Dak Prescott stepped up in the pocket looking for an explosive play in the first quarter of the Dallas Cowboys' Christmas matchup against the Washington Commanders. We'll never know if he found one, because Johnny Newton had other plans.
Prescott didn't see the pressure coming from the 2024 second-round pick until it was too late. Newton, lined up to the fight of center Cooper Beebe, had to fight off a double team and then go around fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, which ended up obscuring him from Prescott's view. The next thing the quarterback knew, he was getting slung to the ground for an eight-yard loss.
"Whenever I catch fire, it's hard to cool me off," Newton said in the locker room after the game.
Much like the sack, it's taken some time for Newton to get a bigger workload. That opportunity came last week when it was announced that Daron Payne would miss the rematch against the Cowboys with a back injury. Although the Commanders fell to 4-12 with a 30-23 loss, Newton provided a glimpse of what his future could hold with three sacks and five quarterback hits, both of which were single-game career highs.
It was an encouraging sign for what could come next in Newton's career.
"I just had a great feeling of the game today," Newton said. "Run or pass, I feel like with the film I watched, I feel like I had a great feeling of what they were doing the whole day."
Although the Commanders have had several talented defensive tackles in the past decade, few of them had a day similar to the performance Newton put on against the Cowboys. It was the first multi-sack game of his career, and he became the first player in franchise history to record at least 3.0 sacks in a single game since Preston Smith in Week 16 of 2015. His five quarterback hits were the most in a single game since Ryan Kerrigan (5) in Week 6 of the 2016 season.
Head coach Dan Quinn knew Newton was capable of such a performance; after all, he was one of the most decorated pass-rushers in program history at Illinois, which is part of what enticed the Commanders to draft him in the second round. But he was pleased to see Newton, who has worked hard to get more playing time, put everything together.
"When you do that as a ball player, the game slows down because now you can anticipate a little better," Quinn said.
Newton knew he was going to get more snaps than he had all season heading into the Christmas matchup. He played in 60.9% of the defensive snaps -- a season-high -- and he didn't want to waste them. Prior to the game, he got some advice from veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen, who told him that attitude needs to remain consistent in everything from practice to meetings.
"I feel like that stuck with me since last night," Newton said. "I got a brother who would kill to be in this position. So that stuck with me all day. And I was like -- since the morning – I was like, man, I just got to go in there and ball out, because I know my brother would do the same if he had the opportunity."
And Newton lived up to the standard. Pro Football Focus gave him the seventh best pass rush grade among defensive tackles in Week 17 ahead of players like Jalen Carter and Quinnen Williams.
It's unclear what Newton's workload will be in Week 18 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Daron Payne returned to practice as a full participant from his back injury, which would put him in line to return as the starter. But Newton showed that he can be a disruptive pass rusher, as he accounted for half of the Commanders' six sacks.
Washington has several areas to address during the offseason, and that includes generating a more consistent pass rush. It would provide an answer to that issue if Newton can be consistently disruptive as he was last week.
"I thought he...wreaked some havoc in his space," Quinn said.
