Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, November 22 – 1:00 PM ET
Arlington, Cowboys Stadium
NFL Point Spread: Cowboys -11, O/U: 41.5
Washington is coming off what is probably their best moment of the season, a 27-17 win at home over Denver. The Cowboys may be coming off their most embarrassing moment, a 17-7 loss in Green Bay. The Boys got lucky with Philadelphia losing and New York on a bye week, and stand one game ahead of both squads. The Redskins are last in the NFC East, but records rarely matter in divisional games.
Interesting side note: This game will be the first time Washington DT Albert Haynesworth and Dallas C Andre Gurode face off since Haynesworth, then with the Titans, stepped on Gurode’s face during a game three years ago. As if these two teams needed more reasons to hate each other.
What The Redskins Have To Do To Win
The addition of Albert Haynesworth has done wonders for the ‘Skins pass rush. The big man has been a force up the middle, and Washington has responded with 24 sacks so far this season, already matching their total from last season. More of the same will be needed on Sunday. Sure, Tony Romo has looked pretty good as of late, but it’s still Tony Romo. If the Skins can pressure him, he’ll be forced to make quick decisions and we all know how that usually turns out. It doesn’t help Dallas that they’ll be forced to start Doug Free at right tackle instead of the usually reliable Mark Colombo, who suffered ligament damage in his ankle last Sunday. Free is making his first career start.
What The Cowboys Have To Do To Win
Dallas rushed for a season-low 61 yards last week, and they’ll be the first to say that cannot happen again. The Cowboys are built to run, and they’ll need to better at it this week against a Redskins team that boasts the league’s No. 1 pass defense. The loss of Colombo hurts the Cowboys a lot; he was a rock on that offensive line and started 57 consecutive games. But all teams deal with injuries, and Dallas needs to get back to what they do best in order to win. That means running the ball, and running the ball a lot.
Outlook & Pick
It’s always a slugfest when these two face off. Washington has won five of eight versus the Cowboys, and are entering Cowboys momentum with a little bit of swagger. This will be a big test for Dallas to see if they are a real threat this season. If they can bounce back from a tough loss against a division opponent, they will silence some critics. If not, they’ll be forced to re-evaluate the team. Dallas should prevail, but not by much.
Pick: Redskins +11 and under 41.5
Prop Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First Seven Minutes
Hard to predict. Don’t see Washington opening up hot, even with the momentum they’re bringing into Dallas. Cowboys may be hesitant to start aggressive; instead they’ll try to establish a running game and control the tempo. It’s going to a slow paced, hard hitting affair. Nothing new between these two teams.
Prop Betting Pick: Dallas Will Score First, No Score In First Seven Minutes