It looked like it could be a long day for the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day. After the Dallas Cowboys marched down the field to take an early 7-0 lead on Thursday at Northwest Stadium, the Commanders responded to make it 7-3. Dallas would score on its next three offensive possessions to go into halftime with a 24-10 lead.

Washington rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt would keep the Commanders in it, taking a Josh Johnson handoff and going 72 yards for his second touchdown of the day, making it a 24-17 game in the third quarter. While the Washington defense was better in the second half, mistakes on critical downs prevented the offense from tying the game. Linebacker Frankie Luvu was penalized for hitting Dak Prescott late after a sack. The Cowboys would have punted.

Quarterback Josh Johnson was solid in his first start since 2021, completing 15 of 23 passes for 198 yards. He did not turn the ball over and was sacked only twice. Deebo Samuel had a big first half but didn't get the ball in the second half. Unfortunately for the Commanders, the offense had only 41 total plays, compared to 87 for Dallas.

The loss was Washington's 10th in its last 11 games. The Commanders are now 4-12. If there is any good news, the loss helps Washington's draft positioning.

Here's how social media reacted to the Commanders' Week 17 performance vs. Cowboys.

Al Galdi

Brandon Coleman's penalty

Johnny Newton's big day

'Bill' Croskey-Merritt

Dan Quinn

Josh Johnson

Deebo Samuel

Commanders' defense

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Best reactions from 30-23 loss to Cowboys