The Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys are set to start off the NFL’s triple header on Christmas Day in an hour. Neither team will be playing for anything after the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East in Week 16.
The Commanders are playing shorthanded with their two top quarterbacks, Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, out against Dallas, but they will now be playing without another key offensive weapon. Chris Rodriguez Jr. was announced as inactive before the game.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. Won’t Play in Week 17
Rodriguez has been the lead back in Washington after taking over the bulk role from Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Croskey-Merritt was given the starting role after Austin Ekeler went down with a season-ending injury before Rodriguez earned it for himself.
Rodriguez has been an important piece of the Washington offense, which has been without Daniels for the majority of the season. Now, he’ll be watching from the sideline due to illness.
Now inactive. https://t.co/mYMYDEx8ty
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 25, 2025
Croskey-Merritt will be the primary weapon out of the backfield for Washington against a poor Dallas defense. The Cowboys have given up at least 34 points in each of their last three games.
In their first matchup, Croskey-Merritt only had 33 yards on the ground and couldn’t punish the Cowboys, though. Dallas has been susceptible to allowing big games by running backs, so Croskey-Merritt should be relishing this second opportunity.
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Rodriguez is the 24th-ranked running back in PFSN’s RB Impact metric with an impact score of 76.6. He is going to be missed, but at least Croskey-Merritt ranks close behind him at 27th. The Commanders are playing for pride and have already damaged their chances at a top-five selection in the draft, so a win over their division rival would be a nice Christmas present for their fans.
One season removed from their NFC Championship berth, Commanders fans would not have expected their game against the Cowboys to be meaningless. But here we are on Christmas Day, getting ready for Josh Johnson and the Commanders to take on the Cowboys.
Johnson is making his 10th career NFL start, despite being in the NFL for 10 years. He’s been on 14 different NFL teams looking for a shot. Johnson hasn’t started since 2021, but he’s waited for another chance, and he’s got his moment.
Now, he gets to start for the shorthanded Commanders in front of the entire country as families gather to watch the NFL for their holiday entertainment.
