Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins: Playing for a new contract

Not deserving the opportunity

This is another game where a team can keep their playoff hopes alive, even though they don't deserve it based on their performance this season. I'm talking about Dallas Cowboys of course. They are were 7-7 last week and had an opportunity to go to Philadelphia and steal the NFC East title. Obviously, they failed to do so. The offense fell flat on their faces with only 9 points scored, losing the game 17-9.

They are hosting Washington Redskins in this one as a massive, double-digit favorite. If they win and the Eagles somehow lose to the Giants in New York, they could still somehow get into the post-season. Dak Prescott wasn't feeling 100% throughout the week of practice. His shoulder is obviously bothering him, but he will suit up for the game. On the other side of the ball, one of their best defensive player Byron Jones will test his ankle in pre-game warmups, after missing the Friday practice because of it.

Injuries

The game is shaping up to be a walk in the park for Dak Prescott and his offense. Redskins will play without the entire starting secondary. Trying to keep up with these receivers without Josh Norman, Fabien Moreau, Quinton Dunbar, Montae Nicholson, and Landon Collins might be a tall order for this Washington defense. They were a decent pass defense throughout the year, mostly because of the coverage in the back end, but without all their starters, they'll be overmatched.

After looking like a lost cause under Jay Gruden, Dwayne Haskins did show some promise in the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, he injured his ankle last week, meaning that Case Keenum will draw a start in this one. I don't believe the QB change alone is much of a downgrade, but when combining it with the absence of Terry McLaurin, it becomes a serious issue. Rookie wideout from Ohio St outplayed his 3rd round draft tag by a mile in his first season among pros and established himself as a true No.1 receiver for this team.

Cowboys vs Redskins best bet

I was initially leaning towards the Skins to cover the 13-point spread. Dallas proved that they can't do anything right lately and the downgrade from Haskins to Keenum is not that severe. But losing all the starters from the secondary is definitely worth a lot, especially because that was one of the strengths. That is why I'm going with Amari Cooper to catch for over 60.5 yards in this one. They managed to keep him in check in the first game when he got only 44 yards. But without Dunbar and Norman, that's going to be almost impossible. He is also playing for a contract here and will need a statement performance that his agent could use as leverage in the negotiations.