NewsBot
New Member
- Messages
- 111,281
- Reaction score
- 2,947
A sampling of picks made for Sunday's Commanders @ Cowboys game has the Cowboys as strong favorites over the visiting Commanders in a high-scoring game.
Sunday's game marks the third time in four weeks the Cowboys are favored by a touchdown. And while many Cowboys fans prefer for the Cowboys to be the underdogs, being seven-point favorites didn't hurt the team in the 35-10 win over Cleveland in Week 9, nor did it hurt them in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Ravens.
Will the Commanders be on the short end of the stick again this week?
Here's who our panel of pigskin pundits like for the win today:
Name
Pick
Pick
Score
Comment
David Steele, Sporting News (9-1)
27-23
The last time these two played on the holiday, in 2012, Robert Griffin III faced Tony Romo. There was zero reason to believe both teams would have moved on from them by now. Washington is playing much better than it was when they met in Landover in Week 2. Problem is, so are the Cowboys.Sam Farmer, LA Times (8-2)
31-27
Anything goes in this classic rivalry, so an upset is quite possible. But the Cowboys have done such a good job of dominating possession time and keeping their defense fresh.Elliot Harrison, NFL.com (8-2)
31-28
This should be a high-scoring affair. The Cowboys' offensive line is a mismatch for the Commanders' front. (Please don't look at James Starks' rushing totals from Sunday night as evidence to the contrary; that's like holding up Ben Affleck's rendition of "Daredevil" to rate all superhero flicks against.) Kirk Cousins, who was hot Sunday, gets the benefit of facing an injury-depleted secondary for the second straight game. Dallas wins at home, salting away the clock with Ezekiel Elliott and (a quite motivated) Alfred Morris in the four-minute offense. The Cowboys are 6-1 all-time against the Commanders on Thanksgiving.Peter Schrager, Foxsports (7-3)
33-23
If the Vikings and Lions are an appetizer and the evening game is dessert, this is one heck of a main course. The Cowboys can beat teams in so many ways, but what really kills opponents is their fourth-quarter prowess and their ability to suck the life out of games by pounding the rock with 10- or 12-play drives. If there’s any weak spot for Dallas, it may be the pass defense, which comes in at 21st in the league through 11 weeks. The Commanders are third in the league in passing, and Kirk Cousins has thrown 40 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions since he shouted the words "you like that!" last season. Six different Commanders have 25 or more receptions. This one has upset special written all over it, and look for Commanders offensive coordinator Sean McVay to dial up some doozies. Things will get interesting in the NFC East. Give me Washington.Chris Simms, Bleacher Report (6-4)
31-30
Commanders-Cowboys isn’t only a historical rivalry set in Jerry’s World. It’s an honest-to-goodness NFC Championship Game preview with huge postseason implications.It should start out in predictable fashion. Dallas’ offensive line should be able to open holes up for Ezekiel Elliott at will. And I can’t imagine Washington’s receivers being restrained by Dallas’ secondary.
The key matchup? Dez Bryant vs. Josh Norman. Norman has restrained Bryant in previous showdowns, but No. 88 is playing on a different level right now. I expect the "X" to be thrown up at least once on Thanksgiving.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (6-4)
36-27
This should be a high-scoring game with both teams moving the football. The Commanders are traveling on a short week, which is tough. But their offense is rolling now, much like the Cowboys. Look for a lot of points and a Dallas victory. Dak Prescott keeps winning.Michael Smith, Pro Football Talk (6-4)
30-20
Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott may be the best combination of quarterback and running back in the league. They should put up some big yardage against Washington’s defense.Greg Cote, Miami Herald (6-4)
30-24
Could be the Week 12 Game of the Week as a Cowboys squad with the best record in the NFL faces an NFC East rival off to its best start since 1996. Hot meets hot as Dallas hosts a Turkey Day game for the 49th time. Two big offenses on display here. Cowboys have tied a record with eight consecutive games topping 400 yards, while Commanders have twice exceeded 500. ’Boys are more consistently relentless, though, led by super rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Both could threaten the long-standing NFL Thanskgiving rookie records for passing yards (329 by Bob Waterfield, 1945) and rushing yards (157 by Abner Haynes, 1960). The venue and Dallas’ clearly superior defense tip this one, but like ’Skins getting too many points.Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/greg-cote/article116784813.html#storylink=cpy
That said, the Commanders will be seeing a different Prescott-Elliott combo that they got back in Week 2. The offense is more dynamic overall, and Elliott is gashing defenses behind the dominant Dallas line.
Make it 10 straight for the ’Boys.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk (4-6)
Continue reading...