Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson lost his helmet after a brutal on-field collision with Commanders star Deebo Samuel.
Dallas travelled to the nation’s capital for the first of three NFL games on Christmas Day. And the two teams wasted little time in reigniting their long-running rivalry.
Midway through the first quarter, Commanders stand-in quarterback Josh Johnson found Samuels with a short pass near halfway.
The receiver made the catch and then rushed into space towards the Cowboys end zone. He was met around the 13-yard line by Wilson, who attempted a tackle.
But the safety was shunted back by Samuel, who even managed to knock his rival’s helmet off as he powered towards the five-yard line.
Wilson eventually managed to force the receiver out of bounds but that was not the only punishing hit in the early stages of the Christmas Day clash.
Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson lost his helmet after a brutal collision with Deebo Samuel
A few minutes earlier, it was the turn of Cowboys running back Javonte Williams to inflict some pain on the defense.
The game was barely 45 seconds old when he took a handoff from Dak Prescott and powered up the middle.
Williams dropped his shoulder into Washington cornerback Mike Sainristil, who was put on his back in a brutal hit.
The running back helped the Cowboys take control of the Christmas day game, with Brian Schottenheimer’s team up 24-10 at the break.
