Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys vs Redskins: Five Staff Game Predictions

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Landry Hat staff of contributors give their predictions for the Week 12 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins.

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) scores a touchdown as Washington Redskins linebacker Mason Foster (54) defends in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Cowboys won 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

On Thanksgiving Day, the 9-1 Dallas Cowboys will take on the 6-3-1 Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. The Landry Hat’s staff of contributors has gathered together this week to give their predictions for the Week 12 matchup.

Note: If you are interested in reading more of a particular contributor’s work on the site, simply click on their name.

Brad Austin, Senior Contributor

Prediction: What a Turkey Day surprise, even at 9-1 the Cowboys-Redskins game has major division title implications.

Dallas enters their first of two must-win division games. Both are not must wins, it’s an either-or scenario to keep the Giants from stealing the division.

If the Cowboys lose to the Redskins today and Giants on December 11, the division lead and tiebreakers will belong to New York.

However a win today and a loss to New York would still provide a one game cushion above the Giants in overall record.

Losing today would force Dallas to bet the division title on a cold weather game in New York against the only defense that has shut them down.

After one 100+ yard rushing game over the first five games, Washington eclipsed 100 in each of their last five to go 3-1-1.

On top of the new running threat led by rookie Robert Kelley, the road team is 6-0 over the last six meetings.

So what, bring it on. Dallas didn’t win nine straight only to drop a sentimental holiday game to the hated rival Redskins in front of their own home fans and jeopardize NFC East title hopes.

This one’s to keep firm control of the division and hold down home field advantage through the playoffs.

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 31, Washington Redskins 27

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) hands the ball off to running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) against the Washington Redskins during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Vu, Senior Contributor

Prediction: The Dallas Cowboys need Morris Claiborne back in uniform. Quarterback Kirk Cousins will look like a Hall of Famer in Dallas. But he’s not the one who will enjoy the turkey…

Yup, that serving goes to Dak Prescott.

More from The Landry Hat

Fresh off a two consecutive 300-yard game performance (first rookie QB to do so), Dak Prescott will help guide the Cowboys closer towards a divisional title. I see him hovering around 280 passing yards, but wouldn’t surprise me if he ended the day with 325 yards or more. I’ll write him in to get his fifth rushing touchdown.

I think Cousins will come out swinging. The defense will allow the yards to pile up, but they’ll keep doing enough to create turnovers and make the Redskins kick field goals.

Washington will find a way to stop Ezekiel Elliott, which will be a problem because Zeke is the best prescription to stop Cousins. Zeke will struggle the first half, but will find his acceleration in the second half when it matters most. The defense will tire, the Cowboys offense won’t and feed of this.

Watch for the Dez Bryant and Josh Norman match up. I think this game will come down to Bryant’s hands. I’ll take Bryant leaping over Norman in the fourth period, which sends Washington home without any turkey. But at least they’ll be the turkey.

Get it? Ha? Ha?

10-1, Cowboys. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy the game.

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 37, Washington Redskins 27

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; (Editor

Steven Mullenax, Site Expert

Prediction: In their second meeting of the season, the 9-1 Dallas Cowboys will host the 6-3-1 Washington Redskins during the Cowboys annual Thanksgiving Day game later today. In their first matchup in Week Two, Dallas defeated Washington 27-23 at FedEx Field.

The difference in their previous matchup was a timely end zone interception by Cowboys safety Barry Church that led to a lead-changing four-yard touchdown run by former Redskins running back Alfred Morris with 4:49 left in the fourth quarter.

But going into Week Twelve, these are two very different teams. The victory over the Redskins helped propel the Cowboys to eight straight wins afterwards. As for Washington, they have won six out of their last eight (one loss and one tie).

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled in their first meeting, completing only 28 of his 46 passes. That included missing some passes to wide open receivers. But over the weekend, Cousins dismantled the Green Bay Packers for 375 yards and three scores, earning himself NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

But the Cowboys dynamic rookie duo has also improved since that Week Two meeting. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 22 of his 30 passes for 292 yards in his previous matchup against the Redskins. And rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott had just 83 rushing yards and one score on 21 carries.

Since Week Two, both Prescott and Elliott’s production has risen. Dak has thrown for 17 touchdowns since and Zeke has rushed for an average of 121 yards per game. Elliott currently leads the NFL in rushing yardage with 1,102.

The point being, both of these teams are red hot right now. But all things being equal, go with the home team who has slept in their own beds for longer.

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 35, Washington Redskins 27

Ben Grimaldi, Contributor

Prediction: Things are getting tight for the Dallas Cowboys; with a nine game winning streak, the NFC East leaders will face the two teams who are right on their heels in the division, starting with the Washington Redskins today.

A win would give Dallas a sweep over their rivals and would get them some separation over the Redskins. It’s going to be a dogfight, the Redskins and Kirk Cousins have been on fire offensively and they have gotten their running game going with Robert Kelley.

Luckily, Rod Marinelli’s defense has had some experience in preparing for an offense that can spread them out in recent weeks, which should surely help on a short week.

Want your voice heard? Join the The Landry Hat team!

In the first game, the Cowboys were just beginning to get their ground game going, now, they are at their peak. The Redskins are 22nd in the league at stopping and are 23rd overall, so Ezekiel Elliott and the offense should have no issues moving the ball.

The Cowboys will need to play their brand of ball control to dominate the time of possession to keep their undermanned defense off the field. For all the talk about Washington’s offense, there doesn’t seem to be as much love for a Cowboys’ unit that has had eight straight weeks of over 400 yards of offense.

The Cowboys lost last time they played the Redskins on Thanksgiving and this is yet another big test for Dallas. It’s an opportunity to put away one of their rivals and keep the winning streak going, what a game this should be! Dallas Cowboys fans should be enjoying their desserts while celebrating their 10th win in a row.

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 27, Washington Redskins 23

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) celebrates after the Cowboys

Carl Daley, Contributor

Prediction: The Dallas Cowboys are facing the Washington Redskins in a classic Thanksgiving contest. The Cowboys already own a win over the Redskins in Week Two however both teams have grown tremendously since then.

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has shown a lot more confidence as of late and has amassed a ton of yards in his last three games. Cowboys rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have taken the league by storm and have entered the MVP conversation. At the end of the day this game will come down to the numbers.

Currently the Cowboys are ranked second in rushing yards per game while the Redskins are sitting at 22nd in the league in rushing yards allowed. Washington has allowed at least 112.1 yards per game which gives Elliott a great matchup heading into Week Twelve. If the Redskins cannot stop Zeke and the Cowboys running attack then Washington will get embarrassed on Turkey Day.

There also is the little matter of the continual rise of Prescott as he continues to gain experience with every passing week. Dak has had amazing performances against some of the toughest teams in the NFL and after his performance against the number one ranked defense in the league the team has to feel confident in his ability to get the job done on Thursday.

Dallas also scores the fourth most points in the NFL while the Redskins sit at ninth which means if it comes down to a shoot out, the Cowboys will likely have the edge.

Finally, Dallas has allowed the eighth fewest points to opposing teams in the NFL while Washington is sitting at 18th. Washington just does not have the weapons on defense to stop Dallas from dominating the time of possession and running up the score.

Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 35, Washington Redskins 24

Well, those are our predictions. What’s your guess? Place your prediction with the final score included in the comment section below for the Dallas Cowboys upcoming matchup.

This article originally appeared on