton, who has had an up-and-down season with injuries and performance issues, was benched immediately after getting called for a false start in the fourth quarter.

His replacement, Asim Richards, could be sidelined with a high ankle sprain that executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones revealed on his radio show Monday.

Veteran Chuma Edoga, who was the projected starter at Guyton's position before a preseason toe injury, was active but didn't play against the Commanders. He's awaiting his season debut.

The status of perennial All-Pro RG Zack Martin (ankle/shoulder) and LG Tyler Smith (ankle/knee) will be a question on the short week after both sat against Washington. Stephen Jones indicated Smith could be available and said the same of WR Brandin Cooks, who hasn't played since Week 4 because of a knee issue. TE Jake Ferguson may miss at least a second week with a concussion. The short week might make it tough for CB Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) to return.

75% — Rush's completion rate, his best with at least 10 passes. He was 24 of 32 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His other game with multiple TDs and no picks was a 25-10 victory over Washington two years ago, when he went 4-1 with Prescott sidelined by a broken thumb.

There's some extra rest after the short week, with Cincinnati making a “Monday Night Football” visit on Dec. 9. The next road game is at Carolina on Dec. 15.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush answers questions during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Cowboys won 34-26. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis (98) blocks a punt by Dallas Cowboys punter Bryan Anger (5) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (10) looks to pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker (86) catches a 22-yard touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker (86) celebrates after scoring a 22-yard touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy answers questions during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Cowboys won 34-26. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A white Florida woman who fatally shot a Black neighbor through her front door during an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s boisterous children was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for her manslaughter conviction.

Susan Lorincz, 60, was convicted in August of killing Ajike “A.J.” Owens, 35, by firing a single shot from her .380-caliber handgun in June 2023. She had faced a maximum of 30 years behind bars. Circuit Judge Robert Hodges opted for a slightly lesser term amid evidence that Lorincz had been abused as a child and had mental health problems.

“The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” Hodges said during an afternoon hearing. “The shooting, I find, was based more in anger than in fear.”

The shooting was the culmination of a long-running argument between the two neighbors over Owens’ children playing in a grassy area near both of their houses in Ocala, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.

Prosecutors said Owens had come to Lorincz’s home after her children complained that she had thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz denied. Trial testimony showed Owens, a mother of four young children, was pounding on Lorincz’s door and yelling, leading Lorincz to claim self-defense in shooting her neighbor.

Lorincz told detectives in a videotaped interview that she feared for her life. She also said she had been harassed for most of the three years she lived in the neighborhood. Jurors who heard the trial evidence did not agree the shooting was in self-defense.

In a statement to the judge, Lorincz apologized to Owens' family but said she was “literally terrified” of Owens the night of the shooting.

“I so wish I could go back and change things so she was still here,” Lorincz said. “I never intended to kill anyone.”

Owens’ family pushed for the maximum prison sentence after Lorincz was convicted by an all-white jury. Owens' mother, Pamela Dias, said in court Monday that she now is the sole caregiver of her daughter's four children, who are deeply traumatized by the killing.

“We’re hurting with a pain that will never, never go away," Dias said. "There’s a hole in our heart that will never mend. Susan destroyed our family.”

Lorincz’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Amanda Sizemore, sought a more lenient sentence, an unspecified term below the 11.5 years in prison that is the lowest for her crime under state guidelines. Sizemore said in court documents that there are several reasons to justify a downward departure, including a mental disorder and claims that Owens was the aggressor and under “extreme duress” during the confrontation.

The judge said such a departure was not warranted, especially considering the impact of their mother's violent death on her children.

“They’ll live their whole lives without their mother, which I think is a very significant harm inflicted by Ms. Lorincz," Hodges said.

There were protests in the Black community in Ocala when prosecutors took weeks to charge Lorincz with manslaughter, a lesser count than second-degree murder, which carries a potential life prison sentence. Marion County, which includes Ocala, has a Black population of about 12%, according to census figures.

FILE - Defendant Susan Lorincz takes notes during her trial Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Ocala, Fla. (Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP, Pool)