2018 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 12

Washington Redskins (6-4) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5)

Thursday, November 22, 4:30PM ET

Okay, I’ll admit I was wrong about the Dallas Cowboys. I didn’t think their offense had enough firepower to work their way back into the playoff discussion. As we now know, though, that’s exactly what the Cowboys have done over the last couple of weeks.

Their case was assisted by the gruesome leg injury suffered by Alex Smith in Week 11. With their starting quarterback out of the mix, the Washington Redskins are going to take a hit in the competitiveness department. While Colt McCoy is no pushover under center, I don’t think he’s got the gusto to take D.C. the distance.

The Redskins won’t go quietly in Week 12, though. McCoy will lean heavily on his group of playmaking receivers, with Adrian Peterson likely to make some noise on the ground. The problem is they’ll be playing against the Cowboys defense, which has surprisingly emerged as one of the best in the NFL this season.

In the end, the Cowboys simply need to feed Ezekiel Elliott the football. That’ll allow them to control the tempo, while obviously putting the ball in their best player’s hands. The Dallas offense has improved significantly since the acquisition of Amari Cooper, and it’ll show on Thanksgiving.

Prediction: Cowboys win 26-23