Cowboys news: Dallas will play Redskins on Thanksgiving Day

The Dallas Cowboys will face a familiar opponent on Thanksgiving Day this year with the team set to take on Alex Smith and the new-look Washington Redskins.

It has become a tradition in the NFL over the years for the Dallas Cowboys to be one of the few select teams to play on Thanksgiving Day.

According to JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington, the Cowboys are set to play the Washington Redskins once again for the third straight year on the holiday.

#Redskins will play on Thanksgiving in Dallas, per sources. 3rd straight year with Thanksgiving game for Washington.

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 19, 2018

This could be yet another intriguing matchup between the two division rivals with a reshaped roster for the Redskins. It will mark the first time that Alex Smith will have a chance to be in the intense showdown between the teams as he was the first significant splash of the offseason.

In three career games against the Cowboys, Smith has thrown for 665 yards on a 65.9 percent shooting from the field with six touchdown passes to two interceptions while holding a 1-2 record. The 34-year-old will have to work with an entirely new group of receiving options.

Meanwhile, this will be quarterback Dak Prescott's third time playing on Thanksgiving Day in his career. In four career meetings against the Redskins, Prescott holds an undefeated record while passing for 731 yards on 65.3 percent completion rate with three touchdowns with no interceptions, and a 97.8 passer rating. In last year's meeting, the 24-year-old was largely a non-factor throwing the ball for just 143 yards on 14-of-22 completed passes with no touchdown passes or interceptions.

Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott has produced at a high level in three meetings against the Redskins with 330 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. Although Elliott didn't play in the Thanksgiving Day game last season due to serving a six-game suspension, he did put up a huge performance in the two teams previous meeting with 150 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

This could be a difficult stretch for Dallas having the disadvantage of playing back-to-back Thursday games, which will mark the fourth time in the last five years.