The Football Team is in First Place! WFT rolls to victory over Dallas on Thanksgiving

It is crazy that two 3-7 teams were going to play a game on Thanksgiving and one of those teams would be in first place when the day ended. That is how it’s been for the NFC East in 2020, with the chances of that continuing likely. On Thanksgiving, the Washington Football stomped on the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 41-16. At 4-7, Washington is now in first place and is 3-2 in the division. Let us analyze how this game played out.

Have a Day, Antonio Gibson

With a chance to shine on the national stage, rookie RB Antonio Gibson took advantage and put on a show, leading the Washington offense to victory. The Memphis product had 20 carries for 115 yards, finding the endzone three times. Through the air, he also caught five passes for 21 yards in the blowout. In the process, Gibson tied Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss for most touchdowns in a game as a rookie. The rookie has quietly been dominant this season, averaging 4.6 YPC on 139 carries while scoring 11 touchdowns. He is not going to win rookie of the year, but he should at least get more respect than he has been receiving.

Washington Defense Stays Hot

The strength of Washington coming into the season was the defense, highlighted by their d-line featuring Montez Sweat, Chase Young, and Jonathan Allen. Like Gibson, the defense was able to show out on a national stage by forcing two giveaways and sacking QB Andy Dalton four times while only giving up 247 yards of offense. One of the giveaways was an interception by Montez Sweat that was taken to the house for a pick-six. This was the second pick-six by a defensive lineman on the day, the first coming from DE J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, who did it against the Lions earlier in the day. If Washington can keep running the offense efficiently, the defense should be able to make plays to win football games down the stretch.

Dallas Woes Continue

There is no way around it, but it has been a rough year for the Dallas Cowboys. QB Dak Prescott, LT Tyron Smith, RT La’el Collins, and CB Trevon Diggs are all out for the season. Unfortunately, one of their coaches tragically passed away this week also. Besides all this, the play on the field has not been their either and the coaching decisions have been questionable. RB Ezekiel Elliott has underperformed to his standards, the defense has been inconsistent, and they do not have their quarterback to pick up the slack right now. As for coaching, a fake punt on fourth down may have cost them the game, as well as throwing it on 4th and Inches when you have Elliott, who even in a down year is still one of the premier backs in football. Adding to the injuries, two more offensive linemen got hurt in this game, one of them being RG Zack Martin. It has been a rough year for Dallas and one that seems to be considered a lost season due to all the injuries.

Looking Ahead

Looking forward to Week 12, Washington will look to improve their chances of winning the division and move to 5-7 on the road against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0). As for the Cowboys, they will look to take down the Baltimore Ravens (6-4) on Thursday Night with the likelihood that MVP QB Lamar Jackson will miss the game due to COVID-19.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas