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.
Commanders at Cowboys odds, how to watch
According to the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, the Washington Commanders are 12.5-point underdogs at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. This is available at -110 (bet $110 to win $100) depending on which side of the points spread you fancy.
Anyone bold enough to wager Washington on the money can get them with odds of +530 attached (bet $100 to win $530). Dallas is unsurprisingly favored heavily to pick up their eighth victory of the campaign at -730 (bet $730 to win $100).
FanDuel Sportsbook has set the over/under at 48.5 points for the Thanksgiving Day clash. Again, this is available at -110 in both directions.
In terms of prop bets, running back Brian Robinson Jr. going over 41.5 rushing yards seems like a decent enough bet with odds of -114 (bet $114 to win $100).
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
How to watch:
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The game is also being broadcast live on CBS.
Jason Kelce slams Commanders stadium
The Washington Commanders' embarrassing loss against the New York Giants was bad enough in Week 11. But a situation involving no hot water in the FedEx Field locker rooms after the game brought national ridicule.
This is another indication of these facilities not being up to the required standard. FedEx Field was left to rot under Dan Snyder's watch, which is something Josh Harris' ownership group is looking to rectify by upgrading the current site and plans to build a new, state-of-the-art stadium.
When discussing the situation on his New Heights podcast, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce freely admitted he wasn't a fan of FedEx Field via Sportskeeda. However, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer hoped things would start tending forward for the Commanders with Harris and his wealthy benefactors leading the charge.
"Lambeau Field is unbelievable, from a facility standpoint, not the best. But you kind of are like you know what, I'll take the tradeoff in the facilities to be able to play in an iconic place like that. FedEx Field is not that iconic and I don't really like the facilities in the stadium. They are maybe moving into a newer place, I hope that that happens sooner rather than later for those guys."Jason Kelce via Sportskeeda
FedEx Field is a symbol of Snyder's disastrous tenure. The sooner it's part of the Commanders' history, the better.
Commanders QB Sam Howell's opportunity
Sam Howell picked a bad time to have arguably his worst performance of the season. The quarterback didn't look like the same player that had taken the NFL by storm in recent weeks against the New York Giants, which is part of the former fifth-round pick's learning experience as the Washington Commanders starting option under center.
What's important for Howell is dusting this off, learning from the film, and putting together a better outing this afternoon at the Dallas Cowboys. Something Ron Rivera saw as a big opportunity for the North Carolina product based on comments via Sports Illustrated.
"He learns from those mistakes. He stacked several good games in a row, so somewhere along the line he was going to have one that he was going to struggle with. So, just anticipating him to get an opportunity to reset himself and get himself ready to go and just got a lot of confidence in who he is."Ron Rivera via Sports Illustrated
Relying on the run early would be a preferred approach in the circumstances. But if the Commanders get behind at any stage, the onus will be on Howell to produce the goods en route to potentially cementing his status as Washington's starting signal-caller in 2024.
Dallas' defense is opportunistic and more than capable of dominating inferior opposition - especially in the trenches. Therefore, Howell cannot put a foot wrong in pursuit of an upset.