Cowboys-Redskins: Five things to watch

It’s the final game of a rocky, injury-filled season for the Dallas Cowboys (4-11).

The Washington Redskins (8-7) earned their 15th division title in team history with a 38-24 win over Philadelphia last week.

Expect a lot of new faces in the game for both teams. Dallas will be looking to evaluate for the future. Washington, locked into the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs, will likely rest some starters.

1. Moore’s encore

Kellen Moore will make his second career start in the finale, and all eyes will be on him to see if whether can become a legitimate backup candidate. He had an uninspiring starting debut last week, completing fewer than half his passes (13 of 31) and throwing for 186 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. But he has the support of offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and is known for his smarts, so he should be able to make the necessary adjustments.

2. McFadden’s milestone

Darren McFadden is 3 yards away from a 1,000-yard rushing season, which would be the second time he’s reached that mark in an injury-plagued, eight-year career. That’s quite an accomplishment, considering he had only 129 rushing yards through the first five games before assuming the lead back role in Week 7 against the New York Giants. McFadden has been a pleasant surprise in a disappointing season.

3. Scoring woes

The Cowboys are coming off their fourth game without the offense scoring a touchdown. That’s an indictment of how poor their red-zone offense has been, as well as how few opportunities they’ve had. The team doesn’t want to go into the off-season with another offensive embarrassment, particularly against the Redskins’ 24th-ranked defense.

4. Defensive matters

The Cowboys won the turnover battle at Buffalo and still lost. The defense, as has been the case all season, couldn’t make a critical stop at the end of the game. The defense needs one more takeaway to avoid tying the league record for fewest takeaways in a season with 11.

5. Playing for pride

The Cowboys have won four or fewer games five times in franchise history. This team would like to avoid becoming the sixth. The good news is they might have a chance to do that, especially with the Redskins already having clinched the NFC East title and possibly resting starters much of the game.

This story was originally published January 2, 2016 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Cowboys-Redskins: Five things to watch."