Two of the oldest rivals in the NFL will meet up for a Thanksgiving Day battle in Dallas on Thursday. The Cowboys will host the Washington Redskins in an important NFC East battle, with the winner leaving town in first place. The Redskins defeated the Cowboys earlier this season with a 20-17 victory in our Nation’s Capital.
The Dallas Cowboys have won two straight games to get right back into the playoff picture in the NFC. The Cowboys are 5-5 on the season, and are coming off of a last second 22-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Washington has lost two of their last three games and bring a 6-4 record into this matchup with the Cowboys. Dallas is a three point favorite over Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day.
Elliott Powering Cowboys Offense
The Dallas Cowboys are starting to feed Ezekiel Elliott the ball, and he has responded in a big way. Elliott had over 200 yards in total offense against the Atlanta Falcons, and should carry the team in the stretch run. Elliott has racked up 953 rushing yards this season and has scored a team high five rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Dak Prescott is also a threat to run for the Cowboys, averaging 5.0 yards per carry and scoring four rushing touchdowns.
The one constant for the Cowboys this season has been the strength of of their defense. Dallas is giving up just 19 points per game this season, and they are a top-5 defense in several categories this season. The Cowboys will be without linebacker Sean Lee for this contest, which could hurt their defense against their rivals. Dallas is catching a huge break getting to face a backup quarterback on Thursday.
Redskins Turning To Backup QB
The Washington Redskins are being forced to turn to backup quarterback Colt McCoy for this game. McCoy was pressed into action after Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury that will force him to miss the remainder of the season. McCoy will take over a Redskins offense that is averaging just 19.7 points per game. Look for the Redskins to feature Adrian Peterson early and often in this game. Peterson is averaging over 72 rushing yards per game this season, and has scored a team high six rushing touchdowns.
The Redskins defense has been nearly as good as the Dallas Cowboys this season, giving up just 19.8 points per game. Washington has been great at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season, and also for forcing turnovers. Matt Ioannidis leads the team with 7.5 of the team’s 28 sacks this season. The Redskins will need to find a way to force some turnovers to create some points in this game.
Dallas Beats Rival on Thanksgiving
This is a very important game in the NFC East, and this should be an extremely close game. The Cowboys caught a huge break when Alex Smith was lost for the rest of the season. Dallas has started to look better on offense of late, but they still need to find consistency. Look for the Redskins to struggle against the Cowboys with Alex Smith leading them. This game will be tight, but the Cowboys win by a touchdown. Bet the Dallas Cowboys -3.0 over the Redskins on Thursday.
