Jayden Daniels vs. Michael Penix Jr., Round 1
The Washington Commanders take on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 for Sunday Night Football on NBC. The 10-5 Commanders are currently nestled in as the NFC seven seed, while the 8-7 Falcons are a few spots back sitting ninth and at home if the playoffs began today.
But until a team’s eliminated, there’s always a chance — and that’s what tonight’s all about, in addition to the first game where quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. square off. Penix finds himself the starter now following Atlanta’s decision to sit quarterback Kirk Cousins. Leading up to the season, the Falcons’ quarterback room and the decisions made surrounding Cousins and Penix held a lot of intrigue, and that only continues now with this apparent changing of the guard.
But will the move pay dividends for Atlanta this evening? It won’t be easy, especially when so many teams have struggled to contain Daniels’ this season. Entering play, the oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Commanders as slight favorites (-3.5) over the Falcons, with an O/U set at 46.5.
For Washington, a playoff birth is at stake with a win. I suspect the Falcons come up short tonight, failing to keep Daniels and company out of the end zone enough to keep things close.
Washington Commanders 30, Atlanta Falcons 17
Here’s your open thread for Week 17 of Sunday Night Football. As always, be kind to one another — and in all things… Go Bills!