Dallas Cowboys: Thanksgiving battle for first place in the NFC East

After the win in Atlanta, the Dallas Cowboys can pull into a tie for first place in the division. First, they will have to beat a banged up Redskin team.

It seems like every time the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins get together on Thanksgiving it’s a high scoring affair with major repercussions. This year looks like it will be no different with both teams facing off for first place in the NFC East on the line.  Let’s take a look at possible factors in the outcome of this game.

While the Dallas Cowboys have Dak Prescott to lead them into this game the Redskins will be without starting quarterback  Alex Smith. Smith will be out for the season with a broken tibia and fibula. Starting in his place will be backup quarterback Colt McCoy. Most may think that this should be better for the Cowboys but McCoy has been in this situation before and beaten the Cowboys in their own house.

He knows the system they run in Washington inside and out and if the Cowboys are going to beat him they need to keep the pressure on him as they did against the Falcons Matt Ryan. The Cowboys will also have to try and stop running back Adrian Peterson. Last time the Cowboys faced off against Petersen he ran for 99 yards averaging 4.1 yards per carry. That can’t happen this time around or the Dallas Cowboys won’t be able to win this game.

On the flip side, the Redskins have a lot of obstacles to overcome to beat the Cowboys. Their offensive line is missing starters up front and will have to try and handle the Dallas Cowboys defensive line coming off a 3.0 sack game. While their defense will have to stop the recently balanced offense of the Cowboys led by running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The defense won’t just be able to focus on Elliott this time around after the addition of receiver Amari Cooper. Cooper has brought a spark to an offense that currently ranks 29th in the league. He will be going up against cornerback Josh Norman who has been a shell of himself this season and a Redskins secondary ranked 25th in the league.

This game many different factors that could affect the outcome of this game. So after you sit down with your families and enjoy a good meal. Save some space and get your popcorn ready because this will be a game you won’t want to miss.