ARLINGTON, Texas – With the Cowboys’ win over the Falcons and the Redskins’ loss to the Texans in Week 11, Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game is a must-win as the 5-5 Dallas Cowboys and 6-4 Washington Redskins go head-to-head to determine the leader of the NFC East. Dallas has won 70 games against Washington, the most victories over any other team in the league. A Cowboys’ win would also up the Thanksgiving Day record to 31-19-1, 8-1 against the Redskins.
This time around, Dallas’ offense has to minimize turnovers, stay ahead of the chains, and get the ground game rolling early in the ballgame against Washington’s nose tackle Daron Payne, who clogged up holes and kept Ezekiel Elliott to an average of 2.2 yards per carry in week seven. Payne was limited in practice today with a shoulder injury and if he is absent from the field on Thursday in the defensive lineup, the Cowboys’ run game will benefit. The Cowboys’ offensive line will have to do a more efficient job keeping Redskins’ outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan from getting to Dak Prescott. Kerrigan sacked Dak twice and repeatedly put pressure on the QB the last time the teams met in October.
“ It starts with our ability to control the line of scrimmage, “ Jason Garrett remarked. “ We have to make plays in the run and pass. Their linebackers are aggressive downhill and win off the line of scrimmage. We have to control the ball. “
On the opposite side of the ball, Jay Gruden will want to establish the run to take some of the pressure off new starting quarterback Colt McCoy. The Redskins starting QB Alex Smith broke his tibia and fibula in a gruesome season-ending injury against the Texans and McCoy is now the man of the hour and will have his first start in four years. He led the Redskins to a win in overtime on Monday Night Football at AT&T Stadium in 2014 and is back for the greatest division rivalry game with the division on the line.
Jason Garrett commented on McCoy, “ He is a really good player. He was drafted high and is a smart quarterback…He plays with confidence and has done well when he gets chances…we will look at as much tape as we can but I do not see them changing much on what they do. “
Dallas’ defense will have to do a better job containing the Redskins’ running game. Their star rusher, Adrian Peterson was back on the field today participating in a full practice and poses a threat for the Cowboys’ with his unique skillset and explosiveness after a handoff.
