Redskins Reality Checks Week 12: Thanksgiving Day matchup provides Redskins unique opportunity

5. Reality Is, Dallas has more to lose and more pressure in this game.

There is no doubt that the Cowboys’ backs are more against the wall in this game. They have fought back into contention the last two weeks, but a loss to the Redskins would leave them with a nearly insurmountable deficit in the division and needing to, likely, win their final five games to even have a chance. While the Redskins clearly will feel this game is very significant, they do have a slightly larger margin for error given their current one-game lead.

Whenever there is not a major talent disparity among two teams, it seems that the more desperate team usually finds a way to dig deeper and put forth the effort needed to get the win. This week is unique in that the team with their backs against the wall are also favored, though. That’s an unusual circumstance. There’s a lot of pressure on the Cowboys to win this game at home, against a division rival with a backup QB, having already lost once to the Redskins.

Prediction: I expect the Cowboys and their home crowd to be amped up for this game given the make-or-break nature of it for their season. Given the high stakes, I do expect a sloppy game especially early. I expect the Redskins to do what’s necessary to keep the game close, and I expect the game to come down to a few key plays late in the game.