Cowboys BREAKING: Rookie QB Sam Howell to Start; Commanders Bench Carson Wentz

The Dallas Cowboys face the Commanders in Week 18, and who will be under center for Washington is now clear.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys now know which Washington quarterback to game plan for on Sunday.

The Commanders signed former Colts and Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz in the offseason and hoped he would carry them to a playoff berth.

Injuries and poor play plagued the seventh-year quarterback all season, and with Wentz on the bench, Washington just missed out on that postseason appearance after being eliminated last week after a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

And with nothing left to play for against the Cowboys other than pride on Sunday, Wentz - who has proven that he's not the answer in Washington - will sit on the bench once while the Commanders will turn to … 

Not Taylor Heinicke.

An ESPN report wrongly has Heinicke as the new No. 1 for the Dallas game. But in fact, Washington is announcing that it’ll be rookie Sam Howell getting the nod.

Wentz started last week against the Browns and threw three interceptions in another sub-par performance. After the game, Washington coach Ron Rivera was non-commital as to who would start the season finale against Dallas.

According to a report from ESPN, Heinicke would get the nod, with rookie Howell expected to see some playing time as well.

The #Commanders are expected to turn back to Taylor Heinicke as the starter for Sunday’s season finale vs. the #Cowboys, but rookie QB Sam Howell is also slated to play, marking the NFL debut for the fifth-round pick, per source. Barring change of plans, this will be the setup.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 4, 2023

But Howell - who has yet to see any regular-season action since being drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft last April - took first-team snaps on Wednesday.

While the Cowboys have already clinched a playoff spot, just exactly where they'll land in the NFC bracket still has yet to be determined.

With an outside chance at an East division title, Dallas will be firing on all cylinders on Sunday at FedEx Field and crossing their collective fingers for an Eagles loss at the Giants. 

That would give the Cowboys the NFC East crown, and a home game for the first round of the playoffs. Otherwise, Dallas will hit the road for the Wild Card round against the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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