The Washington Commanders will be rolling out backup quarterback Sam Howell this week, which generally means fewer pass attempts and more rushing.
The Commanders are a 5.5-point underdog in this week’s contest, which points towards a passing game script.
THE BLITZ projects this game to have the 3rd-largest volume of plays run among all games this week at 134.5 plays, given the tendencies of each team and game dynamics.
Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 37.1 pass attempts per game vs. the Dallas Cowboys defense this year: 9th-most in football.
Terry McLaurin has been among the top WRs in the NFL this year, averaging a terrific 67.0 yards per game while ranking in the 88th percentile.
Cons
THE BLITZ projects the Washington Commanders to be the 11th-least pass-heavy offense among all teams this week with a 55.4% pass rate, based on their underlying tendencies and matchup dynamics.
Terry McLaurin has totaled quite a few less air yards this year (89.0 per game) than he did last year (103.0 per game).
Terry McLaurin’s 57.7 WOPR (Weighted Opportunity Rating—a volume metric that measures high-value offensive involvement) has been substantially lower this year than it was last year at 68.0.
The Washington Commanders offensive line ranks as the worst in football this year in protecting the quarterback, which has a negative effect on all pass game metrics across the board.
The Dallas Cowboys linebackers profile as the 6th-best LB corps in football this year in covering pass-catchers.