At 4-11, the Washington Commanders are simply counting down the days, not until Christmas, but until their 2025 season is mercifully over.
That said, they do end their regular season with a pair of marquee divisional matchups, the first of which is at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The Commanders already ended their bitter rival's playoff hopes by losing to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, so neither team has anything but bragging rights at stake.
Will Washington get to celebrate a Christmas Day victory? Or will Commanders fans have coal in their stockings? Here are three bold predictions.
Bold predictions for the Commanders in Week 17 against the Cowboys
Commanders' abysmal QB play causes their demise
The Commanders won't have Marcus Mariota under center. Josh Johnson will start, while the Commanders also brought back Jeff Driskel after signing him from the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad.
If Johnson's performance after relieving Mariota last week was any indication, Washington won't be able to trot him out there for very long. He will likely get the start, but Driskel will replace him at some point, and he won't fare much better. No matter who is on the field, the Commanders' quarterback situation is sub-optimal to say the least.
Ben Sinnott finally breaks out with his first multi-catch game of 2025
The Commanders have had no choice but to get their other tight ends involved ever since Zach Ertz tore his ACL against the Minnesota Vikings. Ben Sinnott, who had three catches in Washington's first 12 games this year, has one in each of the past three games.
He should have more than that versus Dallas. The Commanders' limited quarterbacks will mostly operate in the short passing game, and Sinnott will be one of the primary targets. Don't be surprised to see career-highs in catches and receiving yards.
Cowboys demolish Washington in a Christmas Day laugher
The NFL thought it would be getting three marquee matchups when the Christmas schedule was released. Instead, it's a who's who of all of the most disappointing teams of 2025.
Johnson is likely to be joined by Chris Oladokun and Max Brosmer as three of the six starting quarterbacks. The Denver Broncos are the only team in action currently in a playoff position.
All three contests have blowout potential, and the Commanders will be on the wrong end of one of them. They lost by 22 points in Dallas earlier this year, even with Jayden Daniels and Mariota.
This one won't even be that close, as Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense have their way and Washington's helpless quarterback duo struggles to move the ball.
Final score prediction: Cowboys 35, Commanders 10