For the 118th time, the Washington Redskins will face their NFC East Division rival — the Dallas Cowboys. Thursday will mark the ninth meeting between these two franchises on Thanksgiving Day with the Cowboys leading the all-time series record 70-45-2. In 2018, the Burgundy and Gold were finally able to get a bothersome monkey off their backs: they changed the history of the past five years by winning the two team’s first matchup of the season 20-17 at FedEx Field.
The last time Washington and Dallas met on Thanksgiving Day was in 2016 when Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns. In that same game, quarterback Dak Prescott passed and rushed for a touchdown in Dallas’ 31-26 victory over the Redskins.
The stakes are high in the upcoming matchup with the division lead on the line for both teams. If the Redskins can sweep the season series, they will own the tiebreaker. This is pivotal in the event both teams have the same records at years end.
With that in mind, here are three players to keep an eye on in this Week 12 matchup:
1. QB Colt McCoy
McCoy has been with the Redskins for the past four years and hasn’t had to play much. The former Texas Longhorn has only started four of the nine games in which he has appeared. Due to the untimely injury of starting quarterback Alex Smith in Week 11, McCoy is now the long-term starter for the remainder of the season.
McCoy’s understanding of the playbook makes for an easy transition that will unlock the Redskins passing offense. After coming in for Alex Smith Sunday, McCoy was decisive in the passing game, very obviously throwing his receivers open. This will all be fascinating to watch as it could be a huge factor in the Redskins ability to generate big offensive plays which could lead to more points scored.
2. LB Mason Foster
Foster has been a defensive force this season. His ability to make open-field tackles along with his impact on the passing game has been huge in limiting opponents’ big plays. This season, he is leading Washington’s defense with 89 combined tackles (57 solo). In Week 7 against the Cowboys, Foster played a huge role in shutting down Elliott, posting nine combined tackles for the game. However, over the past three games, the former Husky has been caught out of position.
This will be something to watch as the Cowboys have managed to rush for 100-plus yards in their past two games. A big reason for their success has been because opposing team’s defenses are missing tackles. Foster will need to get back to making sure open-field tackles along with playing sound gap technique/ responsibility.
3. WR Trey Quinn
Mr. Irrelevant saw his first game action against the Houston Texans since Week 1 of the season. He was effective in the passing game, hauling in all four of his targets for 49 yards, including a critical third-down conversion.
With McCoy’s potential to throw guys open, it will be interesting to see how Quinn can take advantage of the Cowboys defense, especially in the middle of the field. The rookie wide receiver is a solid route-runner and could be the X-factor in the Redskins air attack.