Thursday Night Football: Redskins vs. Cowboys Week 13 NFL Odds

No quick turnaround for either Washington or Dallas this week as both 5-6 clubs enter Thursday’s matchup having played on Thanksgiving – with very different results. The NFC East race is already over as the Eagles are winning that division. The loser here can probably forget about a wild-card spot, while the winner has a slight chance at the playoffs. It could be a pick’em on the NFL odds by kickoff. But be sure to check the NFL lines before placing any bets on Thursday night.

Thursday Night Football: Redskins vs. Cowboys Week 13 NFL Odds

Today’s #WASvsDAL practice report. pic.twitter.com/Gn4vBTUwdw

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 27, 2017

When: Thursday, 8:25 PM ET Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas TV: NBC Radio: WTEM 980 AM (Washington) / 105.3 FM (Dallas) Stream Option: NFL Live Opening NFL Odds: Cowboys -1.5 (44)

First Meeting

The Redskins and Cowboys meet for the 116th time (including the postseason), with Dallas holding a 69-44-2 series advantage. In their Week 8 meeting, Dallas safety Byron Jones had a 21-yard interception-return touchdown and defensive lineman David Irving recorded two sacks in the Cowboys’ 33-19 win at Washington.  Cowboys tailback Ezekiel Elliott rushed a career-high 33 times for 150 yards and two scores on a rainy day. In the second quarter, Dallas’ Tyrone Crawford blocked Nick Rose’s field goal attempt and Orlando Scandrick returned it 86 yards to set up a 1-yard Elliott TD run two plays later. Instead of the Redskins leading 16-7, the Cowboys went up 14-13 and never trailed again. Washington had three turnovers. QB Kirk Cousins lost one fumble and kick returner Chris Thompson lost another. Cousins was 26 of 39 for 263 yards and a 1-yard TD pass to Josh Doctson that cut it to 26-19. The Cousins had that pick returned for a touchdown by Jones.

Why Bet On Washington?

The Redskins beat the New York Giants on Thanksgiving night, 20-10 to end a two-game skid. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder had a career-high 141 receiving yards and a touchdown, rookie running back Samaje Perine had 130 scrimmage yards (100 rushing, 30 receiving) and Washington’s defense limited the Giants to 170 total yards in the victory.  Cousins ranks second in the NFL with 3,038 passing yards, his third consecutive season with at least 3,000 yards. Injuries have affected both sides of the ball as the Redskins have 15 players on injured reserve. Washington’s résumé is underrated. It takes a pretty good team to win on the road against the Rams and Seahawks in 2017, and five of its six losses have come against teams that are currently projected to make the playoffs. (The other loss was against a full-strength Cowboys team.) In 2015, the Redskins won their final four to win the NFC East behind a hot stretch by Cousins. The team needs another run like that to make the playoffs. Back then Cousins completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and one interception. His total QBR was 85.3 (second in the NFL during this period), and his passer rating was 127.3 (first). Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he had “no idea” when tight end Jordan Reed would return from his hamstring injury. Reed has missed the last four games because of the injury. He tried to return after one week but suffered a setback during practice and hasn’t practiced since. Meanwhile, left tackle Trent Williams has a better shot at playing vs. the Cowboys after sitting out against the Giants.

Why Bet On Dallas?

The Cowboys were pummeled 28-6 at home by the Chargers on Turkey Day. About the only bright spots were running back Rod Smith scoring his first career touchdown and his brother, linebacker Jaylon Smith, leading the team with eight tackles in the loss. Dak Prescott, who has 39 touchdown passes and 11 rushing touchdowns since entering the league in 2016, is one of two players in NFL history (Carolina’s Cam Newton) with at least 35 touchdown passes and 10 rushing touchdowns in their first two NFL seasons. Prescott’s 11 rushing touchdowns since the start of last season are the most by a quarterback over that span. However, Prescott has really struggled the past three games without Elliott, who is suspended for three more. The Cowboys have been outscored 92-22 in their three-game skid and held under 10 points in three straight for the first time in franchise history.  Prescott is the fourth QB in the last decade to make three straight starts with his team scoring fewer than 10 points in each game. The others are Brady Quinn, JaMarcus Russell and Zach Mettenberger. Coach Jason Garrett has made some changes in the wake of the latest loss. He released running back Darren McFadden and kicker Mike Nugent, and added free-agent defensive lineman Datone Jones and running back Trey Williams from the practice squad. “We certainly want to create some competition on our team,” Garrett said. Expect more changes on defense. The Cowboys gave up eight pass plays of 20 yards or more in their loss to the Chargers and they have not recorded a sack or takeaway in their past two games. Garrett said no firm decisions have been made at cornerback regarding Anthony Brown’s status, but there will be a competition at the spot that will include Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Chido Awuzie and Bene Benwikere.

Expert Prediction & NFL Odds Pick for Week 13

Can Prescott play that lousy again? I’ll say no – take Dallas at home. I know it’s going to be a tight one in the NFL odds, but home advantage will always be a factor. And a lot is on stake, so we might just see an amazing game.