Sunday night was special at Northwest Stadium when the Washington Commanders clinched a playoff berth. One year after finishing 4-13, the Commanders won their 11th game (11-5) with one game remaining.
Not only did Washington clinch a playoff spot, but also moved up in the NFC playoff picture. Entering Week 17, the Green Bay Packers held the No. 6 seed, while the Commanders held the seventh seed.
All Washington needs to do in Week 18 is win in Dallas, and it clinches the sixth spot, regardless of whether the Packers win or lose.
With mounting injuries a playoff spot already clinched, does head coach Dan Quinn plan on resting his starters against the Cowboys?
“Yeah, we’re going to go after as hard as we can,” Quinn said. “I think the seeding portion of this is really important, and that’s what we discussed as a team. We thought last night the vibe was awesome at the game. We thought we left some plays out there, and so for us that leveling up as we’re heading into this week with Dallas would be really important. But we recognize having a six seed and going into the playoffs with that is a good thing. And so, we’re going to fight like hell to keep that.”
That is the correct answer. This is not Quinn saying he’ll rush injured players back for Week 18, but if guys are healthy, they will play, and the Commanders are going for the win and the sixth seed.
So, players like Marshon Lattimore, Andrew Wylie, Cornelius Lucas, and any other recently injured players will likely remain sidelined if they can’t practice throughout the week.
The playoff seeding is important. No game is easy in the playoffs, but this is a situation of Washington going to Philadelphia in the Wild Card round, or likely Los Angeles, to play the Rams. Anything can happen, and the Rams are hot, but you play the odds and the Eagles are a tougher opening-round matchup.
