Washington Football Team: Thanksgiving reality checks vs. Cowboys
By Tim Payne
5. The Reality Is, Washington needs big games from Logan Thomas, Antonio Gibson, and one of the Sims.
Even if Del Rio pulls all the right strings with his defensive personnel packages, it’s unlikely that the recently rejuvenated Dallas offense gets completely shut down. So, in order to win, Washington needs more than just Terry McLaurin to put up prolific offensive numbers.
Antonio Gibson needs to build on his recent success. Logan Thomas needs to get back into the rhythm he had found earlier in the season. And either Cam Sims or Steven Sims needs to step up to take some pressure off of McLaurin.
McLaurin and J.D. McKissic are almost guaranteed to produce. But the overall offensive output will depend on how effective the rest of the weapons can be. If Gibson can get near 100 rush yards at about a 5.0 yard-per-carry clip, Washington will certainly have the opportunity to win this game.
If Logan Thomas can force the speedy Dallas linebackers to cover him rather than dropping into zones to limit McLaurin, Washington will have the opportunity to win this game.
If Cam Sims and Steven Sims can be effective in providing McLaurin with the occasional single-coverage opportunity, Washington will have the opportunity to win this game.
My Prediction: The offense will be effective in moving the ball. They will battle through a few protection breakdowns and run blocking mistakes by the offensive line to keep the game close. Look for the effectiveness of Antonio Gibson to depend more on gameplan than anything else. Expect Steven Sims to be the most likely of this bunch to have a breakout game in Dallas.