The Dallas Cowboys’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread after they entered the season with such high expectations. They will face off against the Washington Redskins in Week 13 in a game that will act as a pseudo elimination game since both are 5-6 on the year and seem unlikely to make a run with another loss.
Washington has been affected by a lot of injuries but still has Kirk Cousins leading the way at quarterback. Dallas has been reeling of late and needs to get back on track in a hurry. The defense and the running game have been issues that must be solved against Washington.
These teams are pretty evenly matched and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this one come down to the fourth quarter.
This matchup in Week 13 of the regular season will take place on Thursday, November 30, 2017, at 8:25 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Washington Redskins +1.5
Dallas Cowboys -1.5
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
The Cowboys are slight favorites based on the home field advantage even though the oddsmakers believe the Redskins have the superior personnel. Washington is getting more than 68 percent of the action, which isn’t a surprise considering how poor Dallas has looked recently, including a shellacking at the hands of the Chargers last time out.
The scoring total is lower than a normal game between these teams because each offense is missing some substantial pieces.
Injury Report
Zack Martin — The Cowboys star offensive lineman left Thursday’s game against the Chargers in the second quarter to undergo concussion tests and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Dallas just got left tackle Tyron Smith back from injury this week. Martin is a three-time Pro Bowler and has been voted All-Pro twice in his career.
Sean Lee — The Cowboys All-Pro linebacker is still dealing with a hamstring injury which has forced him to miss the last two games. Dallas is really hoping to have him back for this one against the Redskins, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be healthy enough to return.
Jordan Reed - The Washington tight end has been sidelined for the past several games with a bothersome hamstring strain. It doesn’t sound particularly promising that he can get back for this short week. Terrelle Pryor is also sidelined, robbing Cousins of a pair of talented weapons.
Ezekiel Elliott - The Cowboys star isn’t hurt but he continues to serve a six-game suspension. Alfred Morris has taken over the running back duties and has been decent, but he’s not nearly the same level of superstar. The Dallas offense has been a shell of itself lately and Elliott’s absence is a big reason for that.
Key Stat
70. That’s the number of points the Cowboys have been outscored by in their past three games as a 5-3 start has quickly devolved into an under-.500 season. The poor run started against the Falcons when Dallas lost by a score of 27-7.
The Eagles were the next team to dominate as they came away with a 37-9 win. Last week it was the Chargers that emerged with an easy 28-6 win. All three of those teams are solid and it’s not a big deal individually to lose a laugher, but put all three togethers and it’s concerning.
The Cowboys are on the precipice of being eliminated from playoff contention and there are legitimate questions as to whether they can turn it around.
Free ATS Pick
The Redskins may not have all of their offensive weapons, but the Cowboys are a mess on defense. Cousins should have a big day and help lead his team to the upset win. Dallas is at home, which helps, but this team just doesn’t have what it takes at this point.
The “over” is the easy call on the scoring total.
NFL Odds: Redskins 27, Dallas 23
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