Redskins (5-6) @ Cowboys (5-6)— Washington is 5-0 when they allow 24 or less points, 0-6 when they allow more. Cowboys are in freefall, losing last three games by combined score of 92-22, 72-6 in 2nd half. Dallas was outsacked 14-1 in last three games, with -7 turnover rate (1-8). Cowboys lost four of last five home games. Redskins lost four of last six games, are 2-3 on road, 3-2 vs spread as road underdog. Dallas (-2) beat Redskins 33-19 in first meeting in Week 8, outrushing Washington 169-49, with +2 turnover ratio. Cowboys won seven of last nine series games, but Redskins won three of last five visits here. Over is 5-2 in last seven Redskin games, 0-4 in Cowboys’ last four. Favorites are 5-1 vs spread in NFC East divisional games.
armadillosports.com
TNF - Redskins at Cowboys
November 30, 2017
Washington (-1.5, 45) at Dallas, 8:25 pm ET, NBC
Neither of these teams had an impressive Thanksgiving showing. Although Washington managed to win, it came in without so many of the key players it opened the season with that there was little to be thankful for outside of the fact that the Giants were just worse off. The Redskins were even with New York 10-10 in the fourth quarter before scoring the final 10 points in less than two minutes with the clock running down. The game undoubtedly put a lot of people to sleep, doing so without an assist from the tryptophan.
Hours earlier, Dallas was a disaster, falling at home to the surging Chargers 28-6. The Cowboys registered a season-low in points with everyone watching them fail miserably. Since Ezekiel Elliott dropped his appeals and began serving a six-game suspension for domestic abuse, they’ve averaged 7.7 points in three losses. The Falcons, Eagles and Chargers have outscored “America’s team” by a combined margin of 92-22. While all three of those teams are playing well and currently on winning streaks, the sheer lack of competitiveness has been from the Cowboys has been glaring.
Standout left tackle Tyron Smith’s back injury created a domino effect since the offensive line couldn’t hold up without him. The game of musical chairs that’s been played to try and replace him forced guys out of position and resulted in Dak Prescott getting sacked 12 times. Smith returned last week and looked to be about 75 percent, which is still an improvement on any of Dallas’ alternatives. Prescott was only sacked twice, but was picked off two times and completed just one pass longer than 20 yards.
Elliott will be out until Week 16, which means he will be back out there, presumably fresh and healthy, for the Cowboys toughest games against Seattle and at Philadelphia. If they get through this contest, they’ll have nine days in between games before visiting the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders. Since Darren McFadden retired this week, former Redskins standout Alfred Morris will get the call to try and make a difference here. He ran for over 4,700 yards in four seasons in Washington, but has barely topped 500 in 23 games with the Cowboys, starting only the last two. He gained three yards on three carries in a 33-19 win in Week 8.
Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in the win in Landover on Oct. 29, while Mike Nugent added four second-half field goals. Washington ran for just 49 yards, while Kirk Cousins threw for 263 but had a game-clinching interception returned for the final score to turn out the lights and help deliver the over (46.5) in a tough break for those on the under who were 21 seconds from cashing.
Cousins connected with Jamison Crowder nine times for 123 yards in the first meeting with Dallas and got him back last week against the Giants, so he’s got a lot of weapons in place. Cousins earned his first career weekday win in 10 tries by pulling out the Thanksgiving nightcap and will be looking to avoid a second consecutive sweep at the hands of the Cowboys.
Washington lost its most valuable offensive weapon, RB Chris Thompson, to a fractured fibula in Week 11. He ranked third in the NFL as a receiving threat out of the backfield, but Crowder’s return softens the blow some and rookie Samaje Perine’s hard running in picking up 100 yards on the ground and an additional 30 through the air was a welcome sight. If the Redskins can win here, they don’t face a team currently over .500 the rest of the way, visiting the Chargers on Dec. 10 before home games against the Cardinals and Broncos are followed by one final road trip to face the Giants on New Year’s Eve.
The winner here can dream about running the table and sneaking into the NFC postseason picture. The loser will know that 9-7 won’t be good enough. Dallas’ last four games have gone under the posted total, while the over has prevailed in six of the last eight involving Washington.
vegasinsider.com
Thursday Night Football Betting Preview and Odds: Washington at Dallas
Nov 29, 2017 |
By: Covers Staff
Washington at Dallas Cowboys (+2, 46)
The Dallas Cowboys are a decidedly different team than the one that coasted to a 33-19 win against Washington last month, especially considering Ezekiel Elliott rolled up a season-high 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns in that outing. With Elliott suspended, the Cowboys' overall offense hasn't been as potent and mustered just 22 points during the team's three-game losing skid heading into Thursday's contest versus visiting Washington.
The Cowboys are averaging a solid 4.4 yards per carry in Elliott's absence, but that's just noise to Alfred Morris as he prepares to face his former team. "You can say (the running game has been good enough), but it doesn't matter," Morris said. "We’re not winning games. We're not putting points on the board, so it doesn't matter if we, in a sense, are doing our part." Washington reached 30 points in back-to-back losses before tightening their defense in a 20-10 win over the sputtering New York Giants on Thanksgiving. Kirk Cousins (NFL second-best 3,038 yards), who tossed a pair of touchdown passes against the Giants, has thrown for 625 passing yards, six TDs and no interceptions in his last two encounters with the Cowboys.
TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, NBC.
COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Washington (0) - Dallas (+2.5) + home field (-3) = Dallas -0.5.
LINE HISTORY: Dallas opened as 1.5-point home favorites but on Tuesday afternoon the spread jumped the fence to Washington -1 and continued to move in that direction, now at 2. The total hit betting boards at 44 and has been bumped up to 46. Check out the complete line history here.
WHAT SHARPS SAY: "Both teams played on Thanksgiving last week, so a rare situation where both teams have a full week of rest heading into the Thursday night game. Both teams are 5-6 SU and 5-6 ATS, but Dallas is a home underdog based on recent results as the Cowboys are 0-3 SU/ATS in the past three games since losing RB Ezekiel Elliott. Quite a line adjustment for this game considering Dallas was a 3-point road favorite at Washington just one month ago when they won 33-19. That result put the Redskins on a 0-4 ATS slide, but Washington has since gone 3-1 ATS in their past four games following that loss." - Covers Experts' Steve Merril.
WEATHER REPORT: Roof if needed - weather will not be a factor.
INJURY REPORT:
Washington - WR Jamison Crowder (Probable, Back), LB Zach Brown (Questionable, Shoulder), G Brandon Scherff (Questionable, Knee), T Ty Nsekhe (Probable, Abdominal), T Morgan Moses (Probable, Ankle), DL Anthony Lanier II (Probable, Knee), DL Matt Ioannidis (Questionable, Hand), T Trent Williams (Probable, Knee), LB Martrell Spaight (Questionable, Ankle), DL Terrell McClain (Out, Toe), S Montae Nicholson (Out, Concussion), TE Jordan Reed (Out, Hamstring), C Chase Roullier (Out, Hand), C Spencer Long (I-R, Hip Flexor), G Shawn Lauvao (I-R, Neck), RB Chris Thompson (I-R, Leg), WR Terrelle Pryor Sr. (I-R, Ankle), T T.J. Clemmings (I-R, Ankle), LB Will Compton (I-R, Foot), RB Rob Kelley (I-R, Ankle), DL Arthur Jones (I-R, Shoulder), LB Mason Foster (I-R, Shoulder), DL Jonathan Allen (Out, Foot), K Dustin Hopkins (I-R, Hip), S Su'a Cravens (I-R, Knee), DL Phil Taylor Sr. (I-R, Quadricep), T Kevin Bowen (I-R, Ankle), LB Trent Murphy (I-R, Knee), RB Keith Marshall (I-R, Knee).
Dallas - LB Anthony Hitchens (Probable, Groin), WR Ryan Switzer (Probable, Ankle), DT Maliek Collins (Probable, Foot), T Tyron Smith (Probable, Back), G Zack Martin (Probable, Concussion), T La'el Collins (Questionable, Back), LB Justin Durant (Out, Concussion), LB Sean Lee (Out, Hamstring), RB Ezekiel Elliott (Elig Week 16, Suspension), DE Randy Gregory (Out For Season, Suspension), TE Rico Gathers (Questionable, Concussion), TE Connor Hamlett (Questionable, Calf), DE Charles Tapper (Questionable, Foot), DT Brian Price (I-R, Knee), CB Duke Thomas (I-R, Knee), QB Zac Dysert (I-R, Back).
ABOUT WASHINGTON (5-6 SU, 5-6 ATS, 7-4 O/U): While coach Jay Gruden was pleased to see left tackle Trent Williams (knee) participate in practice in a bid to end a one-game absence versus Dallas, the coach doesn't have high hopes for the return of tight end Jordan Reed. "Your guess is as good as mine," Gruden said of a potential return date for Reed, who has missed each of the last four games with a hamstring injury. "Obviously there is an issue there, otherwise I would like to think he would be further along now. But we just have to get him healthy." Rookie running back Samaje Perine has looked healthy with 217 rushing yards in his last two contests, and a season-best 130 scrimmage yards (100 rushing, 30 receiving) last week.
ABOUT DALLAS (5-6 SU, 5-6 ATS, 5-6 O/U): Dak Prescott and the Dallas passing game have taken a hit with the threat of Elliott removed from the offense. "It's frustrating, simple as that. But what it does is it makes being on top fun," said Prescott, who tossed five interceptions in his last two games to eclipse his total of four during his rookie season in 2016. "That's what it's all about is getting out of these whatever you call them, ruts, or whatever they are and getting back to our expectations, our standards." Wideout Dez Bryant has struggled to get untracked without Elliott, failing to crack 40 yards receiving in two of the last three games.