AT&T Stadium – Dallas, TX
Kickoff: Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET
Line: Dallas -1.5, Total: 44.0

Both the Redskins and the Cowboys will be battling to keep their playoff hopes alive when the teams meet in Dallas on Thursday.

After blowing a huge lead against New Orleans two weeks ago, Washington badly needed a win over the Giants on Thanksgiving. Fortunately for them, the team came through with a 20-10 win as a seven-point favorite there. The Redskins now have a very good chance to make the playoffs, as they have some extremely winnable games coming up. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are also in the hunt, but they have been miserable as of late. Dallas comes into this game on a three-game losing streak, and the team has failed to crack double digits in each of those defeats. The Cowboys did, however, beat the Redskins 33-19 as three-point road favorites on Oct. 29, so they should be feeling rather confident in their abilities to compete here. One trend that favors the Redskins in this game is the fact that the Cowboys are just 0-6 ATS in home games after scoring 14 points or less in their previous game over the past three seasons. Dallas is, however, an impressive 10-2 ATS in home games after allowing 350 or more passing yards in its previous game since 1992. Both teams are dealing with some significant injuries at the running back position, though. RB Chris Thompson is out for Washington in this game, and RB Ezekiel Elliott is still suspended for Dallas. The Cowboys are also without LB Sean Lee, who is their most important player on defense.

The Redskins are going to be playing with some serious intensity on Thursday and QB Kirk Cousins is no exception to that. Cousins is one of the most competitive guys in the league at his position and he knows that he needs to come through with a big game here. Cousins has had a good season for Washington, throwing for 3,038 yards with 19 touchdowns and only six picks. He did, however, struggle against the Cowboys earlier in the year, as he went 26-for-39 for 263 yards with only one touchdown in that game. He also threw an interception, and he’ll need to be a lot better than that here. Over the past two weeks, Cousins has thrown for 564 yards with five touchdowns and just one pick. The Redskins need him to be that type of quarterback again in this one. And it would help him if RB Samaje Perine can continue to run the way he has the past two weeks. Perine has averaged 108.5 yards per game on the ground over the past two weeks, and his power running has given the team another dimension. When he is running well, opposing teams can’t focus on the pass. As for Washington’s defense, the team just needs to really shut down Dez Bryant here. The Cowboys don’t have the same rushing attack without Elliott, so stopping the pass is the new priority.

The Cowboys are playing some lousy football right now and QB Dak Prescott needs to be a lot better for his team moving forward. Over the past two weeks, Prescott has thrown five interceptions. He also has failed to throw for a score in three straight games and four of the past five. This is a guy that has played like a superstar for the better part of his two-year NFL career, so it’s definitely a bit surprising to see him struggling so badly. Still, there is definitely reason to be optimistic about him turning it around. Guys don’t normally lose all of their talent overnight, so he should really be fine. He will, however, need to find better ways to get WR Dez Bryant the ball. Bryant has not been as effective as he should be in this offense, but the Cowboys really have no choice but to get him involved in this one. And on defense, Dallas better be ready to play a complete game. The Redskins can hurt teams all over the field, as they have a balanced offense. If Dallas isn’t ready to stop that then this could get out of hand fast.