On a quiet Sunday, here’s a fun one. Denzel Washington is telling The Times that he spent a lot of the ‘90s making movies solely for the paycheck.

After Malcolm X I made some real clunkers. Look them up — I won’t say their names…They are all in the 1990s. But I was earning. I had responsibilities.

So, after “Malcolm X,” which is post-1992 … Denzel doesn’t mention any particular titles, but he does ask us to look them up — don’t mind if I do.

One look at his filmography, and it’s clear to me that the paycheck gigs might have been “The Pelican Brief,” “Virtuosity, “Fallen,” “The Bone Collector,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” and “The Siege.”

It wasn’t all bad. In the middle of all those clunkers, Denzel still managed to star in a few well-reviewed films, including “Philadelphia,” “Devil in A Blue Dress,” “Crimson Tide” and “He Got Game.”

We all know Denzel takes his craft seriously, and I just can’t blame him for doing “paycheck” movies. He evens tells The Times that it’s just part of the business. The reciprocal, unsaid deal that gets made between talent and studio.

In life, you learn, earn and then you return — as in give back. So if your life is 90 years long, up until 30 you learn and from 30 to 60 you earn. So in that era I was earning. With a great agent, my career built into making money and so the earning kicked in and then life also kicked in, with bills, four kids and a house.

While we’re at it, what’s the greatest performance Denzel has graced us with that isn’t called “Malcolm X”? I’ll give you some of the more obvious contenders: “American Gangster,” “Glory,” “Training Day,” “The Hurricane,” “Flight.” His most underrated work might be found in 2017’s “Roman J. Israel.”

The Washington Commanders return to Northwest Stadium for a high-stakes Week 12 rivalry clash against the Dallas Cowboys.

After back-to-back losses, the Commanders is not only seeking a much-needed win but also bragging rights in this storied division matchup. Several players also have their sights set on key milestones heading into Sunday’s game.

With a win, Washington would move to 8-4, marking their best start through 12 games since 1996. It would also solidify their dominance at home this season, improving to 5-1 at Northwest Stadium — their best home record through 12 games since 1992.

As Week 12 approaches, here are the numbers to watch as players aim for historic milestones:

1

Tight end Zach Ertz needs one touchdown reception to tie Keith Jackson (49) for 16th all-time among tight ends in NFL history.

2

Linebacker Bobby Wagner needs 100 tackles in 2024 to become only the second player since 2000 to achieve 13 or more consecutive 100-tackle seasons, joining London Fletcher, who accomplished the feat 14 times from 2000-2013. Wagner currently has 66 tackles this season. He’s also closing in on another milestone, needing two interceptions to reach 15 for his career.

Tight end Zach Ertz is just two touchdown receptions away from reaching 50 in his career.

Running back Austin Ekeler needs two receptions to surpass Thurman Thomas (472) for 25th all-time in receptions by a running back.

Defensive tackle Daron Payne is 2.5 sacks shy of breaking into the top 10 for career sacks in Washington franchise history.

3

Frankie Luvu needs three sacks to reach 30 career sacks.

4

Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin is on the verge of several milestones. McLaurin needs 50 receptions and 900 receiving yards this season to become just the fourth player in NFL history to reach those marks in each of his first six seasons, joining Mike Evans, A.J. Green, and Randy Moss—a feat DK Metcalf is also chasing.

Additionally, McLaurin needs 75 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 to become the fourth player to hit those marks in five of his first six seasons, joining Torry Holt, Brandon Marshall, and Randy Moss.

McLaurin is also closing in on franchise history, needing four receptions to pass Chris Cooley (429) for fifth all-time in Washington history. He’s four touchdown receptions away from reaching 35 career touchdowns.

5

Linebacker Bobby Wagner is also nearing a milestone, needing five sacks to reach 40 for his career.

6

Austin Ekeler recently surpassed Arian Foster (8,873) for the second-most scrimmage yards by an undrafted running back in the common-draft era, trailing only Priest Holmes (11,134). Ekeler now has 8,916 career scrimmage yards and has his sights set on another milestone. With 471 career receptions, he is just 29 catches away from becoming the sixth running back in NFL history to record 500 receptions in his first eight seasons. This exclusive club includes Marshall Faulk (548), LaDainian Tomlinson (510), Christian McCaffrey (509 in seven seasons), Roger Craig (508), and Alvin Kamara (505 in seven seasons).

Meanwhile, tight end Zach Ertz continues to cement his place in NFL history. Despite Washington recent losses, Ertz became the sixth tight end in league history to reach 750 career receptions, joining legends like Tony Gonzalez (1,325), Jason Witten (1,228), Antonio Gates (955), Travis Kelce (907 entering 2023), and Shannon Sharpe (815). Ertz currently has 752 career receptions.

7

While it may not happen this Sunday, Austin Ekeler is closing in on a historic milestone. He needs seven more touchdown receptions to surpass Marshall Faulk (36) for the most by a running back in the Super Bowl era. Ekeler currently has 30 career touchdown receptions.

9

Another milestone to keep an eye on—though it may not happen this week—is Zach Ertz approaching 8,000 career receiving yards. He is just 138 yards away from becoming the ninth tight end in NFL history to reach this milestone.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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The No. 1 Oregon football team will look to wrap its regular season with a perfect record against rival Washington next Saturday at home for senior night.

The Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) are the only unbeaten team left in the Big Ten and could get some revenge against the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 from Autzen Stadium.

The game will air on NBC.

BUY THE BOOK: Here’s how to buy The Register-Guard’s commemorative book on Oregon football’s first Big Ten season

Oregon coach Dan Lanning will be looking for his first win against the Huskies as head coach, having lost all three matchups in the last two seasons against UW.

The Washington team in 2024 is a far cry from what it was in 2022 and 2023, with first-year head coach Jedd Fisch replacing Kalen DeBoer (now at Alabama) and guiding Washington to a 6-5 record.

The Ducks have already qualified for the Big Ten Championship game, set to be played the following Saturday, Dec. 7.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.