Sadly, there are still problems for the Washington commanders to solve.
The 2023 season seems like it was only yesterday, but the football season goes by so quickly. The Dallas Cowboys will play their final regular-season game at FedEx Field on Sunday against the Washington Commanders for the second consecutive year.
With one more victory needed to guarantee they win the NFC East, the Cowboys have a lot on the line. If the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the New York Giants, they have an opportunity to win the division if they fail to accomplish this. With seven straight losses, the Commanders are out of contention. All the indicators point to a Cowboys landslide, but nothing is guaranteed in these wild divisional games, as we’ve seen in the past. When these two rivals face off in the regular-season finale, here are five things to watch.
1. TURN OFF THE TORCH AT 18
For Michael Gallup, this season has not been easy. Even with his 16 game season total thus far, he still has fewer stats than his appalling campaign from the previous year. He will end with the fewest yards gained in his six-year career if he doesn’t gain six yards receiving. And given that he received no targets the previous week, that is quite plausible. Whether it’s a declining skill set or simply losing Dak Prescott’s favor, Gallup’s usage has practically stopped. This seems like it might be Gallup’s final regular-season game wearing a Cowboys uniform.
Prescott and his wide receivers shouldn’t face much opposition through the air because the Commanders have the second-worst pass defense in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks should start the game as usual, but in the second half, expect the depth players to get some looks. Gallup would love to end his career on a high note at this point, but don’t be shocked if Jalen Tolbert, his eventual replacement, plays the best game of his young career. In Week 18, let’s play a big game from 18.
2. THE GAME OF RUN-RIGHT
We suggested last week that the Lions pass defense might be exactly what the Cowboys need to get their passing game back on track. As expected, the situation improved when CeeDee Lamb scored over 200 yards and Prescott recorded his first 300+ yard game since Thanksgiving. In addition, as we’ve already established, Washington struggles against the pass as well as the run. They give up 4.5 yards per try, which is among the lowest 10.
To achieve consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards, Tony Pollard requires an additional 65 yards. Additionally, he had his most productive performance of the season against Washington, averaging 6.1 yards per rush. The Commanders might be the ideal team to help the Cowboys iron out the kinks in their run game, which has been dreadful in recent weeks. A stronger performance in the run game would allow the team to go into the playoffs with some optimism.
3. Sam says, “I SLAM.”
The Cowboys’ defense hasn’t allowed more than one sack in any of the last five games. That’s strange because they have one of the league’s best pass rushes, led by Micah Parsons, who has the highest pass-rush win percentage. The Cowboys’ last multi-sack performance occurred in a game against these same Washington Commanders. This is not surprising, either, considering that Washington has allowed the fifth-fewest sacks in the league with 61 this year.
The Cowboys pass rushers should be easy pickings because of their bad pass protection and advantageous game plan. Parsons is expected to be his usual disruptive self, but Sam “I slam” Williams, another second-year player, should have a big game.
4. THE PERFECT PICKER
When, in the season opener, rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey failed to convert a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, do you recall your thoughts at the time? How could the Cowboys front office have thought such a thing?
Over the course of 16 games, we’ve seen kicker Brandon Aubrey, who is currently in the Pro Bowl, convert all 35 of his field goal attempts. He has an opportunity to be the first kicker in a 17-game season to complete the entire campaign without missing a field goal. Hopefully, Maryland’s weather won’t be too harsh so that this ideal season doesn’t elude him.
5. Enter and exit.
While winning must come first, it would be ideal if they finished early enough to allow them to rest some of their starting players for the second half. We don’t want Washington to make us all sweat because the Cowboys are going to be in a dogfight until the very end. They should win this game easily, so it wouldn’t be optimal from a performance perspective, and making veterans work harder isn’t the best way to prepare for wild card weekend. Please just put this game out of reach so that we can all unwind a little bit. Mike McCarthy has been known to play Dak and company for a little longer than some of us would desire.
