Cowboys at Commanders: How 'Aggressive' Game Plans Will Help Dallas in Playoffs

The Cowboys are expecting anything and everything from the Washington Commanders on Sunday as the hosts are only playing for pride, while Dallas has a lot on the line.

The 12-4 Dallas Cowboys take on a Washington Commanders team with nothing to play for ... and that makes them dangerous.

With no playoffs in store for coach Ron Rivera's 7-8-1 team, nothing is off-limits offensively or defensively in terms of Washington's game-plan approach. Indeed, Dallas coach Mike McCarthy is expecting the Commanders to be "aggressive" on Sunday at FedEx Field.

"Ron has always been aggressive with fourth-down decisions," McCarthy said, adding that Washington "defensive coordinator Jack (Del Rio), that's his personality, and I think Scott (Turner, offensive coordinator) is creative, and they have aggressive special teams."

That's all the phases right there. And all the "aggressiveness.''

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Dallas will need to go about its work with its own sort of aggression as well. With the No. 1 and No. 2 spot in the NFC still up for grabs, there can be no slip-ups from McCarthy's team.

Meanwhile, if there are "Riverboat Ron'' moments in the game from the Commanders that are meant to catch Dallas off-guard, starting with what rookie QB Sam Howell might do in his debut? That will only be a good thing for the Cowboys, McCarthy said.

"At the end of the day, it's only going to help us," McCarthy said.

Why?

"Because,'' McCarthy said, "any type of stressful situation that's created in Sunday's game obviously gives us a chance to compete and win in that particular situation. But also, it gives us more experience. I hope they do (play aggressively)."

On Sunday, stress levels will be high as not only do the Cowboys have to win ... but they have to contend with a team who will throw the kitchen sink at them simply because they can.

And then Dallas has to learn from it.

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