Howell faces team with a lot on line

Rookie QB is set to make his league debut vs. Cowboys

Micah Parsons does not plan to be scoreboard-watching during the Dallas Cowboys’ game at the Washington Commanders today.

Sure, the Cowboys need the combination of a win, plus a loss by the Philadelphia Eagles to the New York Giants, to win the NFC East, and, yes, both of those and the San Francisco 49ers losing to the Arizona Cardinals would give the Cowboys the conference’s top seed and first-round bye. But Dallas has to handle its own business before going into the playoffs.

“Our focus should be beating Washington,” Parsons said. “If we don’t finish what we’ve go to do this week, what does it matter what the Eagles do? I think everyone’s focus should be on Washington.”

His coach is on board, with Mike McCarthy saying the 12-4 Cowboys are playing to win against the 7-8-1 Commanders, who were eliminated from playoff contention last weekend, will be missing several regulars and are turning to rookie quarterback Sam Howell to start and make his NFL debut.

Cowboys-Commanders and Eagles-Giants will be played simultaneously to limit any lineup shenanigans.

The Cowboys are favored by seven points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, more than three months after beating Washington 25-10 in Texas. That was before the Commanders were 7-5 with the inside track to make the playoffs and went 0-3-1 down the stretch.

“We had quite a few weeks to control our destiny, and we didn’t do that,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “You don’t really get too many opportunities to have a few weeks to just get the one or two wins that we needed to get in.

“That’s disappointing.”

Howell time

Perhaps the only silver lining of the Commanders being eliminated after Carson Wentz threw three interceptions in a loss to Cleveland is they get a chance to see what

Howell can do in a full-speed game against a playoff-bound opponent.

Washington took Howell, once considered a potential top-10 pick, in the fifth round last year. The former North Carolina star has been practicing behind Wentz and Taylor Heinicke all season waiting for his chance.

“This week right here is to show what he’s been learning,” Commanders receiver and college teammate Dyami Brown said. “I’ve seen him composed in some big moments, so I think he’ll do real good.”

Coach Ron Rivera initially considered going back to Heinicke, the former Old Dominion star, before deciding on Howell after talking to players and members of his staff.

“Really just felt that if we’re going to do it, now’s the chance,” Rivera said.

Chasing numbers

Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, who missed the Tennessee game with a thigh injury, is 12 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season and should end up as the first leading rusher for Dallas not named Ezekiel Elliott since the two-time rushing champ was drafted in 2016.

Elliott needs 134 yards to reach 1,000, but he hasn’t had a 100-yard game all season. It would be the first time in his seven seasons that Elliott hasn’t hit the century mark — if he doesn’t get there against the Commanders.

Receiver CeeDee Lamb needs 10 catches to break Michael Irvin’s franchise record of 111 from 1995, which was set in a 16-game season. Lamb needs 93 yards to become the first Dallas receiver to reach 1,400 since Irvin had a franchise-record 1,603 the same year he established the catch mark.