Cowboys turn back Redskins, 31-26, for 10th consecutive victory

It was the old standbys that hurt the Redskins: a defense that struggles to stop the run and an offense that misfires too often in the red zone.

It keeps feeling like the 1990s all over again for the Cowboys.

When Dustin Hopkins’ onside kick bounced out of bounds at the Washington 47 with 1:53 to go, the Redskins were done. The Redskins are still 6-4-1 and still in good position to make the playoffs. They deserve an adjustment for how great they’ve played, but not a four point shift because the Redskins have also looked among the NFL’s elite.

DL Anthony Lanier left the game in the first quarter with a leg injury, returned later in the same quarter. He was Pro Bowl-good and that made it a game throughout.

He ended up returning to the game in the third quarter, though.

On a 55-yard kick, his longest, Hopkins was kicking the ball straight into the setting sun, which kept him from fully seeing the target.

Although the Browns led 14-13 at halftime, they didn’t score in the second half, allowing the Cowboys to pull away. Cousins still had a stellar performance with 364 yards and a touchdown pass in the game.

It is a special day of the year where we can share time with friends and family, eat good food and watch some good football at the same time. These two teams will meet for the second time this season as Dallas is hoping to continue their dominance on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, the Redskins had some issues with the run.

We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1. Dallas rookie sensation Dak Prescott has 2,835 yards and 18 touchdowns with a rating of 108.6. There were a few scary moments along the way. Washington has an opportunity to close that gap to 1 and get redemption from the home loss they suffered at the hands of the Cowboys back in week 2. Cousins was unbelievable on Thanksgiving, posting a career high in passes thrown. His two fumbles were a major storyline after the game in Washington. On the last scoring drive for the Redskins, he was able rack up some yardage and juked out some of the Cowboys defenders. The Redskins are listed as six-point underdogs with a price of +220 on the moneyline. The Redskins considered sitting him out for the rest of the game. Without Elliott, the play-action pass and bootleg that rookie quarterback Dak Prescott runs so efficiently wouldn’t work.

Dallas has Cole Beasley and tight end Jason Witten to complement Bryant, but Norman is itching for another challenge against one of the top pass-catchers in the game.

“One play here, one play there”, defensive lineman Chris Baker said. Then it was Cousins to Crowder for nine yards to the 20. This is no surprise to the entire National Football League, but the question is going to be, who will make their first mistake on offense.