Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins: 3 sleepers to watch
With the Washington Redskins coming to Arlington, here are three Dallas Cowboys sleepers to watch for during this important divisional battle.
Coming into Thursday night’s pivotal NFC East matchup between the 5-6 Dallas Cowboys and the 5-6 Washington Redskins, both teams are needing a win to lift their playoff hopes, which are on the edge of disappearing.
For Dallas, the primetime divisional contest gives them an opportunity to break a historically bad three-game losing streak in which their offense has been limited to seven, nine and six points consecutively.
But will the Cowboys be able to take advantage of the opportunity? If they do, it will likely be because of the stellar play from at least one of these three players who some might consider to be under-the-radar or sleepers.
Damien Wilson, Linebacker
With both Sean Lee and Justin Durant already ruled out for this game, and Anthony Hitchens listed as questionable with a groin injury, the Cowboys are going to need linebacker Damien Wilson to step up in this game and play some heavy minutes.
Wilson is the ultimate boom or bust player. One minute he will make a bone-crashing tackle for a loss in the backfield. The next, he’ll look completely lost. Let’s hope Wilson brings his “A” game tonight.
Rod Smith, Running Back
Although Alfred Morris is likely to get the bulk of the carries, Rod Smith has a better running-style that is much closer to what Ezekiel Elliott does when he’s in the lineup. We’ve been waiting for the bruiser back to explode in the past three games. Against the Redskins in primetime would be the perfect opportunity to do so.
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Tyrone Crawford, Defensive End
The last time Tyrone Crawford recorded a sack was against this same struggling offensive line in Washington back in Week Eight. I expect a repeat performance from Crawford and the entire defensive line in Dallas as they get after quarterback Kirk Cousins in this heated divisional rivalry.