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Say hello to your new NFC East leaders: the Washington football team. Ron Rivera and his team got the best of the Dallas Cowboys for the second time this season, scoring a 41-16 victory at Thanksgiving. It’s the first time Washington has swept Dallas since 2012. Rookie running back Antonio Gibson was an absolute freak, rushing 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. All-star receiver Terry McLaurin also played a major role in the victory, as he caught seven passes for 92 yards and also pulled off a clutch tackle that saved what would have been a six-pick.
The Washington defense recorded what could be their best performance of the season, sacking Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton three times in total, fending him off once for a touchdown, recovering a fumble from Ezekiel Elliott at the third quarter and limiting the Cowboys to just 1 of 4 on the fourth attempt. It was a total team effort, and the end result is that they are now in charge of the worst division in football.
Why Washington won
The easy answer might just be “Gibson,” but let’s take a look at this Washington running back group as a whole. Washington was active in the realm of free will when it came to adding to their race hall. While they already have Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, and Bryce Love, they went out and signed Peyton Barber and JD McKissic in free agency, then drafted Memphis Antonio Gibson’s former weapon and made him a running back. Rivera surprised everyone before the regular season started by releasing Peterson, Guice was then sent off due to problems off the field and Love is still working back from his ACL injury so that’s a good thing that Washington got out and totally reshaped its body running back.
Not only do these three players know how to make defenders miss in the running game, but they are also effective in the passing game. Despite a four-point lead at halftime, Alex Smith had only one wide receiver in the first two quarters. It all went to his running backs or tight winger Logan Thomas. Gibson finished with five receptions for 21 yards, McKissic caught two passes for 21 yards, and Barber assisted on the field with 57 yards on 11 carries. Due to their efficiency on the court and in the short passing game, Washington dominated the time of the possession battle, 35:56 to 24:04. They set the tempo, played their game, kept the records alive and also kept the Cowboys offense off the field.
Why Dallas lost
It’s hard to pick one thing the Cowboys did well on Thursday. Coverage was spotty, they couldn’t stop the run, Dalton was inconsistent throwing the ball, the running backs couldn’t establish ground play and the decision making was terrible. We’ll get to some of those games a bit later, but this team didn’t know how to build momentum for themselves. Elliott rushed just 10 times for 32 yards and fumbled once while Tony Pollard rushed four times for a total of 12 yards. The only bright spot for the Cowboys had to be Amari Cooper, as he caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, but it just wasn’t enough. The Cowboys were outmatched at all levels Thursday night.
Turning
This fake punt deserves a reward for being horrible in every way. The Cowboys lost four points to a fourth and 10 on their own 24-yard line, and with 12:54 left in the fourth quarter, you’d think Dallas would just cut their losses and make him disappear – especially considering forced defense. a three and on Washington’s last possession.
Instead, the Cowboys chose to do this:
With Washington already deep in enemy territory, it took just one game for Gibson to rush for his second score of the game and extend Washington’s lead to double digits. Ball game.
Game (s) of the game
There are so many highlights Washington experienced on Thursday night, but let’s just focus on two.
Washington signed tight winger Logan Thomas in free agency this offseason, who was a versatile athlete who could stretch the pitch but also serve as a target in the red zone. Not only that, but he was a former quarterback. During his four seasons at Virginia Tech, Thomas threw for 9,003 yards, 52 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He rebounded with three NFL teams as a reserve quarterback, until the Detroit Lions made the decision to move him to the tight end in 2016. It was a change in position that got him finally allowed to play.
You would think Washington would use Thomas as a double threat – or even triple threat on offense, and that’s exactly what they did for Thanksgiving.
It was a great pass for McLaurin, wasn’t it? The 28-yard gain allowed Washington to enter enemy territory and set up the game’s first touchdown.
Later in the first half came a play that warranted at least three or four looks.
Wait, what just happened? All the players on the line of scrimmage stood up as Smith placed the ball under McKissic. Smith, then two of his running backs rolled to the right as if performing a college style option play, while McKissic sprinted to the opposite side of the court with the ball.
We’ve seen a play like this before, back when Rivera was with the Carolina Panthers. Special games require special games.
Winning game?
You could argue that it was the winning game. With just seven points, Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith landed a wrong pass and looked like he was on track to tie the game. Instead, McLaurin came out of nowhere – a la DK Metcalf – to prevent the touchdown.
It was a huge play as the Cowboys totaled -6 yards on their next three plays! Dallas was down to a basket, and those would be the last points the Cowboys would score on Thursday night.
And after
Washington is heading to face the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, who just saw their Thanksgiving game with the Baltimore Ravens postponed this Sunday due to COVID-19 concerns. As for the Cowboys, they won’t benefit from a long week. They are expected to travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens next Thursday night.
Relive all the action in our live blog below!
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