Game Preview, Week 12: Washington at Dallas
November 24, 2020
by Steve Thomas
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you have a great holiday – my advice is to ignore that, depending on where you live, your local government may be trying to ruin your holiday and do what you want to do for your holiday feast. But as to this game, Washington is faced with the Dallas Cowboys on yet another Thanksgiving Day battle of the titans. Both teams are obviously in the throws of bad seasons, but unbelievably, with no NFC East team currently holding more than 3 wins, this game actually matters to the race to the division title. Dallas’ offense had been utterly terrible ever since Dak Prescott went down to injury in 5, until this past week against the Minnesota Vikings. At least based on what we saw in that contest, it’s possible that Dallas has adjusted to their new reality and gotten a bit of their mojo back, so while their defense is still one of the worst in the NFL, I don’t expect this game to be quite as one sided as was the week 7 game in Landover. For those wondering, Washington is 6 – 14 all time on Thursdays and 4 – 9 on Thanksgiving Day in particular, so these games have historically not been kind. Either way, these games are always fun, so sit back and enjoy a classic holiday matchup. Our game preview is below.
Game time & location: Thursday, November 26, 2020, 4:30 p.m. ET, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX; Parking lots open at 10:30 a.m.; gates open at 1:30 p.m.
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, Kristina Pink
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Cowboys radio network: click here
Satellite radio: XM: 226 (Wash. broad.) Sirius: 82 (Wash. broad); internet: 831 (Wash. broad.)
Redskins roster: click here
Redskins depth chart: click here
Cowboys roster: click here
Cowboys depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Cowboys: 44 – 73 – 2 (last 10: 3 – 7; streak: 1 – 0)
Last meeting: W, October 25, 2020, 25 – 3
Game Odds: Dallas, -1.5 & Total Points Over/Under: 46 click here
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Clamp down on Dallas’ fearsome wide receiver group
The Cowboys have a scary bunch of receivers, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup. Cooper and Lamb, in particular, have both put up pretty big numbers and have talent. As an offense, Dallas has gained significant yardage this year even though they haven’t scored many points, and Lamb and Cooper are a big reason for this success. Washington can’t afford to let Cooper and Lamb pile up big yardage and allow the Cowboys to drive up and down the field all day.
Don’t let Elliott get rolling
Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott hasn’t had a good season by his standards; however, he finally put a good game together last week against the Vikings, rushing for more than 100 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per rush. Washington needs the ineffective version of Elliott, not the guy who has run all over Washington in past contests. Washington’s run defense isn’t as good as the stats make them appear, and they need to focus on tightening up the interior of their defensive line in order to keep Elliott in check.
Don’t sleep on Dallas’ defense
I’m not going to sit here and claim that the Cowboys defense is good, but it isn’t. They’re bad, particularly against the run. That having been said, though, they haven’t given up a big game on the ground since the last time these two teams met back in week 7, and that includes a game against the Steelers. It’s possible that this defense has found their groove to some extent, so Washington’s coaching staff should not just assume that they will be able to easily put up another 200+ yards on the ground. They need to design a balanced offense for this contest.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby vs Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb
As I mentioned above, Dallas has an outstanding group of receivers, and Cooper and Lamb represent a serious challenge to a secondary that has given up a large amount of big plays this season. Washington needs to leave coverage of these two receivers to Darby and Fuller as much as possible and not allow zone coverages that will inevitably result in mixups and blown coverages. Darby and Fuller have the talent to keep these two in check and need to be given the opportunity to do so. Try some man coverage, Mr. Del Rio.
Aldon Smith and Demarcus Lawrence vs Morgan Moses and . . . somebody
It’s always important to keep Alex Smith upright and healthy, and while Dallas hasn’t had a particularly fearsome pass rush, Smith and Lawrence both represent a challenge for Washington’s tackles. As of publication, we don’t know whether Cornelius Lucas will be healthy enough to start at left tackle or whether Washington will have to go with an out of position Moses and David Sharpe on the right side. Regardless, this will be a key matchup in the game because of the importance of Smith’s health to Washington.
Terry McLaurin vs Chidobe Awuzie and Anthony Brown
McLaurin against anyone is also a key matchup in every game. McLaurin’s numbers thusfar place him in elite #1 receiver territory. He deserves a Pro Bowl selection, at a minimum (if that will even be a thing this season). Next up on McLaurin’s hit parade is Awuzie and Brown, who aren’t bad corners and do have talent, but McLaurin has faced much better this season. It’s possible that he could have a big game this week, so keep an eye on this matchup on Thursday.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Cowboys |
| RB A. Gibson, ankle; Mon: DNP; Tue: FP; Wed: FP | CB A. Brown, ribs; Mon: DNP; Tue: LP; Wed: LP; game: Q |
| K D. Hopkins, right groin; Mon: DNP; Tue: DNP; Wed: DNP; game: Q | TE B. Bell, back; Mon: LP; Tue: LP; Wed: FP |
| CB D. Johnson, knee; Mon: DNP; Tue: FP; Wed: FP | K G. Zuerlein, back; Mon: LP; Tue: LP; Wed: LP; game: Q |
| WR T. McLaurin, ankle; Mon: DNP; Tue: LP; Wed: FP; game: Q | RB E. Elliott, hamstring; Mon: FP; Tue: FP; Wed: FP |
| DE R. Anderson, knee; Mon: LP; Tue: LP; Wed: DNP; game: O | T B. Knight, knee; Mon: FP; Tue: FP; Wed: FP |
| S D. Everett, ankle; Mon: LP; Tue: LP; Wed: DNP; game: O | LB J. Thomas, wrist; Mon: FP; Tue: FP; Wed: FP |
| WR D. Inman, hamstring; Mon: LP; Tue: FP; Wed: FP | |
| T C. Lucas, ankle; Mon: LP; Tue: LP; Wed: LP; game: Q | |
| LB J. Norris, hamstring; Mon: LP; Tue: FP; Wed: LP; game: O |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
From a statistical perspective, Washington’s offense improved slightly thanks to the big win over the Bengals. Washington is now 29th in points scored, with 200, 28th in total yards, 24th in passing yards, and 25th in both rushing yards and rushing yards per attempt. They are still bad on third downs, converted on just 38.35% of their attempts, but that’s ranked 26th, which is better than earlier in the season. Washington has given up 32 sacks this season, which is a huge number that is ranked just 29th in the NFL.
Defensively, Washington’s numbers continue to outshine the eye test and still benefit from the bye week. They’ve given up the least number of passing yards in the NFL, although we all saw Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow move up and down the field with ease prior to his injury. On the ground, Washington is ranked in both rushing yards surrendered and yards per attempt. Washington is now 9th in opponent’s third down conversion percentage, which is better than earlier in the year.
Record: 3 – 7 (4th) (Away: 0 – 4; NFC: 2 – 5; NFC East: 2 – 2)
All-time franchise record: 606 – 610 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 29 (points) / 28 (total yards) / 28 (yards per game) / 29 (yards per play) / 24 (passing yards) / 24 (passing yards per att.) / 25 (rushing yards) / 25 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 200 |
| Yards per game | 324.0 |
| Passing
|
362 att (16th); 237 comp; 65.5% comp per. (19th); 6.8 Y/A; 2249 net yds; 10 TD; 8 Int |
| Passing leader | Smith (129 att, 918 yds, 68.2% comp perc, 2 TDs / 4 Int, 80.8 QB rating); Haskins (146 att (32nd), 939 yds (33rd), 61.0% comp perc, 4 TDs / 3 Int, 80.3 QB rating); Allen (87 att, 610 yds, 69.0% comp perc (6th), 4 TDs / 1 Int, 99.3 QB rating (13th) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (871 yds (4th), 93 tgts (6th), 62 rec (13th), 7 TDs, 14.0 YPC (32nd)) |
| Rushing | 249 att (23rd); 991 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 99.1 Y/G (24th); 13 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (119 att (17th), 530 yds (18th), 8 TDs, 4.5 Y/A (19th), long 40) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 32 / 29 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 29:41 / 28 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 38.35% / 26 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 59.38% / 20 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 9 (points) / 5 (total yards) / 6 (yards per game surrendered) / 7 (yards per play) / 1 (passing yards) / 17 (passing yards per att.) / 17 (rushing yards) / 17 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 227 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 315.8 |
| Opponent’s passing | 308 att (2nd); 197 comp; 64.0% comp perc. (12th); 7.1 Y/A; 1954 net yds; 15 TDs; QB Rating 88.9 (7th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 279 att (20th); 1204 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 9 TDs; 120.4 Y/G (18th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 32 / 6 / Sweat (6.0) |
| Tackles leader | Bostic (69) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 9 / 13 / Fuller (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 38.64% / 9 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 53.57% / 5 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 20.3 Y/R (24th), 22 returns, long 46 yards (13th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 4.6 Y/R (30th), 21 returns, long 19 yards (23rd), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense | 27.7 Y/R (28th), 6 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 5.5 Y/R (9th), 22 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 48.1 Y/P (5th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 17 / 11 / -6 / 29
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 52 / 5
Cowboys:
Dallas is just flat-out a lesser offense without Dak Prescott. Andy Dalton hasn’t been good, with just 655 passing yards and a rating of 75.3 this year. As a whole, the Cowboys have only scored 235 points this season, which is ranked 21st, but are 7th in total yards and 8th in passing yards. This disparity is due to (1) the huge number of yards Dak Prescott racked up prior to his injury, and (2) their downright terrible turnover rate. Dallas is -12 in turnovers this season, which is the second-worst in the league and in no smaller part responsible for Dallas’ poor performance.
Statistically, Dallas’ defense is awful. They’ve given up 318 points, which is the worst in the NFL. They are 31st in total rushing yards surrendered and 30th in rushing yards per attempt. They only have 3 interceptions on the season, which is ranked 31st, and they are ranked 29th on third downs.
Record: 3 – 7 (4th); Home: 2 – 3; NFC: 3 – 5; NFC East 1 – 2)
All-time franchise record: 523 – 395 – 6
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
21 (points) / 7 (total yards) / 6 (yards per game) / 22 (yards per play) / 8 (passing yards) / 22 (passing yards per att.) / 14 (rushing yards) / 20 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 235 |
| Yards per game | 393.1 |
| Passing | 422 att (2nd); 270 comp; 64.0% comp per. (23rd); 7.1 Y/A; 2761 net yds; 15 TDs; 9 Int |
| Passing leader | Dalton (117 att, 655 yds, 63.2% comp per., 4 TDs / 4 Int, 75.3 QB rating); Prescott (222 att (28th), 1856 yds (24th), 68.0% comp per. (13th), 9 TDs / 4 Int, 99.6 QB rating (12th) |
| Reception leader | Cooper (736 yds (15th), 90 targets (9th), 65 rec (10th), 2 TD, 11.3 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 276 att (13th); 1170 yds; 4.2 Y/A; 117.0 Y/G (13th); 10 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Elliott (171 att (5th), 675 yds (6th), 5 TDs, 3.9 Y/A (38th), long 24 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 27 / 26 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 28:22 / 27 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 41.22% / 19 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 54.84% / 26 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 32 (points) / 23 (total yards) / 24 (yards per game surrendered) / 25 (yards per play) / 14 (passing yards) / 22 (passing yards per att.) / 31 (rushing yards) / 30 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 318 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 386.4 |
| Opponent’s passing | 324 att (5th); 204 comp; 63.0% comp per. (7th); 7.5 Y/A; 2326 net yds; 24 TD; QB Rating 106.6 (31st) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 314 att (30th); 1538 yds; 4.9 Y/A; 12 TDs |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 19 / 21 / A. Smith (5.0) |
| Tackles leader | J. Smith (96) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 3 / 31 / Diggs (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 49.23% / 29 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 69.44% / 27 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 23.7 Y/R (9th), 23 returns, long 67 yards (7th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 10.8 Y/R (8th), 21 returns, long 73 yards (3rd), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 20.4 Y/R (6th), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 5.0 Y/R (4th), 8 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 42.9 Y/P (29th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 21 / 9 / -12 / 31
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 63 / 25
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com