Game Preview, Week 7: Dallas at Washington

Posted on October 23, 2020 by Steve Thomas

October 23, 2020

by Steve Thomas

There was a time that these Washington – Dallas games were very big events each year that meant alot to both of the fanbases and to the players themselves. That time is dead and gone. Washington is 2 – 8 in their last 10 matchups with Dallas, 1 – 7 in their last 8, and 0 – 3 in the last 3. Dallas has had their problems over the years, mercifully, but one thing they’ve easily done is manhandle and abuse the Redskins. This is no longer a rivalry – the Redskins are gone, replaced by whatever the heck the embarrassing and hopefully temporary “Football Team” nickname is, and the games just aren’t competitive. When one side dominates the other, there’s no rivalry, and I can tell you from my experience living in Texas, the Cowboys fanbase doesn’t really care about this game anymore. They look at Washington as an easy guaranteed win, and they are right to do so. The odds are that Washington isn’t going to change that dynamic in this game. The betting person would probably predict an easy Dallas win. However, Dallas does have big problems, starting with an atrocious defense, so if Washington’s offense can somehow rise up from the abject disaster it’s been this year, it’s not beyond rational thought to believe that Washington’s chances for victory are more than zero. Read on for our game preview.

Game time & location: Sunday, October 25, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fed Ex Field, Waldorf, MD; no fans

Television: FOX

Television announcers: Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver

TV broadcast map: click here

DC-area radio: The Team 980

Washington radio network: click here

Cowboys radio network: click here

Satellite radio: XM: 231 (Wash broad.) Sirius: 108 (Wash broad); internet: 831 (Washington 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: 43 – 73 – 2 (last 10: 2 – 8 (streak: 0 – 3)

Last meeting: L, December 29, 2019, 16 – 47

Early odds: Dallas, -3.5

3 KEYS TO THE GAME

Recover and take advantage of Dallas turnovers

Dallas has been absolutely atrocious in turnover ratio this year, as in historically bad. Ezekiel Elliot has 5 fumbles all by himself, and the two quarterbacks, the injured Dak Prescott and his replacement Andy Dalton, have 6 interceptions between them. They are already -12 heading into this game, with 15 turnovers so far this season, which is the worst in the league by alot (the next worse teams are the Eagles and the Vikings, who each have 12). They are also the worst in the league at takeaways, with just 3. In studying their stats and game results, this is the single biggest factor in Dallas’ losses. Their opponents are not only getting turnovers at an astounding pace; they are also converting most of them into touchdowns. In order for Washington to get a victory, it is crucial that they not only win the turnover battle, but also convert these opportunities into points.

No more secondary mix ups

Dallas has a big-time receiver corps in Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup. Plus, their tight end, Dalton Schultz, has also been productive. Even without the injured Dak Prescott, the Cowboys are going to eat Washington alive if the secondary continues to have blown coverages, mix ups, and missed tackles like they’ve been doing on an almost weekly basis. Andy Dalton is nowhere near as good as Prescott at this point in their respective careers, but it won’t take much to get significant yardage if Washington’s secondary can’t take a major step forward. Dallas has several long pass plays this year, and Washington has surrendered a bunch of them. This is the second biggest key to this game behind turnovers.

Establish a running game

Dallas’ defense is just bad across the board in general, but it’s the running game where they have been particularly vulnerable. They’ve given up the second-most total rushing yardage in the league and the second-highest yards per carry. Unfortunately, Washington has the worst rushing attack in the league, so this is a case of stoppable force versus moveable object. Regardless, Washington is going to have to figure out a way to be better than they’ve been so far on the ground in order to win this game, because this is where they can really hurt the Cowboys, at least hypothetically.

3 KEY MATCHUPS

Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby vs Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb

Kendall Fuller has been worth every penny of his big contract so far, and Ronald Darby, who has been on the field for all but a handful of defensive snaps this year, has been useful as well. However, the combination of Cooper and Lamb will be their biggest challenge so far this season. Dallas relies heavily on these two players, who also get a significant amount of yards after catch. Fuller and Darby will be called upon to limit the damage, and hopefully also get an interception or two. If they can come through, then Washington stands a chance at actually winning this game.

Aldon Smith vs. Geron Christian and Morgan Moses

Aldon Smith is a dangerous pass rusher and is Dallas’ leading sacker this year. He has a favorable matchup this week, certainly on the left side against Christian. Washington needs to keep Kyle Allen upright and healthy and producing against a vulnerable defense, but that won’t go well if Smith, and for that matter Demarcus Lawrence as well and possibly Randy Gregory, are terrorizing Allen. Keep an eye out on this matchup.

Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen vs. Connor McGovern

Dallas’ all-world right guard Zach Martin suffered a concussion in Dallas’ week 6 game against the Cardinals and is now in concussion protocol. It’s a pretty rare event when a player can get out of the protocol without missing a game, so Payne and Allen will presumably be facing Martin’s backup, McGovern. They need to take advantage of this situation and wreak havoc behind the line of scrimmage. Making Andy Dalton uncomfortable is a priority since the pass is such an important part of Dallas’ game, and Payne and Allen have a perfect opportunity. If Martin somehow makes his way back this week, then this is still a key matchup but it changes to a strength on strength situation. Check out our injury report below for information about Martin’s status.

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
T S. Charles, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O	T B. Knight; knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DN P; Fri: DNP; game: O
CB R. Darby, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP	G Z. Martin, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O
WR A. Gandy-Golden, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O	DE A. Smith, neck; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP
DE J. Smith-Williams, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O
TE L. Thomas, neck; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
WR I. Wright, shoulder; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O
LB K. Pierre-Louis, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
DE C. Young, groin; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
T G. Christian, knee; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q

TEAM STATISTICS

Washington:

There’s no easy way to say it: Washington’s offense is horrific, certainly one of the very worst in the league. They have the worst running game in football, ranked last in both rushing yards and rushing yards per attempt. They are 29th in points, 30th in total yards, and last in yards per play. They are also terrible on third downs, converting on only 34.15% of third downs, which is 30th in the NFL. There’s no real redeeming qualities or reason for hope with this offense, at least that we’ve seen yet.

Washington’s defense is much better than its offense, but it’s still fairly mediocre overall. They’ve surrendered 162 points, ranked 23rd, despite having faced two of the worst teams in the league in the Eagles and Giants. They are ranked 26th in rushing yards surrendered and 8th in passing yards. However, that passing yards ranking is tempered by an average opposing quarterback rating of 90.7, which is ranked 15th, and the fact that opposing teams have only attempted a total of 175 passes, which is the 6th-least in the league. Weirdly, despite giving up a large amount of points, Washington has been good in the red zone, giving up touchdowns in just 55% of opposing team attempts, which is ranked 8th. However, this is offset somewhat by Washington’s tendency to give up a large number of soul-crushing long touchdown plays.

Record: 1 – 5 (4th) (Home: 1 – 2; NFC: 1 – 3; NFC East: 1 – 1)

All-time franchise record: 604 – 608 – 28

Offense

Offensive rankings	29 (points) / 30 (total yards) / 31 (yards per game) / 32 (yards per play) / 24 (passing yards) / 29 (passing yards per att.) / 32 (rushing yards) / 32 (rushing yards per att.)
Points for	108
Yards per game	275.3
Passing	218 att (10th); 138 comp; 63.3% comp per. (24th); 6.1 Y/A; 1159 net yds; 6 TD; 4 Int
Passing leader	Allen (55 att, 354 ys, 72.7% comp perc (3rd), 2 TDs / 1 Int, 94.1 QB rating (19th); Haskins (146 att (27th), 939 yds (27th), 61.0% comp perc, 4 TDs / 3 Int, 80.3 QB rating)
Receiving leader	McLaurin (487 yds (9th), 58 tgts (5th), 36 rec (10th), 1 TDs, 13.5 YPC (39th))
Rushing	141 att (23rd); 493 yds; 3.5 Y/A; 82.2 Y/G (32nd); 7 TDs
Rushing leader	Gibson (64 att (25th), 243 yds (33rd), 3 TDs, 3.8 Y/A (37th), long 20)
Sacks surrendered / rank	24 / 31
Ave time of possession / rank	28:25 / 24
3rd down conversion rate / rank	34.15% / 30
TD percentage in red zone / rank	64.71% / 16

Defense

Defensive rankings	23 (points) / 13 (total yards) / 6 (yards per game surrendered) / 15 (yards per play) / 8 (passing yards) / 26 (passing yards per att.) / 26 (rushing yards) / 19 (rushing yards per att.)
Points against	162
Yards per game surrendered	337.0
Opponent’s passing	175 att (6th); 114 comp; 65.1% comp perc. (15th); 5.7 Y/A; 1242 net yds; 10 TDs; QB Rating 90.7 (15th)
Opponent’s rushing	179 att (26th); 780 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 8 TD; 130.0 Y/G (24th)
Sacks / rank / Sack leader	16 / 9 / Sweat (3.0)
Tackles leader	Bostic (46)
Int / rank / Int leader	7 / 7 / Fuller (4)
Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank	42.86% / 18
Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank	55.0% / 8

Special Teams

Kick returns	17.3 Y/R (29th), 11 returns, long 28 yards (29th), 0 TDs
Punt returns	4.6 Y/R (25th), 15 returns, long 19 yards (16th), 0 TDs
Kick return defense	14.3 Y/R (2nd), 3 returns, 0 TDs
Punt return defense	5.2 Y/R (7th), 17 returns, 0 TDs
Punting	48.6 Y/P (7th)

Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 10 / 8 / -2 / 24

Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 30 / 14

Cowboys:

Dallas scores a ton of points, 173 on the year, and has, or rather had, the top-ranked passing attack in the NFL, being ranked 1st in passing yards and 1st in total yards. However, that was before Dak Prescott was lost for the year to injury. Dallas’ receiver group is extremely dangerous, but it remains to be seen whether Andy Dalton can recreate the magic, because he certainly didn’t last week against the Cardinals. The Cowboys’ run game isn’t as effective as it has been in recent years, as they are ranked just 18th in rushing yards and 21st in rushing yards per attempt. Ezekiel Elliott is having a statistical down year by his standards, as he is averaging only 4.1 yards per carry and has 5 fumbles.

Dallas’ defense is awful, one of the worst in football. They’ve surrendered 218 points, which is the most in the league, and are 28th in total yards, 23rd in passing yards, and 31st in rushing yards. They’ve only had 1 interception this season, which is the lowest number in the league, and have allowed opponents to convert on third downs at a rate of 48.81, which is ranked 27th. If there’s any team against whom Washington can actually put together a complete game of non-awful offense, it’s Dallas.

Record: 2 – 4 (1st); Away: 0 – 2; NFC: 2 – 3; NFC East 1 – 0)

All-time franchise record: 522 – 392 – 6

Offense

Offensive rankings	4 (points) / 1 (total yards) / 1 (yards per game) / 9 (yards per play) / 1 (passing yards) / 15 (passing yards per att.) / 18 (rushing yards) / 21 (rushing yards per att.)
Points for	173
Yards per game	464.0
Passing	290 att (1st); 195 comp; 67.2% comp per. (12th); 7.7 Y/A; 2154 net yds; 11 TDs; 6 Int
Passing leader	Prescott (222 att (6th), 1856 yds (1st), 68.0% comp per. (12th), 9 TDs / 4 Int, 99.6 QB rating (13th)); Dalton (66 att, 377 yds, 65.2% comp. per., 1 TD / 2 Int, 72.6 QB rating
Reception leader	Cooper (503 yds (6th), 65 targets (2nd), 46 rec (2nd), 2 TD, 10.9 Y/C)
Rushing	153 att (18th); 630 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 105.0 Y/G (23rd); 9 TDs
Rushing leader	Elliott (101 att (6th), 413 yds (9th), 5 TDs, 4.1 Y/A (31st)), long 24 yds)
Sacks surrendered / rank	14 / 21
Ave time of possession / rank	27:37 / 29
3rd down conversion rate / rank	45.33% / 12
TD percentage in red zone / rank	63.64% / 17

Defense

Defensive rankings	32 (points) / 28 (total yards) / 27 (yards per game surrendered) / 25 (yards per play) / 23 (passing yards) / 22 (passing yards per att.) / 31 (rushing yards) / 31 (rushing yards per att.)
Points against	218
Yards per game surrendered	410.0
Opponent’s passing	196 att (14th); 120 comp; 61.2% comp per. (4th); 7.5 Y/A; 1420 net yds; 14 TD; QB Rating 106.1 (25th)
Opponent’s rushing	202 att (32nd); 1040 yds; 5.1 Y/A; 10 TDs
Sacks / rank / Sack leader	11 / 20 / A. Smith (4.0)
Tackles leader	J. Smith (63)
Int / rank / Int leader	1 / 32 / Awuzie (1)
Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank	48.81% / 27
Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank	66.67% / 23

Special Teams

Kick returns	19.8 Y/R (23rd), 15 returns, long 31 yards (24th), 0 TDs
Punt returns	7.1 Y/R (18th), 13 returns, long 27 yards (6th), 0 TDs
Kick return defense	19.8 Y/R (11th), 12 returns, 0 TDs
Punt return defense	4.0 Y/R (2nd), 3 returns, 0 TDs
Punting	43.0 Y/P (29th)

Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 15 / 3 / -12 / 32

Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 39 / 27

* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com