Cowboys at Commanders: Sack Time for Micah, Tank & Dallas Defense?

The Cowboys travel east to play the Commanders on Sunday and will face rookie quarterback Sam Howell and a struggling Washington offensive line.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys head into Washington on Sunday with still plenty to play for. An NFC East division crown is still possible, albeit a longshot, but it begins with a win in our nation's capital in Week 18. 

The defense is largely responsible for the Cowboys' 12-4 record this season and may have a huge opportunity against the Commanders. ...

And maybe a sack attack can be key.

"The win is so important,'' DeMarcus Lawrence said. "You want to make sure you moving on the upper edge instead of moving backwards. I think this win is more about us cleaning up our technique and continuing to develop so when we do step into the playoffs we’re ready to go.''

Can Dallas "clean up'' at Washington?

Washington's offensive line has struggled at times to protect its quarterback, with 45 sacks allowed, seventh-worst in the league. In the first matchup between the two teams in Week 4, the Dallas defense got to Carson Wentz twice in the Cowboys' 25-10 victory while intercepting him twice.

The Dallas defense ranks third in the NFL with 51 sacks and registered two on Titans quarterback Joshua Dobbs last week. But before that game, you'd have to go back to the 54-19 win over the Colts in Week 13 to find a multiple-sack game for the Cowboys. 

With Washington starting rookie quarterback Sam Howell for the first time, the Dallas defense could have a big opportunity ahead of it; our impression is Washington's offense will run similarly with Howell to how it was run with Taylor Heinicke, another of the Commanders QBs.

If Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn can formulate a scheme to confuse Howell and force him to hold on to the ball, that could give this version of the "Doomsday defense" time to get to him.

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who had been dealing with a laceration on his hand, has now been removed from the injury report, meaning he should be 100 percent on Sunday. 

Parsons has 13 sacks on the season and no doubt hopes to add to that total against a first-time starter on Sunday. 

If Dallas gets some help from the Giants and Cardinals this weekend, the No. 1 seed is technically still in play too, which would mean a first-round bye.

But maybe most of all? Lawrence and Parsons and the Dallas D have some "cleaning up'' to do in the Washington backfield.

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