5 things to watch in Cowboys-Redskins game

Dak attack

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott continues to shine each week and check seemingly every box. It all started with his fourth-quarter comeback at Washington in Week 2, and he’s been rolling ever since. This is the first time he’ll go against a defense that has already seen him. It’s yet another challenge for Prescott, who has strung together two consecutive 300-yard passing games.

Run down

Ezekiel Elliott and his linemen wore down the top-ranked Baltimore defense. They’ll try to do it again on short rest. Elliott is having an MVP-type season, leading the league in rushing and already breaking Tony Dorsett’s franchise rookie rushing record. But Elliott had two fumbles in the first matchup against the Redskins. He hasn’t lost a fumble since.

Receiver watch

On the fantasy front, Cowboys receivers Cole Beasley and Dez Bryant might be good plays. In nine career games against the Redskins, Beasley has 30 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant has caught 53 passes for 805 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games against Washington.

Defensive matters

The Cowboys didn’t have a takeaway for a third consecutive game, and they only registered one sack. Those are two areas that have been points of emphasis dating to the off-season. Safety J.J. Wilcox feels he let a pair of interceptions go by against the Ravens, and the defense forced only one fumble (Cedric Thornton) that was recovered by the Ravens. Defensive end Jack Crawford got the lone sack.

Holiday numbers

The Cowboys are 29-18-1 on Thanksgiving Day, and are playing the Redskins for the eighth time. The Cowboys are 6-1 against the Redskins on the holiday with their lone loss coming in the last matchup in 2012, a 38-31 loss. The Cowboys have lost their past two games on Thanksgiving, though, and have not lost three consecutive since a four-game drought from 1986-89.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 9:18 AM with the headline "5 things to watch in Cowboys-Redskins game."