Commanders

Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen has been activated to return from injured reserve this week after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in October. Washington head coach Dan Quinn expressed his approval of Allen’s recovery, noting his impressive progress during rehabilitation.

“Seeing the surgeon, seeing that process go … he looked not like a person that had this surgery,” Quinn mentioned, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. “Usually, you see a lot less on one side. … He’s built different for sure.”

Allen has been focused on his comeback, working hard to support his team.

“Man, just trying to work. Work my you-know-what off every day, so I come out and help the team in any way possible,” Allen stated.

He returned to practice on Wednesday, describing it as a “really good day” for him.

“A really good day for me and a good first day. That’s all. It was my first day. We’re going to take it one day at a time and go from there.”

Cowboys

Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle is only 120 yards away from surpassing the 1,000-yard mark this season. Dowdle considers this achievement a significant “milestone.”

“I’m closing in,” Dowdle shared, as reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic. “It definitely feels good. I definitely want to hit that milestone with my first year being a starter. I’m looking for it. Definitely can get it.”

Dowdle praised his offensive line for his success this season.

“The guys up front (are) what is working well for me,” he explained. “It all starts with them. Coach said before (Sunday’s) game that it all starts with those up front in the trenches, and it ends with those up front in the trenches. Those guys have been opening it up and doing a hell of a job. … We are going to keep building.”

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy commended Dowdle for his ability to break tackles and expressed a desire to see him evolve into a third-down back.

“I love his run style, especially when he goes vertical,” McCarthy said. “I mean he breaks tackles. His contact balance is exceptional. He’s got so much power in his hips. He has a unique run style, which also, he’s done a much better job of protecting the football because that’s the challenge of that. He breaks a lot of tackles week in and week out. The thing I really want to see Rico do is take the next step and that’s to be a third-down back, too. Just be an every-down back. He’s doing a little more of that. And we’ll see how that looks moving forward because it’s important for him to touch the football.”

Giants

The Giants’ rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has remained productive despite New York’s challenging 2-12 season. He is dedicated to establishing himself as a future NFL star.

“If I can put my name in the record books,” Nabers declared, as noted by Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com. “I’m going to do it.”

Nabers expressed confidence that the Giants will eventually overcome their struggles and achieve success.

“We’re in this for each other in tough times, and when we turn this around, we’ll be there in the good times because of this,” he stated. “One day soon, we’ll look back and we’ll be where we want to be, where we expect to be, because we stuck it out and helped lead this team through this together.”

Giants running back Tyrone Tracy reflected on a critical dropped pass by Nabers during their narrow 21-18 loss to the Commanders in Week 2, noting that Nabers felt responsible for the setback.

“Leek felt like it was the end of the world, that he lost us the game by dropping that pass,” Tracy commented. “I was just like, ‘We need you. We’re in this together.’ And that’s what I needed to hear when it happened to me.”