Tradition continues as the Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Football Team in a Thanksgiving Day showdown today with huge implications (4:30pm ET; TV: Live on Fox).
Thanksgiving may look a little different today but one element of the day hasn’t changed and that’s football. So read on for our WFT vs Dallas Cowboys predictions, full preview & betting picks.
Not only does this year’s turkey day game pit long-time rivals, Dallas and Washington head-to-head, but it also all but guarantees one of the two NFC East opponents will take over the division lead. Short of the two teams ending the game in a tie, that’s exactly what will happen. Whoever wins today will have four victories and control of the division with a clear path to a postseason spot.
As anyone who has followed the NFL this year knows, the NFC East has been bad. The NFL season is 75% in the books and yet not one single East team has over three victories. It’s almost impossible to imagine just how poorly the four East teams have played. Because it’s not just one or two bad teams, its all of them. The entire division has been horrid and there don’t seem to be any signs of things getting better. As things stand, both Dallas and Washington have 3-7 records meaning that even if one were to win out, they’d finish the season sitting on a 9-7 record. That mark would be respectable given how bleak things look for the East, but it’s highly improbable given the schedule remaining to be played.
Following the loss on Sunday by the Philadelphia Eagles, both Washington and Dallas remain not just in the race but in position to take the lead. It’s hard to believe given just a few weeks ago, the Cowboys looked hopeless and Washington was struggling. These aren’t good football teams but neither are the Eagles or New York Giants. That’s why four wins takes the lead in the East despite this being week 11 of the season.
What to Expect on Thanksgiving
Both teams are currently playing with backup quarterbacks. That’s Andy Dalton in Dallas, who returned last week from a concussion suffered against Washington, in order to lead his team to a win. Dalton spent much of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals and has been up-and-down in his short time with the Cowboys. For Washington, they are now led by Alex Smith, who is in the midst of one of the most inspirational stories in NFL history. Smith suffered a vicious injury two years ago that almost took his leg and his life only to return to the field in 2020. Smith’s first official start was rough but he has looked better each time he has taken the field.
For Dallas, there has also been the element of just how poor their defense has been. As we talk about the historic lows of the East, we have to acknowledge the historically bad defense Dallas has been playing with all season long. While somewhat improved over the last week or so, the Cowboys are still carrying one of the worst defenses in the NFL of all-time. There is just nothing clicking on that side of the ball for Dallas right now. Of course, there isn’t much clicking period in Big D. The Cowboys needed a comeback win to defeat the Minnesota Vikings last week, one that could have gone either way. The Cowboys managed to win though and kept their hopes of an NFC title alive.
Washington came by their win a little more straight forward as they defeated the Bengals with relative ease. Now, to be fair, neither the Bengals or Vikings for that matter are exactly lighting the NFL on fire. At two and four wins respectively, these were opponents that by all rights the Cowboys and Washington should have defeated. That doesn’t mean the various problem areas are fixed. Washington has no semblance of a running game right now and Dallas has no defense. The Cowboys do have a rushing attack but Ezekiel Elliott has been far from the MVP-style player of recent years. In DC, Smith has suffered from a lack of any real weapons.
Sometimes bad teams get to play bad teams however and one of them essentially has to win. Though, this game could always end in a tie, it’s highly unlikely.
Our Betting Preview’s WFT vs Dallas Cowboys Predictions & Picks Recommendations
It should be noted that historically, the Cowboys have always played very well on Thanksgiving and boast a winning record on the holiday. They have played Washington several times on Thanksgiving as well, with the records going in Dallas’ favor. This year, we are expecting more of the same. It’s not that Dallas is particularly good, it’s simply that they should be better than the team that lost to Washington last time out, 25-3. So these are USAbetting’s WFT vs Dallas Cowboys predictions for this NFL preview:
- Take the Cowboys to cover the spread in what will be their second straight win and perhaps the one that catapults them to a divisional title. Go Dallas -3pts @ best odds of +105 with BetOnline. It is +100 (evens) for the same spread with Intertops and -105 with Bovada and Bookmaker.
- As for the total points pick, we fancy the under 46pts @ -110 with Bovada, Intertops, Bookmaker or BetOnline.
Marilee writes on NFL, MLB, NBA & tennis for USA Betting. Another area of her sporting journalistic expertise is pro wrestling. A native of Philadelphia and a big Eagles fan, she has been a sports writer for many major websites including Bleacher Report and Rant Sports. She started her journalistic career early, as sports editor for her college newspaper.