Cowboys (sadly) won’t face Carson Wentz in Week 18 vs Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys will face a familiar opponent in the Washington Commanders in Sunday’s season finale at FedEx Field.

A mid-season turnaround — spearheaded by Taylor Heinicke, who was starting for the injured Carson Wentz — allowed the Commanders to climb back into the playoff picture before the final month of action. However, Washington fumbled the bag by going 0-3-1 over the last four weeks.

Facing a must-win game against Cleveland in Week 17, the Commanders puzzlingly pivoted back to Wentz, who had backed up Heinicke the previous three games. While the offense sputtered in Heinicke’s final three starts, the team remained competitive, and he had five touchdowns to one interception in those games.

To say that decision blew up in Ron Rivera’s face would be an understatement, as Wentz capitulated (again) in a must-win game to the tune of completing less than 58% of his passes for 5.11 yards per attempt and 3 INTs.

With the Commanders eliminated from playoff contention following the Packers’ win vs Minnesota, the team made the obvious decision to bench Wentz for Week 18. Initially, Heinicke was expected to start, with rookie Sam Howell taking over at some point, but Rivera told reporters Wednesday Howell will make his first career start.

Commanders bench Carson Wentz, will start rookie Sam Howell in Week 18 finale vs Cowboys

The Cowboys should win regardless of who’s under center for Washington, but playing Wentz would’ve had Dan Quinn’s defense licking their chops. The Commanders’ offensive line has been a turnstile all year — particularly in pass protection — and Wentz under pressure is maybe the worst QB in the league.

Not that Wentz in a clean pocket is a world-beater, but you get the point. The Cowboys made Wentz’s life incredibly difficult back in Week 4, limiting him to a 59.5% completion rate, 4.05 yards per attempt, one TD to two INTs, and a 23.2 QBR.

Wentz was only sacked twice, but Dallas generated 26 pressures — nine from DeMarcus Lawrence alone — 14 hurries, and a whopping nine quarterback hits in the game. There’s nothing to suggest the Cowboys wouldn’t have rattled the former Eagle to a similar extreme even on the road in Landover.

Heinicke and Howell are nothing to write home about, obviously, but they’re maneuverability as far as navigating pressure is a skill Wentz doesn’t bring to the table. Like Wentz, though, both Heinicke and the inexperienced Howell have questionable accuracy, footwork and decision-making under center.

It’s unclear if Howell will get the entire game, but the North Carolina product was outstanding in the preseason. In three games, Howell finished 43-of-69 for 547 yards, and one touchdown to one interception. His deep ball is the best from the 2022 class, but he also turned heads with his legs, galloping for 94 yards and two scores on the ground over the three exhibitions.

It’s anyone’s guess how Howell will fare in his first regular season action, but that also means Dallas doesn’t have any film on the rookie.

Again, the Cowboys should win regardless of how the snaps are divided, but facing Wentz would’ve been the best-case scenario.

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