What Experts Are Saying About Washington Redskins Ahead of Game vs. Cowboys

Heading into Week 17, there is nothing at stake for the Washington Redskins except for a chance to sweep the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys. Even if they don't, the Redskins need to have a good game to keep their recent momentum going.

With nothing on the line for either team, it is tough to find anything meaningful being discussed by experts.

The quarterback controversy has been quelled for the time being, and that should continue if Robert Griffin III continues his solid play. The defense is still a mess, and the stuff that was important 10 weeks ago is less important now because there is no time to improve to make a difference this season.

Here is what experts are saying about Washington as it prepares to host Dallas in its season finale at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Griffin's Shoulder a Concern Leading Up to Game

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

For once, the biggest RG3 story is about something that isn't his status as a future starter. Griffin took a hit from Fletcher Cox late in Washington's victory over Philadelphia last Saturday and has been dealing with shoulder soreness all week during practice.

CSN Washington's Tarik El-Bashir shed light on the Redskins' quarterback situation for this week:

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With Colt McCoy on injured reserve with a neck injury, Kirk Cousins is the Redskins’ No. 2 quarterback. Gruden said the team does not anticipate working out any emergency quarterbacks in the coming days.

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Though everything points to Griffin being fine to start against Dallas, it doesn't rule out the possibility that the right hit could aggravate or worsen the injury and knock him out of the game. When Colt McCoy left late in the St. Louis game on Dec. 7, Griffin was the only active quarterback available.

If Griffin goes down Sunday, Kirk Cousins will come in, which could happen given the number of sacks Griffin has absorbed in recent weeks.

If Cousins happens to go down, the Redskins don't have a third quarterback on the roster, even if just for this week.

Dallas hasn't beaten up its opponents this year, but even beyond this game, the Redskins may want to keep Griffin's chances of being more seriously injured to a minimum. If nothing else, it may affect the type of game Gruden calls if Griffin can't get velocity or distance on his throws.

Early Draftnik Takes Aim at Landon Collins to Solve Safety Situation

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The next big event following Sunday's game is the NFL draft. It is a time for the Redskins to improve their roster and find the players who will raise them out of their habitual losing.

Mark Tyler put together a three-round mock for Hogs Haven just in time for the holiday season and has the Redskins picking Alabama's Landon Collins in the first round:

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In my opinion, he is a far better prospect than former Alabama safety and first round pick HaHa Clinton-Dix, and could be the best safety prospect to come out of the SEC in a decade.

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Washington's defense, in general, has been disappointing this season. The Redskins' pass rush has been inconsistent, they've been pushed around in the run game, and their safety situation puts excess pressure on their corners in coverage.

Ryan Clark should have retired before this season, and Brandon Meriweather is a liability when asked to do anything other than blitz.

Collins would likely be a starter from the jump, but the question is whether he would be a strong or free safety since he can play both. The immediate need for Washington is at free safety since Phillip Thomas has been solid in limited action this season.

It would be a miracle if the Redskins could get a starter at safety and at least one offensive lineman to fix their two biggest problems.

Dan Steinberg Displays Displeasure over Ryan Kerrigan's Pro Bowl Snub

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Every year, someone gets snubbed from the Pro Bowl. Every year, there are maybe a couple of Redskins worth making the team. This year, at least two Redskins deserved to make the Pro Bowl, but only one got the nod.

The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg ran a story highlighting the Twitter explosion caused by Ryan Kerrigan and Tress Way getting left out of the Pro Bowl festivities while Trent Williams receives his third such honor.

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My boy @RyanKerrigan91 got robbed. His numbers should get you in on a team that plays without a lead constantly.

— Christopher Long (@JOEL9ONE) December 24, 2014"

It is one thing for teammates to make their case for Kerrigan, as Will Compton, Brian Orakpo and others did via Twitter; it is quite another thing for someone on a different team to also chime in.

Chris Long has never eclipsed 13 sacks in his career, while Kerrigan sits at 13.5 with one game left to play this season. It shows a mutual respect between the players.

Kerrigan's exclusion is made all the more glaring by Kansas City's Tamba Hali getting a Pro Bowl nod. He has just six sacks on the season, but Kerrigan is currently fifth in the NFL behind Connor Barwin, Justin Houston and Elvis Dumervil at outside linebacker.

Kerrigan has more sacks, more tackles and more forced fumbles than Hali.

Jason La Canfora Rates Historic Rivalry a 'Slider'

AJ Mast/Associated Press

Not even the storied Cowboys-Redskins rivalry can bring Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports to rank Sunday's game above a "slider." With nothing on the line, there is no real intrigue, so what is it that makes this matchup interesting? La Canfora explains:

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DeSean Jackson will be trying to go out with a bang. He continually got behind this secondary the first time they played with small-armed Colt McCoy at quarterback and I expect RG3 to look to him deep, early and often.

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In the first meeting between these two teams, the plucky McCoy threw for 299 yards, 136 of which went to Jackson. McCoy's arm strength is average, which means he wasn't stretching the field the way someone like Griffin can.

Griffin is one of the few quarterbacks who have overthrown the speedy Jackson.

Not that RG3 has been lighting it up through the air over the last two weeks, but he has averaged 228 yards per game in his last two starts, though neither New York nor Philadelphia have particularly stout pass defenses.

Dallas is ranked 23rd in total passing yards allowed, which could mean a big day for Jackson, who has averaged 19.3 yards per catch in his 11 career games against the Cowboys. It all depends on how much the Redskins and Jay Gruden trust Griffin to hang in the pocket and make the throws down the field.