Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Redskins vs. Cowboys: Week 12 offense and defense matchups, score prediction

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Colt McCoy #12 of the Washington Redskins walks to the sideline in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Colt McCoy #12 of the Washington Redskins walks to the sideline in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 18: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins runs for a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 18: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins runs for a three-yard touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Redskins offense vs. Cowboys defense

Obviously, the big thing to watch on the offensive side of the ball is the changing of the guard at quarterback. Alex Smith’s season is done, and that means that Colt McCoy will step into the spotlight. And this is quite a scenario to do it in.

McCoy gets to make his first start of the year on a short week on the road in Dallas. The game is against the 5-5 Cowboys, who have won two in a row, and the winner of this contest should vault into first place in the NFC East. Oh yeah, it’s also Thanksgiving, and the Cowboys always bring their best effort on Thanksgiving.

The defense that McCoy is facing is a fairly good one. Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, and company will put pressure on the Redskins offensive line which is still banged up. It’s unclear whether or not Trent Williams will return to action this week but if he doesn’t, Ty Nsekhe might have difficulty containing Lawrence. So, that is definitely something to watch.

More from Riggo's Rag

In the receiving corps, most of the offensive weapons will be slightly hurt by the addition of McCoy to the starting lineup. Again, not because there’s a massive difference in talent between Smith and McCoy, but there’s just no knowing how much chemistry he has with any of the receiving weapons.

It seems that Jordan Reed is the top target that McCoy will look for, so he might end up having the biggest game. Reed has been good against Dallas in the past, so seeing him break out this week wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

Finally, Adrian Peterson will have to carry the run game after a couple of so-so outings in recent weeks. The Cowboys have a great run defense, they allow just 95 yards per game on the ground, so they’ll do their best to limit him. However, if Peterson can be effective in the red zone again, that will be enough to make him a solid weapon.

Overall, the Redskins will have a tough time winning on offense. It’s just such a quick turnaround for McCoy to get involved in the game plan and Dallas is playing well right now on the defensive side of the ball. They could end up moving the ball, but it may take them a few drives to get going. So, the Cowboys seem to have the advantage here.

Home/Commanders News