We’ve come to a breaking point for both teams in this NFC East showdown on Sunday afternoon. For both the Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys, this is almost a must-win game if they wish to continue forward and attempt to compete in the division and try to snag a playoff spot.
A loss would be more dire to Washington than it would to Dallas, simply because the Cowboys are already ahead in the standings, but it’s fair to say that both squads would be severely set back by what would be looked at as an embarrassing defeat to a poor football team.
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So who do we think has the upper hand? Well, following the Dak Prescott injury a couple of weeks ago, it’s clear that the Cowboys are nowhere near as dangerous on offense as they once were, and with Andy Dalton trying to make due behind an offensive line that has seen more injuries this year than you could imagine, it’s tough not to have a little bit of hope that Washington can pull this one out. The biggest key is for the defensive line in Burgundy & Gold to be the dominant force that we’ve all thought they could be this year. Chase Young and Montez Sweat will need to take advantage of matchups with two undrafted rookies at the tackle positions, while Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen crash the guards and muddle up any running lanes that Ezekiel Elliott might try and find. If Dalton can be rushed into poor decisions, there’s a reasonable expectation that the secondary can once again play the role of clean-up crew and continue to take advantage of the Cowboys’ NFL-worst turnover differential.
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On offense, Washington needs to pound the rock as much as they can with Antonio Gibson and JD McKissic, taking advantage of Dallas’ 31st-ranked run defense, controlling the tempo of the game. We can trust Kyle Allen to make a few plays here and there, with the Cowboys secondary being among the worst in the league, but it would be better to play things safe and just churn out long drives on the ground, in my opinion.
In the end, I truthfully believe that Washington will win this game. Of course, a number of things can, and usually do go wrong in Washington games, so it would not shock me to see Dallas come out on top, but this is a game that Washington needs to keep their season alive, and I think they know it. Give me Washington at home in somewhat ugly fashion.
Final Score: Washington 26, Dallas 19
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