One of the oldest rivalries in the NFL takes center stage on Thanksgiving Day as the Washington Football Team squares off against the Dallas Cowboys. This will be the 120th regular-season meeting for the two teams, with the Cowboys holding a 73-44-2 advantage. Today’s game will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. on Fox. The game also can be streamed on the Yahoo Sports app.
The last time Washington and the Cowboys met on Thanksgiving was in 2018. The Cowboys came away with a 31-23 win with wide receiver Amari Cooper leading the way, catching eight passes for 180 yards. He had a 90-yard reception from Dak Prescott, which marks the second-longest completion on Thanksgiving in NFL history.
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Washington is coming off a 20-9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Alex Smith threw for 166 yards and one touchdown in the win. In his only start against the Cowboys in Dallas (Nov. 5, 2017, with the Kansas City Chiefs), Smith threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three of his four career starts against the Cowboys.
“Really, my mind doesn’t wander there,” Smith said on the team’s official website when talking about his future. “But anytime if it does, my wife or whatever if we’re just chatting, I think it’s so important to just snap back into the opportunity right now. There will be time after the season for reflection and things like that. For me, I’m making the most of every opportunity each week. It’s such a special thing to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. An opportunity like this doesn’t get any cooler than this week to play on Thanksgiving.”
The Cowboys will be playing with heavy hearts. On Wednesday evening, the team announced that their strength and conditioning coordinator, Markus Paul, died after being treated for a medical emergency. He joined the team in 2018 but became the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator earlier this year after spending the last two seasons as an assistant.
“We extend our love, strength and support to Markus’ family during this most challenging of times and ask that their privacy be respected moving forward,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said in a statement. “Markus Paul was a leader in this building. He earned the players’ respect and attention because he cared so much and was a naturally gifted communicator – both on the personal and professional levels.”
