THANKSGIVING DAY FOOTBALL: WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM AT DALLAS COWBOYS

BY ADAM GREENE

For whatever reason, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have held a lockdown on Thanksgiving Day, and thus we are cursed doubly in the afternoon game as the Washington Football Team travels to Jerry World to take on the Cowboys in another NFC East nationally featured game none of us deserve to suffer through.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM AT DALLAS COWBOYS (-2.5, O/U: 46.5)

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Kickoff: Nov. 26, 4:30 p.m. EST

Broadcast: FOX

THE HISTORY

This rivalry stretches all the way back to 1960, the Cowboys’ first year in the NFL. Dallas holds a commanding 73-46-2 lead in the head-to-head match up and had won three straight before the WFT took a 25-3 victory a month ago. Kyle Allen, who is currently on IR with an “L” shaped ankle, led Washington with 194 yards passing and two touchdowns. Andy Dalton, who just returned to action last week after the beating he took in this very game, threw for just 75 yards and a pick before going into the concussion protocol. Back up Ben DiNucci finished out the contest.

WFT running back Antonio Gibson rushed 20 times for 128 yards and a TD in the victory. Ezekiel Elliott had 12 carries for 45 yards.

Not that it will matter this season, but Washington and Dallas have met just twice in the playoffs and both were in the NFC Championship game. WFT was victorious in both, winning 26-3 in 1972 to earn the right to lose 14-7 to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Washington’s 31-17 victory over the Cowboys in the Jan. 1983 NFC title game led to a 38-9 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (3-7)

Washington picked up their third victory of the season last week in a 20-9 trouncing of the Cincinnati Bengals that ended rookie QB Joe Burrow’s season. Quarterback Alex Smith pocketed his first win since 2018 with 166 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception. Gibson rushed 16 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. WFT’s defense recorded four sacks.

DALLAS COWBOYS (3-7)

Dallas broke a four game losing streak thanks to the return of the aforementioned Red Rifle. Dalton threw for 203 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the 31-28 shootout win over the Minnesota Vikings. Elliott carried the ball 21 times for 103 yards.

THE PICK

The coaching match up in this one is a joke, with Ron Rivera actually deserving his job and Mike McCarthy more suited to working a mop across a sticky Waffle House floor. So it’s weird that, even without Dak Prescott, Dallas’ roster is far superior. Washington just has too many holes on both sides of the ball and I think that will make the difference if McCarthy doesn’t come up with some foolproof plan to screw it up. Cowboys 27, WFT 20

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