The Washington Commanders will close out the 2025 regular season with a road matchup against the Dallas Cowboys and look to win their 12th game of the season. Here are three keys to the Burgundy & Gold starting the new year out with a victory.
1. Get out to a fast offensive start.
The Commanders have had one of the league's best offenses all season, averaging 375.9 yards per game and scoring 28.9 points per game. That last number is the most in NFL history for a team with a rookie as its leading passer.
Against the Cowboys, however, their offense wasn't the dynamic unit it has been in previous stretches. Despite having good field position for most of the first half, all they could manage was a field on their opening drive. They averaged just over 15 yards per drive on their first seven possessions, and the best they looked -- a 36-yard drive that stalled at the Cowboys' 32-yard line -- was still an undesirable experience, as a 51-yard field goal attempt from Austin Seibert fell short.
Though it hasn't been easy for the Commanders over the last three weeks, their offense has looked more consistent during their most recent win streak. They scored 36 points against the Eagles and 30 against the Falcons, putting up at least 350 yards in both games and putting up a combined 52 first downs. Most of that is a credit to Jayden Daniels, who has gained a stronger hold on the Offensive Rookie of the Year race after following up a five-touchdown performance against the Eagles with 127 rushing yards in the overtime win over Atlanta.
With the No. 6 seed still in play for the Commanders, they have plenty to play for this weekend. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have nothing to play for and have been eliminated from contention. If the Commanders can put together an early lead, it could be enough to convince Dallas that playing the spoiler to Washington's playoff hopes isn't worth the effort.
2. Win matchups against a depleted Dallas WR room.
Yes, it's true that Washington's secondary will likely be without Marshon Lattimore this weekend and has been a turbulent group all season, but the Cowboys are having their own struggles at wide receiver. CeeDee Lamb has been shut down for the rest of the season, leaving the team without a clear-cut No. 1 receiver.
Lamb's absence evens out the matchup between the two position groups, and the Commanders must take advantage of that to make life harder for whoever plays quarterback for the Cowboys.
With Lattimore out, the Commanders will have to roll with Benjamin St-Juste, Michael Davis and Mike Sainristil as their primary options at cornerback. Sainristil has played the most consistently of that group, but all three have had their good and bad performances this season. Still, with Trey Lance possibly getting the nod to be the Cowboys' starter, they could be facing a quarterback who can't attack their weaknesses as effectively as other signal-callers.
There are still challenges among the Cowboys receivers. Brandin Cooks can still be a deep threat at times, and KaVontae Turpin has elite speed (think back to the 99-yard kickoff he returned for a touchdown in the first matchup). The key here is for St-Juste, Davis and Sainristil to be competitive enough to slow up Lance's process. Washington's pass-rush should be able to take over from there.
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium during their Week 17 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, shot on Sony. (Photos by Emilee Fails and Kourtney Carroll/Washington Commanders)
3. Stay healthy.
As much as the Commanders want to end the season on a positive note, one could argue that winning isn't the most important thing for the team this weekend. If the Commanders hope to have a deep postseason run (they do), then staying healthy will be pivotal for them.
Lattimore isn't the only key player who will be banged up this weekend. The offensive line has been hit hard with Tyler Biadasz missing Wednesday and Thursday's practice; Cornelius Lucas missing time with a groin injury; and Andrew Wylie being limited with a groin injury as well. Dyami Brown is dealing with a hamstring injury, and key special teams player Tyler Owens is hobbled with an ankle issue.
It's worth pointing out that Washington will probably get at least some of those players back at some point between now and the Wild Card matchup between the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Austin Ekeler, who has been on Injured Reserve with a concussion, also returned to practice this week and was a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday.
Regardless of who ends up coming back, the Commanders cannot afford to lose anyone in the postseason. They've proven they can compete against anyone, but they need to be at full strength to do so.
