WASHINGTON (4-7) at DALLAS (7-3)
Thursday, 4:30 p.m. EST, CBS
BETTING LINE: Cowboys by 10 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Commanders 5-5-1; Cowboys 7-3.
SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 76-48-2.
LAST MEETING: Commanders beat Cowboys 26-6 on Jan. 8 at Washington.
LAST WEEK: Commanders lost to Giants 31-19; Cowboys beat Carolina 33-10.
COMMANDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (26), PASS (10), SCORING (17).
COMMANDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (21), PASS (30), SCORING (32).
COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (12), PASS (5), SCORING (2).
COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (15), PASS (2), SCORING (5).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Commanders minus-8; Cowboys plus-6.
COMMANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Brian Robinson Jr. Even with the Commanders going to a pass-heavy approach on offense, Robinson has shown he’s a valuable asset. He has 288 scrimmage yards over the past two games and even led the team with seven catches last week.
COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: CB DaRon Bland is one interception return for a touchdown away from holding the NFL single-season record by himself. Three other players have four pick-6s in a season, most recently Eric Allen for Philadelphia 30 years ago. Bland's four touchdowns are the most in the NFL in one season by a non-offensive player since Houston's J.J. Watt had five and Atlanta's Devin Hester had four in 2014.
KEY MATCHUP: Cowboys pass rush vs. Washington offensive line. Dallas star Micah Parsons just tied a career high with 2 1/2 sacks against Carolina and rookie No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Washington's Sam Howell has been dropped a league-high 51 times, and the Cowboys are on their way to finishing in the top 10 in sacks for the second year in a row. Dallas matched its season high with seven sacks of Young.
KEY INJURIES: The Commanders lost DE Efe Obada (broken right leg) for the season. … DE James Smith-Williams is expected to miss a second consecutive game with a hamstring injury. … Rookie CB Emmanuel Forbes’ status is uncertain because of an elbow injury. … RB Antonio Gibson could return after missing the Giants game with a toe injury. ... LB Cody Barton is expected to return after missing the past month with a high ankle sprain. ... Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb and RT Terence Steele are new to the injury report with ankle issues, but both were full participants in the only session of the week resembling a complete practice Tuesday. ... S Jayron Kearse didn't practice because of a back injury.
SERIES NOTES: This is the 11th Thanksgiving game between Washington and Dallas, by far the most for the Cowboys (Miami is second with five). Dallas is 8-2, though Washington won the most recent meeting on the holiday, 41-16 in 2020 on the way to the only playoff appearance under coach Ron Rivera.
STATS AND STUFF: The Cowboys are trying to extend their longest home winning streak in four decades. Dallas has won 12 in a row at AT&T Stadium. The franchise was in the middle of an NFL-record run of 20 consecutive winning seasons when it won 18 in a row at old Texas Stadium from 1979-81. Tom Brady was the most recent opposing QB to win at the Cowboys, in the opener of his final season in 2022. ... Commanders QB Sam Howell threw three interceptions among the team's six turnovers against the Giants. The minus-6 turnover margin in the game dropped Washington to its league-worse total of minus-8. ... TE Logan Thomas, KR Byron Pringle and rookie RB Chris Rodriguez all fumbled. … Howell leads the NFL with 295 completions, 442 attempts and 3,038 yards passing. … WR Terry McLaurin needs one TD catch to tie for 10th in franchise history with 24. … After the trades of Montez Sweat and Chase Young, DT Jonathan Allen leads Washington with 6½ sacks. … Rookie DE K.J. Henry registered his first career sack against the Giants, one of nine Washington had of Tommy DeVito. It was the fourth time the Commanders have had at least nine sacks, and the first time they've lost. … CB Benjamin St-Juste ranks second in the league with 15 pass breakups. ... Cowboys QB Dak Prescott missed two games on the current home winning streak with a broken thumb last season. In the 10 games he has played, Prescott is averaging 274 yards passing with 25 total TDs (23 passing two rushing) and nine interceptions for a 111.7 rating. ... RB Tony Pollard had his first touchdown since the opener with a 21-yard scoring run against the Panthers. His 61 yards rushing were the most since his only 100-yard game of the season in Week 3. ... Lamb is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 70 catches in each of his first four seasons. He just secured his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. ... DE Dorance Armstrong is going for a fifth consecutive game with at least half a sack, which would be a career best. ... K Brandon Aubrey missed an extra point against Carolina, ending a streak of 49 consecutive made PATs and field goals since the 28-year-old rookie missed his first-ever NFL kick on an extra point in the opener. His NFL-record streak of made field goals to start a career is up to 21 after he went 2 of 2 against the Panthers.
FANTASY TIP: Prescott is going for a fifth consecutive game with at least two TD passes. That would be one shy of his career best.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
