After a season-opening flop on the road against the Giants, the Cowboys will try to rebound on Sunday when they return to AT&T Stadium to face the Commanders.

The Dallas’ Morning News’ columnists and beat writers offered up their predictions for the home opener against the Commanders below.

Two 0-1 teams from the NFC East come here with different feelings about Week 1. The Commanders may not say it, but they have to be pleased to leave Philly with a 24-22 defeat, a game they could have tied in the final minute. Nothing pleasing about the Cowboys’ performance in New York. Don’t expect Washington’s offense to shove Dallas all around the field like the Giants did. But the Cowboys need far better pressure from the front four on Daniels than they had on Jaxson Dart to keep this from going down to the wire.

Cowboys 27, Commanders 16

Yes, the defense was bad against the Giants. And yes, it looked and felt eerily similar to last year’s defense. Once again, there’s nowhere to go but up. I may be in the minority, but I believe the Cowboys when they say their issues are fixable. They need to fix them in a hurry, starting with the Commanders on Sunday. 

Cowboys 28, Commanders 24

Can the defense be any worse? Don’t answer that … but it likely won’t matter as Dak Prescott and Co. love to light up the ultra high-definition videoboard at AT&T Stadium, especially against NFC East teams. If the Dallas falls behind early, the boo birds could make an appearance. Don’t expect that to happen, though, as the Cowboys just have too much at stake to stumble out of the gate 0-2, which would bring a 1-4 start into play. 

Cowboys 30, Commanders 28     

After being thoroughly outcoached and outplayed in the land of the Giants, the Cowboys cannot afford to begin a season filled with such high expectations with back-to-back losses. In this early — but very real —must-win game, Dak Prescott will have to rise to the occasion in front of the home crowd, while the defense must show at least a slight improvement to secure a victory over the Commanders.

Cowboys 27, Commanders 24

Could the Cowboys be faced with a must-win just two games into the season? Can’t go down two division losses. Fortunately for Christian Parker, the holes that didn’t get plugged in his defense during the offseason won’t show as much against the Commanders.

Cowboys 31, Commanders 17 

Can you have a must win game in Week 2? Of course you can. The Cowboys calm everyone down by handling a Commanders team that’s better than we think. Some of the Cowboys defensive issues get solved, particularly the communication. This is a close game, with Dallas taking control at the end.

Cowboys 20, Commanders  16