Cowboys' Jerry Jones Talks 'Encouragement' in NFC East Title Race After Giants' Loss to Commanders

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones liked what he saw Thursday night when the Washington Commanders came from behind to beat the NFC East-leading New York Giants 24-21.

During an appearance Friday on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic), Jones discussed the game and its impact on the Cowboys, saying, "It gives us a lot of encouragement as we go forward to one of the biggest games we've had around here in a long time. It's exciting."

Thanks to Washington's win, Dallas moved within 1.5 games of the Giants for the NFC East lead.

It has been a roller-coaster season for the Cowboys, who sit at 4-5, but they are still very much in contention for a division title thanks to the overall weakness of the NFC East.

The Giants had a chance Thursday to put some real distance between themselves and the rest of the division, but Washington came through in the clutch.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a go-ahead, 32-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 57 seconds remaining, and cornerback Rasul Douglas picked off Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy to seal the victory.

New York fell to 5-3-1 with the loss, while Washington improved to 3-5-1, bringing it within two games of the Giants and a half-game of the Cowboys.

The Cowboys can draw even closer to the G-Men with a win on Sunday, but that will be easier said than done.

Dallas is hosting the San Francisco 49ers, who have the best record in the NFC this season at 7-1.

However, if the Cowboys can pull off the upset, it could result in them going on a roll, as they have winnable home games against the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles on tap the following two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Giants are about to face a tough stretch with games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 49ers and Seattle Seahawks over three of the next four weeks.

It is anyone's guess how the NFC East will play out over the next several weeks, but there is no question that Washington's win on Thursday significantly improved the chances of both the Commanders and Cowboys when it comes to chasing down the Giants.