FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys will wrap up the regular season with a trip to FedEx Field to face off against the Washington Commanders with an opportunity to win the NFC East on the line.
The first time around, the Cowboys defeated the Commanders 45-10 on Thanksgiving and dominated on all three phases of the ball.
Certain matchups will help to determine the outcome this time, as we take a look at the key matchups to watch in the regular season finale.
Osa Odighizuwa vs Sam Cosmi
Osa Odighizuwa's pass rush skills have taken another step in 2023, and a matchup against 2021 second-round pick Sam Cosmi at right guard for the Commanders will serve another challenge for him.
Having allowed just one sack and 28 pressures on over 1,000 snaps this season, Cosmi has become probably the only bright spot on what is otherwise one of the poorest offensive line units in the NFL.
However, Odighizuwa can end Cosmi's season on a sour note as he will look to be a backfield inhibitor once again against the Commanders to limit anything coming out of the backfield in both the pass and run game.
Jourdan Lewis vs Curtis Samuel
The Dallas defense's streak of not allowing a 100-yard passer to open the season was ended on Thanksgiving when Curtis Samuel barely passes the threshold when he hit the century mark in the 35-point loss. It came amidst a stretch that saw Jourdan Lewis struggle with speed receivers, but this time around the two will match up with Lewis finding his stride once again at nickel.
After consecutive weeks of handling elite receiving talents for Buffalo, Miami and Detroit, Lewis has proven to be another strong force in the secondary for the Dallas defense, as he'll get a chance to rewrite one of his worst performances of the season against Samuel.
In a passing game expected to be handled by Sam Howell, Lewis should be able to finish his regular season on a high note along with the rest of the Cowboys.
Damone Clark vs Brian Robinson
With the pass game continuing to show lumps and inconsistencies for Washington with each week that passes, the run game behind Brian Robinson will be the Commanders' best chance at throwing the Dallas defense out of sorts.
Damone Clark's performance against the Lions put him over 100 tackles on the season, and he'll need a few more in being decisive in the run game against Robinson to limit the Commanders' only major threat.
