It looks like Thursday night is reserved for NFC East duels because this week we also have a divisional match – Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins vs. Cowboys game is always fun to watch, but this time around it is going to be hotter than usual because both teams are still hoping to reach the playoff.
When the game is played on Thursday night, the home team always holds a slight advantage. The reason is that they haven’t traveled after the short week and thanks to that they have an extra day to rest and to practice. But, this week that won’t be the case because both teams played on Thanksgiving.
At the moment Dallas Cowboys are favorites to win this match with 1.5 points advantage. The game is opened at over/under border of 44.0 points. The home venue is AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas. The game starts at 8:25 PM ET, Thursday.
The Cowboys will look to add to their winning streak against the Redskins as they have won last three games. In the first game between these squads, Cowboys were 3 point favorites, and they have managed a 33-19 win on a rainy night in Washington. The start of the evening was Ezekiel Elliott who ran for 150 yards on 33 carries. Unfortunately, Zeke is currently under NFL suspension and won’t be available for this duel.
His absence is a tremendous handicap for Cowboys as they rely heavily on their running game. This was the main reason for their win, as they carried the ball in the previous match, while Redskins, who play more of passing game with their QB Kirk Cousins, failed to adapt to conditions.
The Redskins have retained small chances of a shot at playoffs after 20-10 win against Giants last Thursday. This victory ended their two-match losing streak. In Week 11 they have lost starting RB Chris Thompson after a season-ending injury, but against the NY Giants Samaje Perine stepped up with a 100 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving performance.
Their leading player on the offense besides Kirk Cousins is Jamison Crowder who had a monster game last week with seven catches for 141 yards and one TD. The Giants are a weaker opponent than Cowboys this season, but Redskins defense finally performed good holding Giants to 10 points. In two games before Thanksgiving, they have conceded 72 points combined.
Dallas Cowboys, same as their divisional rivals Redskins, still have a remote shot at the playoffs. It seems that Elliott’s suspension brought their season at the edge of abyss because in last three games they have three losses and all by 20 points difference at least. Last week’s match against Los Angeles Chargers saw them scoring only one TD in a 28-6 loss. The three games losing streak is the first time in their history that they have scored fewer than 10 points in each of those matches. Also, what is more worrisome, Dak Prescott is just not the same player without Elliott.
Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys Predictions
The downfall of Dallas Cowboys is just something that we won’t see stopping this season, or at least not against the Redskins. The weak defense of Dallas outfit will be torn apart by Kirk Cousins. On the other side of the ball, regardless of Redskins defense which is not elite by no means, the Cowboys just don’t have points on them. Redskins WIN 27 – 10.
