The Washington Redskins travel to the Lone Star State to take on the Dallas Cowboys in a crucial NFC East showdown on Thursday, 11/22/18 at the AT&T Stadium at Irving, Texas.
The Redskins currently lead the NFC East with a 6-4 record. However, the Cowboys are breathing behind the back of their necks with their 5-5 record. Washington lost its last game to the Houston Texans 21-23 while the Cowboys emerged victorious over the Atlanta Falcons 22-19 to make the NFC East team standings more interesting.
The Washington Redskins opened the season a strong 5-2 but they’ve lost two out of their last three games and more significantly, they’ve lost starting quarterback Alex Smith to a leg injury during Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans. The Redskins currently have a one game lead over Dallas in the NFC East but with four division games still left on the schedule, holding on the lead may be difficult without their starting quarterback.
Smith completed 205 out of 328 passes for a total of 2,180 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions but after the gruesome leg injury he suffered during the Redskins’ loss to the Texans, his season is over and perhaps the Redskins’ season too. Taking over will be Colt McCoy who is 6-12 for 54 yards on the season. Without Smith, the Redskins’ offense will rely heavily on running back Adrian Peterson who has rushed for a total of 723 yards with six touchdowns on 171 carries.
The Dallas Cowboys put themselves back in the hunt for the NFC East title by winning three out of their last five games. The Cowboys enter this game on a two game winning streak that has put them within one game of the embattled Redskins. A win by Dallas here will put them in a tie for the lead and with Washington losing its starting quarterback to injury, the Cowboys have put themselves in a good position to steal the division titles.
Dak Prescott has thrown for a total of 2,138 yards with 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on 197-305 passing. Prescott has also ran for a total of 261 yards on 52 carries with four rushing touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliott is the Cowboys’ top running back and the heart and soul of their offense with 953 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Elliott also has 341 receiving yards and four TD catches. Amari Cooper has 14 catches for 169 yards and 1 touchdown in 3 games with Dallas.
The Redskins are 4-2 SU in their last six games played and 3-1 SU in four road games played this season. The Cowboys are 3-2 SU in their last five games played and are 4-2 SU in their last six games played at home. Head to head, Dallas is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against Washington and the Cowboys are 17-5 SU in their last 22 home games against the Redskins.
The Redskins are banged up and are suffering injuries to key players. But the loss of Alex Smith is probably the final nail in the coffin for Washington. They still have winnable games left, including this one but without Smith, I don’t think the Redskins are going to survive the grind.
On the other hand, the Cowboys have won two in a row and are playing well as of late. The Cowboys are 3-1 SU at home and with Washington without Alex Smith, I like the Cowboys in this match up. Dallas has ran the ball well in their last two games and that should continue here even though they are up against a solid Redskins run defense. Again, I think both teams have a real chance at winning this game but I think the difference is going to be Alex Smith’s absence. We’re picking the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Washington Redskins on 11/22/18.
Washington is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games played and 15-8 ATS in their last 23 road games played. Dallas is 4-2 ATS in their last six games played and are 2-2 ATS in four home games played this season. Head to head, the Redskins are 16-8 in their last 24 games played against the Cowboys and are 9-2 ATS when playing on the road against the Cowboys.
The Dallas defense has held its last 5 opponents to just 18 points per game while averaging 29.67in their last three wins. Dallas has outscored Washington by an average of 11.66 points in their last three meetings, with Dallas winning two of those games. The Redskins have done well against the spread but the loss of Alex Smith changes all that. Prediction: Cowboys -7.5 (+100)
The total has gone under in 10 out of the last 14 games of the Redskins and the under is 5-1 in the Redskins’ last six road games. The total has gone under in 14 out of the last 19 games played by Dallas but the over is 4-2 in the Cowboys’ last six home games. Head to head, the over is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams and the total has gone over in four out of their last six meetings in Dallas.
With Washington losing their starting quarterback, I expect them to turn to their defense to try and win this game. The Redskins have the 5th best scoring defense in the league right now and they should step up against the Cowboys. The Cowboys have the 3rd best scoring defense in the league at 19.0 points per game this season so this should be a battle of defenses. Prediction: Under 40.5 -110
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