The Washington Commanders have reportedly waived former Ron Rivera 2nd round pick DT Phidarian Mathis. This was an expected move from the team for several reasons. He has been a healthy scratch for the last three games and practice squad DT Carl Davis was elevated to get playing time over him. Dan Quinn called it “internal competition” which means he was beat out for his spot. His first two year’s were plagued by injuries, now healthy, he’s just not good enough.

Jonathan Allen has been on injured reserve since tearing his pectoral against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. His injury wasn’t as serious as first feared and he’s now set to rejoin the team. His 21-day practice window was opened last Wednesday, but he was limited on practice last week and wasn’t activated. Allen’s been a full participant this week, and will need to be activated by 4pm today to play against the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow night. He is expected to be on a snap counts during his first game back since October

Earlier in the week Greg Joseph was waived from the practice squad, and he was signed to the Jets practice squad the next day. Zane Gonzalez is healthy, and Austin Seibert is eligible to return from IR next week. His spot was filled with the signing of 9-year veteran WR Chris Moore.

The 8-4 Washington State Cougars will take on 9-3 Syracuse on Friday in the 45th edition of the Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl has taken place in San Diego, Calif., since 1978, and will be held at Snapdragon Stadium for the first time this year.

Though both Washington State and Syracuse have had football programs for at least 130 years, Friday’s game will mark just the second matchup between the two teams. The two teams last played in 1979, when Syracuse earned a 52-25 win.

Syracuse comes into the game ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 poll, and riding a three-game winning streak. Washington State comes into the game with significantly less momentum, having lost their last three games.

The Orange will play in their 29th bowl game on Friday, but will make their first appearance in the Holiday Bowl.

Syracuse first appeared in a bowl game in 1953, when they lost to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. The team lost their first three bowl games, and lost six of their first nine bowl game appearances. Their first bowl game win came over Texas in 1959, the same year they won their lone national championship.

The Orange have made three straight bowl games, but have lost each of the last two. They will look to correct course with a win over Washington State.

Washington State first appeared in a bowl game in 1915, when they played in the second edition of the historic Rose Bowl. They have played in the Rose Bowl four times over their history.

The Cougars have also appeared in the Holiday Bowl four different times. They made their first appearance in 1981, the fourth installment of the Holiday Bowl, and most recently in 2017.

Washington State saw their longest streak of bowl games under late coach Mike Leach, who led the Cougars to five straight Holiday Bowls from 2015 to ’19. Washington State went 0-2 in the Holiday Bowl and 2-4 in total bowl games under Leach.

The Orange hold the advantage over the Cougars in bowl game record.

The Washington Commanders will attempt to secure their 11th win of the season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. Kirk Cousins was the anticipated matchup that Commanders fans were looking forward to. Unfortunately for Cousins, too many turnovers and not enough wins landed him on the bench following the Falcons’ win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

This is a high-stakes matchup featuring two rookie quarterbacks, Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix, who are attempting to lead their team to a playoff berth. The Commanders still have areas that need improvement; running back Brian Robinson Jr. and Washington’s run game has been stagnant for an extended period. In five out of the last six games, the Commanders’ running backs have averaged 19 carries for 58 yards. The lone exception where the Commanders’ running backs haven’t averaged three yards per carry came against the Tennessee Titans defense, where they rushed for over 200 yards. Daniels’ has carried the running game in recent weeks, mostly on scrambles, which is not sustainable long-term.

On Sunday, Washington must re-establish their identity against Atlanta if they want to have a legitimate shot at advancing in the playoffs. The running game issues are not a one-group issue; the offensive line has struggled to win at the point of attack. Their ability to get back to their early-season ways is not trending in the right direction as defenses have begun to adjust to them. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is very aware of the problem, and aludes to the issue primarily being a player-based issue, but can they get things turned around this week?

You can listen to the full Trap or Dive game post-game recap below. We discussed:

• Falcons offense much better with Penix?
• Can the Commanders run game get back on track before postseason play?
• How Washington should approach Bijan Robinson-led Falcons offense
• Injury updates; Marshon Lattimore and Jon Allen current game status

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