Sunday is the last day of the regular NFL season, but there’s a lot to play and root for, especially if you’re a Washington Commanders fan.
The Commanders travel to North Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys in a 1 p.m. game from AT&T Stadium.
WTOP Sports Director and Commanders Beat Reporter George Wallace joined WTOP’s Ian Crawford Sunday morning to preview the game.
With the playoffs coming up, the next question is about seeding. How much emphasis should the Commanders place on securing the No. 6 seed in the NFC versus potentially resting the starters ahead of next week’s playoff opener? Wallace said that head coach Dan Quinn made it clear that the team is treating the regular-season finale as a playoff dress rehearsal.
“He wants that six seed because seeding matters in the playoffs,” Wallace said. “Keep in mind, if you’re the six seed, then there’s an outside chance that you could host an NFC Championship game, because the higher seed hosts. So if they were to play a seven seed, they could be at home. So he’s all in on it, and they know they need to play better.”
With penalty trouble and turnovers among the Commanders’ issues even in their recent wins, Wallace said that there are still areas for Washington to clean up against Dallas.
“They haven’t played great the last couple of weeks, so he’s going all in on it,” Wallace said. “I mean, if there’s some injury questions, which there are this week, I would expect them to be more cautious, but he’s playing to win,” he said.
The Commanders played the Cowboys right before Thanksgiving, so this matchup is an opportunity to improve on that game. The Commanders lost that one 34 to 26.
Wallace said that the Commanders also had penalties that cost them during their game against Philadelphia two weeks ago, although they turned that around to win 36 to 33.
“That’s what I mean by they haven’t been playing their best, and they know they need to get that tightened up, especially going into the playoffs,” Wallace said.
He added that Jayden Daniels is one of the reasons they might have a chance to turn Sunday and the playoffs into some wins.
“They’ve found ways to win, and that’s fine. We’ve noticed that. And you know, anytime Daniels is on the field, this team has a chance to win, but you know, it’s a whole new ball game beginning next week, so they need to clean that stuff up starting today,” Wallace said.
When it comes to injuries, Wallace said Marshon Lattimore and Jordan McGee are out, which could impact the Commanders going into Sunday.
