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Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Understanding Public and Money
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Expert Picks
Dallas finally has its offense moving and on a short week, it will be tough for the Redskins' defense to be prepared. Colt McCoy will not miss a beat -- I think he is the best backup in the NFL. Go Over.
The Cowboys got their running game going strong in back-to-back road wins and Ezekiel Elliott's last four 100-yard games were all Cowboys wins. Seems like a simple process. Colt McCoy takes over a team that has gone 6-1 ATS as an underdog and has covered five of its last six. McCoy is one of the better backups in the NFL and the road team in 7-2 ATS in the last nine of this rivalry. Redskins get the cover.
The lookahead line on this game was just Cowboys -4.5, and after the Cowboys' upset win in Atlanta, I think it would have risen a point even with Alex Smith in this game. So I'm not sure there's been that big a move overall due to the Smith injury. The Cowboys haven't covered on Thanksgiving since 2010, but I like their chances to win by at least a touchdown here. The offense is built to play from ahead, and the defense has taken it to the next level this season -- just look at their performance in Atlanta. I'm not totally sold on Dallas overall, but this is a great matchup for this team.
This game is going to be a vastly different one now that Alex Smith is gone for the year. What we will see in this game is two very good defensive football teams. I am a big Colt McCoy fan, but I can't see him being effective enough to move the ball against the Cowboys on a consistent basis. What I can see is a Cowboys passing attack start to click in their third game with this collection of wideouts. Dallas should be able to win this one by double-digits and avenge a controversial loss to the Redskins earlier in the season.
The public has overreacted to the injury to Washington QB Alex Smith. The switch to Colt McCoy should not have triggered a line movement of three points. The Redskins were confident enough in the veteran, a former starter, to have penciled him in last season had Kirk Cousins departed then. His stats as a Skins’ backup are starter-worthy. The Dallas mystique on Turkey Day has faded; the Cowboys are 3-5 straight-up in the 2010s. Washington has covered in five of the last six outings overall and nine of the past 11 in Dallas.