Washington Commanders to start rookie QB Sam Howell against Dallas Cowboys

With the team eliminated from playoff contention, the Washington Commanders made another change at quarterback. Rookie quarterback Sam Howell will get his first career start, according to a team release.

Originally, Taylor Heinicke was the starting quarterback over Carson Wentz for Sunday’s game, with Howell serving as a backup and expected to get playing time, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Washington cannot make the playoffs but can play spoiler against the Cowboys, who can still win the NFC East and even grab the No. 1 seed.

Wentz, who missed a chunk of time this season due to injury, finished his first season in Washington with 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a  62.3% completion percentage.

By comparison, Heinicke had 1,859 yards, 12 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 62.2% completion percentage.

At 7-8-1, Washington fell out of the Wild Card race with a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns last week. Washington lost three straight games after tying the New York Giants, keeping the team in the playoff hunt.

With that on the backburner, Howell could be an intriguing factor in the game. The Commanders drafted the former Tar Heels quarterback in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Howell, who generated first round buzz early in his college career, has yet to throw an NFL pass.

While at North Carolina, Howell was a star, especially after a hot start his freshman year during the 2019 season. In three years, Howell had 10,283 yards, 92 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, a 63.8% completion percentage, 1,009 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Howell even caught four passes and two touchdowns in college.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Howell was a four-star prospect out of Monroe (N.C.) Sun Valley, according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 6 quarterback prospect in the class and the No. 91 overall prospect in the class.

Dallas Cowboys playoff scenario

The Cowboys can win the NFC East with a win over the Commanders and a Philadelphia Eagles’ loss to the New York Giants. However, the Giants are locked into the No. 6 seed and it is widely expected the team will rest its starters.

But, if the scenario plays out, Dallas will win the NFC East and get a home game, at minimum, in the NFC Wild Card round.

To get the No. 1 seed, Dallas needs the above scenario, coupled with a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

All of the teams play in the 4:25 p.m. ET window Sunday in Week 18.