Losing the Commanders to the Cowboys will be costly

The Washington Commanders allowed the Dallas Cowboys to bury their chances of winning the NFC East with not one, but two return touchdowns in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-26 loss.

A ho-hum division rivalry turned into a barn burner with 41 points scored in the final quarter between the two teams, as the Cowboys broke their five-game losing skid while sending the Commanders to their third straight loss.

However, there is still plenty of optimism for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Killf Kingsbury in their first year together in Washington.

USA TODAY Sports’ NFL Week 12 overreactions begin with the Commanders, who will still make the playoffs but are eyeing an exit in the wild-card round.

The Commanders sit in the seventh and final NFC playoff spot after Week 12, just ahead of the 6-5 Arizona Cardinals and the 5-6 trio of teams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rams of Los Angeles and the San Francisco 49ers. They will face the Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys again this season, and they are good enough to beat the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons who remained on their schedule to reach the playoffs.

But they will regret this Cowboys defeat.

Any chance the Commanders had of winning the NFC East (and hosting a playoff game) evaporated with every touchdown the Cowboys scored late.

If the Detroit Lions retain the No. 1 seed and receive a first-round bye, the Commanders could find themselves facing the Eagles in the wild card round of the playoffs.

While reaching the playoffs would undoubtedly be an accomplishment for Washington, facing the likes of Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown and Saquan Barkley in the postseason could be a bitter end to a transformative season.

Texans are suspect but will still reach the playoffs

As we dole out first-round playoff eliminations, the Houston Texans also appear to be a team destined for an early-season slip-up.

Texans quarterback CJ Stroud stepped out of bounds for a safety and threw two interceptions in Houston’s 32-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It’s never great to lose to a 2-8 (now 3-8) team. But Houston showed it was deeply flawed heading into the latter part of the season.

To make matters worse, the Texans will play games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens over a four-day span during Christmas week that will ultimately decide their playoff fate.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Titans back on the schedule, the Texans need to address their holes to not only stay in the playoffs, but also make the most of this season with Joe Mixon and Nico Collins playing at high levels.

The Texans are still in great shape to win the NFC South, but they will likely finish fourth in the playoffs. They will host the fifth seed, which could be the second seed in the AFC North between the Pittsburgh Steelers or Ravens. And it would be a disappointing game for Houston in the playoffs.

It’s only a matter of time before the Giants diet disappears

Move over Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas. Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen could also take the subway out of New York before the end of the season.

While CBS Sports reported that Giants owner John Mara would retain his coach, Daboll, and general manager, Schoen, the Giants are expected to cut ties with both following their latest 30-7 home loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. .

To make matters worse, the Giants face the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, where another terrible loss seems obvious.

Giants players have questioned their leadership in recent weeks, including rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers after the game against the Bucs.

The Giants may have moved on from former quarterback Daniel Jones, but Saquan Barkley’s resurgence in Philadelphia is a weekly blot on how Daboll and Schoen put the franchise behind him.

The Giants are in contention for the No. 2 pick after Week 12 and should quickly join the coaching and general manager market, like the Jets, and ensure they are in play for the top pick in the 2025 draft. the NFL by the end of the season. .