Redskins vs Cowboys NFL Week 12 Lines & Preview for Thanksgiving

Redskins vs Cowboys NFL Week 12 Lines & Preview for Thanksgiving

Written by on November 20, 2018

When action opened on the Thanksgiving Day matchup between Washington and Dallas, the sports betting line was Dallas -7 and even -7.5 in some books. The line has shifted down after a flurry of wagering action on Washington with that original line. Why? Washington has won the last two meetings between the two teams, and even though Washington’s quarterback, Alex Smith, will be out thanks to a broken leg, backup Colt McCoy gets the start — and the last time he won a game as a starter was in Dallas, on October 27, 2015. This will be a physical matchup between two stout defenses, as that over/under total shows this week. Consider our perspective on this NFC East showdown as you put your wagers together.

Redskins vs Cowboys NFL Week 12 Lines & Preview for Thanksgiving

When: Thursday, November 22, 2018, 4:30pm ET Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX TV: FOX Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Week 12 Odds: Dallas -5.5, O/U 40 

Why should you bet on Washington?

Washington only started with a 2-2 record this season but have gone 4-2 since and lead the NFC East by one game. However, they lost Alex Smith for the season in a loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, leaving Colt McCoy to run the offense. Mark Sanchez was signed this week to serve as an emergency backup. The Redskins have won the games that they have won (including the first matchup with Dallas) by using a bruising defensive approach and running the ball. If they can pound Adrian Peterson and get enough downfield passes from McCoy, they should be able to make a game of it, if not sneak out of AT&T Stadium with the sweep. Washington has played well for bettors in November, covering in nine of their last 12 games in the eleventh month of the year. They have also covered in five of their last six games overall, and in four of their last five against NFC opposition. If you like Washington, you see the nonsense that always seems to strike Dallas when prosperity is around the corner rearing its head again and the Washington offense figuring out how to get through a Dallas defense that will not have linebacker Sean Lee.

Why should you put your money on the Cowboys?

Dallas comes in having won some impressive victories over Philadelphia and Atlanta. Of course, the Eagles went down to New Orleans and gave up 48 points after losing to Dallas, so it may be that we were overestimating the Eagles a bit. Dallas, though, is getting balance from the passing and running games, as Dak Prescott for 208 yards, and Ezekiel Elliott ran for 122 yards and a touchdown. Elliott also led the team in receiving yards with 79 on seven catches. When Elliott is engaged, this is a hard team to beat. The Cowboys have covered in five of their last six divisional matchups. However, despite the fact that Dallas always hosts a Thanksgiving Day game, that hasn’t boded well for their Thursday chances as they have covered just twice in their last 10 games in the middle of the week. If you like Dallas, you think they can load the box, shut down Peterson and get enough pressure on McCoy (and enough coverage) to keep the Washington passing game from burning them.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

It’s hard to rely on Dallas here, given that the Atlanta win was the first time this season that they had won two games in a row. However, their defense did shut down Matt Ryan for three quarters, and the Falcons only had one offensive drive lead to a touchdown for the entire game. Can they work similar havoc against the Washington offense? I think so. However, like many of these Thanksgiving matchups, if Dallas wins, it will happen on a late drive — which means that the margin will be by less than one score. I like Washington to cover but Dallas to win by a score of 23-20.