Commanders News: Sam Howell, Antonio Gibson, Jason Kelce and Week 12
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines ahead of their Thanksgiving Day game at the Dallas Cowboys?
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. For the Washington Commanders, it's a chance to put things right during their tough-looking contest at the Dallas Cowboys with the national NFL audience watching intently.
This is normally one of the highest television ratings of the year, so nothing less than a strong performance will do as pressure mounts on head coach Ron Rivera. Until then, the stories causing conversation include Antonio Gibson's status, Sam Howell's opportunity, Jason Kelce lambasting FedEx Field, and Week 12 odds ahead of this afternoon's game.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson's status
The Washington Commanders won't have the benefit of Emmanuel Forbes' presence on the field in Week 12 after the rookie cornerback was officially ruled out. Running back Antonio Gibson is listed as questionable, with Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network adding it's a genuine game-time decision.
Gibson's come to life in recent weeks, so this injury couldn't have come at a worse time. Even if the former third-round selection out of Memphis does suit up, it remains to be seen how heavily he could feature.
This would mean more is expected of Brian Robinson Jr. once again. Rookie sixth-rounder Chris Rodriguez Jr. might also see extended playing time if Gibson cannot go, especially given the need to run the football effectively against a Dallas Cowboys team that did up chunk plays on the ground at the Carolina Panthers last time out.