NFC East rivals will battle it out Sunday afternoon as the Dallas Cowboys (12-4) take on the Washington Commanders (7-8-1). The Commanders will host this one at FedEx Field, with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 pm ET.
Currently sitting just a game back of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys still have an opportunity to win the division. If they can pick up a win Sunday, coupled with an Eagles’ loss, the division could still be theirs.
Of course, there could be a fair amount of scoreboard watching in this one. If the Eagles jump out to a big lead on the Giants, the Cowboys could opt to rest some of their stars by the second half.
For Washington, they are out of playoff contention after losing to the Cleveland Browns last week. Head coach Ron Rivera opted to go with quarterback Carson Wentz, and it blew up in his face as the team could only muster 10 points in the loss.
On Sunday, the Cowboys will be heavy favorites over the Commanders. They are -330 to win, while the Commanders’ Moneyline sits at +265. The spread features Washington as 7-point underdogs (-110), and the over/under for total points is 40.5.
Dallas Looks To Stay Hot With Playoffs Approaching
Not only are the Cowboys still in the running for a division crown, but they have been playing some extremely good football as of late. They have won two in a row and six of their last seven. They will look to stay hot against their division rivals, especially with the playoffs quickly approaching.
Offensively, the team ranks second in the league in scoring, averaging 28.8 points per game. Under center, the offense is led by veteran quarterback Dak Prescott. This season, he has thrown for 2,732 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 11 games.
Prescott’s favorite target to date continues to be CeeDee Lamb. The 23-year-old wide receiver has 102 receptions for 1,307 yards and eight touchdowns.
After missing last week, running back Tony Pollard (988 yards rushing, nine touchdowns) is probable for this game. He is joined by Ezekiel Elliott (866 yards, 12 touchdowns) to form one of the best backfield tandems in the league.
Defensively, the Cowboys rank sixth in the NFL, allowing just 19.8 points per game to opponents.
Commanders To See What Rookie Can Offer
Having split the starts between Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz all season, head coach Ron Rivera will turn to rookie Sam Howell in this one. This will be the fifth-round pick’s first NFL action of his career.
Howell will try to lead an offense that ranked just 25th this season, averaging 18.4 points per game (16.8 at home).
Unfortunately for Howell, he will not have either of his best running backs behind him as Antonio Gibson (IR, knee) and Brian Robinson Jr (knee) are both out for this contest.
In terms of weapons, wide receiver Terry McLaurin continues to shine with Washington. This season, he has hauled in 74 receptions for 1,117 yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, the Commanders rank 14th, allowing 21.1 points per game.
Take Dallas To Win And Cover
This could set up to be a tough day for rookie quarterback Sam Howell. Without a full complement of players, the Commanders’ offense, which has struggled already, will have their hands full against a stout Dallas defense.
Looking at the trends, Dallas is 10-3 in their last 13 games against the Commanders, and they are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight matchups.
For Washington, they are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five games, and they are 2-7 straight up in their last nine home games against the Cowboys.
With the Cowboys still having something to play for and the getting ready to start their vacation after this game, this one could get ugly early on. Take Dallas to both win this game and to cover the 7-point spread (-110) as well.
