Cowboys have dominated this Turkey Day rivalry

Dallas and Washington are no strangers to facing each other on Thanksgiving Day. This is the

third time in five seasons that these franchises will play in the annual game at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys won 31-22 in 2018 and 31-26 in 2016. Through the years, the Cowboys are 8-1 all- time vs. Washington on Thanksgiving Day, with the only loss occurring in 2012 against then-rookie QB Robert Griffin III.

Zeke holds second highest mark for rushing YPG on Thanksgiving

With legends like Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, the tradition of great running backs putting up big numbers on Thanksgiving is rich. However, above both of those names in rushing yards per game is Ezekiel Elliott who will play in his fifth turkey day matchup. Zeke holds a current mark of 96.3 yards per game on Thanksgiving, second only to the Hall of Famer, Walter Payton who leads the way with 123.3. The last time that Washington was in town for the holiday, Elliott gobbled up 121 yards and a touchdown in the 31-23 win.

History can made on Thanksgiving Day

One of the most memorable Thanksgiving Day games in Cowboys history – against any

opponent – happened in 1974 when backup Clint Longley came off the bench for an injured

Roger Staubach and heaved a last-second touchdown pass to Drew Pearson, giving the

Cowboys a dramatic 24-23 comeback win.

Momentum tends to matter in Thanksgiving week

In 10 of the last 14 seasons, including the last four years, the outcome of the Thanksgiving Day

game has been the same for the Cowboys as the previous week. For some reason, it appears

that just four days of rest either carries the winning momentum or the losing effect that

stemmed from the previous game. The Cowboys certainly hope to keep that trend this week,

having beaten the Vikings on Sunday in Minnesota.

A rare Washington sweep?

Washington is looking to do something the franchise has only accomplished five times in its

history and that is sweep the Cowboys in the regular season. It hasn't happened since the 2012

season and Washington has only swept Dallas in 2005, 1995, 1987 and 1984. While the

Cowboys failed to make the playoffs in four of those five years, the one exception was 1995,

when the 12-4 Cowboys actually won the Super Bowl, despite two losses to 4-12 Washington.

On the flip side, the Cowboys have swept Washington 20 times in their 60-year history.

Dalton ranks fourth in number of game-winning drives since 2011

Dallas' 61-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the final moments of the 31-28 win over Minnesota gave Andy Dalton his 26th career game winning moment. It's the second time this season that Dalton has delivered in the clutch against the New York Giants in Week 5 following the injury to Dak Prescott. Dalton now ranks fourth amongst quarterbacks in the NFL with game-winning drives since he entered the league in 2011, only Matthew Stafford (35), Drew Brees (30), and Russell Wilson (30) have more.

Comeback Player of the Year candidates were teammates

The two biggest candidates for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award will likely be

squaring off on Thursday when Washington's Alex Smith goes up against Aldon Smith of the

Cowboys. Both players were on the 49ers from 2011-12, and have had quite the respective

journeys to get back to these positions again. Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2018

that required more than 10 surgeries but is now starting for Washington. Aldon Smith was one

of the NFL's best pass-rushers in the NFL before off-the-field issues derailed his career and put

him out of the NFL for five years.

Washington has scored on only seven drives that started inside their own 20

As the defense continues to rack up the extra stat lines, the Washington offense is still struggling to put together long drives. Out of the 32 chances that the Football Team's offense has started inside their own twenty-yard line, there have only been scores on seven. The scoring percentage of 21.9 is the third lowest in the league on such drives this season. Washington did not have a scoring drive of 80 yards or more last week in their win over Cincinnati and their last drive of that distance came in the fourth quarter of their loss to Detroit in Week 10.a

Donovan Wilson became the third Cowboys safety to force two fumbles in a game

No Cowboys player has burst onto the scene quite like Donovan Wilson has this year. The sixth-round pick from Texas A&M cemented his arrival by forcing a pair of fumbles in the win over Minnesota last week. He joins Darren Woodson and Tony Dixon as the only three that have ever done so from the safety position with the Cowboys. He is now tied with Barry Church (2013) for the most forced fumbles by a Dallas safety in the first ten games of the season.

J.D. McKissic is a top three receiving threat out of the backfield this season

While he may not be the featured back for Washington this season, McKissic has found a niche role in receiving out of the backfield. The fifth-year tailback has tallied 44 receptions for 317 receiving yards, each number good enough for third out of all running backs. Over the last three contests, McKissic has 19 receptions which is nearing his total from the first eight weeks of the year (25).

CeeDee Lamb has the most receptions by a rookie receiver in team history

The historical rookie season for CeeDee Lamb continues as Cowboys first rounder has now eclipsed Hall of Famer Bob Hayes for the most receptions by a rookie receiver in team history. Hayes mark of 46 grabs was eclipsed during the win over Minnesota this past Sunday. Lamb also leads all rookies with 48 catches and is second among rookies in receiving yards (629) and touchdowns entering his first Thanksgiving affair.

Lamb was shut out in Washington

While he's having a record-setting year, Lamb did not record a catch in the 25-3 loss in Washington last month. In fact, the rookie had some key drops in the game, one in the end zone. It's the only time this year Lamb has been held without a catch. In fact, he's caught at least four in every other game aside from the Washington loss.