The 3-7 Dallas Cowboys will host the 3-7 Washington Football Team on Thanksgiving Day at AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Football Team are each tied for second place in the NFC East standings. The Philadelphia Eagles are in first place with a record of 3-6-1.
As everyone knows, the NFC East is undoubtedly the worst division in the NFL this season. Some are even going as far as saying this year's NFC East is the worst division in league history since all four teams are below .500.
It's pretty crazy to think that one of these teams is going to host a playoff game once the postseason starts.
The Cowboys defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road in Week 11, while Washington took care of the Cincinnati Bengals at home. With that being said, both teams will be coming into Thanksgiving with high spirits.
With the Cowboys-Washington game almost here, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a Dallas point of view.
1. Andy Dalton throws two touchdowns, two interceptions
In Week 7 against Washington, Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton was knocked out of the game after Washington linebacker Jon Bostic viciously hit him in the head. Before he exited the game, Dalton went 9-of-19 for 75 yards. He also threw an interception and had a quarterback rating of just 36.1.
In five games this season, Dalton has thrown for 655 yards and four touchdowns. In Week 12 against Washington, we have the former Bengals star throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dalton has turned the ball over in every game he's started this season, but he did have a really good game in Week 11 versus the Vikings, so the Cowboys are hoping the Red Rifle will carry that momentum over to Thanksgiving Day.
Against the Vikings, Dalton threw three touchdowns and racked up 203 yards through the air. While Washington has a middle-of-the-pack defense, we can see the Cowboys' gunslinger tossing two touchdowns but also turning the ball over two times as well.
2. Ezekiel Elliott rushes for 100 yards for second straight game
In Week 11 against the Vikings, Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott FINALLY had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. The three-time Pro Bowler carried the ball 21 times for 103 yards. He also caught two balls from Dalton for one touchdown.
Washington is 18th in the NFL in defensive rushing yards per game. With that being said, we have Elliott rushing for over 100 yards against Washington in Week 12 for his second straight 100-yard game. Confidence is everything for running backs in the NFL and the Cowboys are hoping Elliott's breakout game in Week 11 will be a sign of things to come as they try and make an improbable playoff push.
In eight career games against Washington, Elliott has racked up 762 rushing yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns and one receiving TD.
3. Cowboys struggle against Alex Smith
The Cowboys have the worst defense in the NFL. They are giving up 31.8 points per game on the season and can't seem to even stop a cold at this point.
While Washington is only scoring 20.0 points per game on the season, Alex Smith is a veteran quarterback who is beginning to get his legs underneath him after starting the last two games for Washington. Everyone in the NFL–including the Cowboys–is so happy to see Smith playing again after the gruesome leg injury he suffered in 2018.
In his last two starts against the Detroit Lions and Bengals, Smith has thrown for 556 yards and one touchdown. The former No. 1 overall pick is also completing 68.8 percent of his passes.
Since the Cowboys are dreadful on defense, look for Smith and Washington's playmakers to have a big game on Thanksgiving Day with all of America watching.
4. Cowboys defeat Washington, improve to 4-7 on the season
For whatever reason, the Cowboys play well on Thanksgiving Day. Dallas is 30-21-1 on Thanksgiving in franchise history and an impressive 8-1 against Washington.
With that being said, we have the Cowboys defeating Washington in Week 12 and improving to 4-7 on the season. With how putrid Carson Wentz is playing for the Eagles right now, Dallas could actually win the NFC East despite losing superstar quarterback Dak Prescott earlier in the season against the Giants and having one of the worst defenses in NFL history.
Dallas will ride Elliott and Amari Cooper to victory in this contest versus Washington. Even though we expect Washington to put up plenty of points against the Cowboys, Dallas ultimately has more weapons on offense and Dalton looked kind of like his old self in Week 11 versus the Vikings.
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