After a critical turn of events in Week 11, the Dallas Cowboys will have the opportunity to pull even with the NFC East-leading Washington Redskins. The Cowboys (5-5) resurrected their seemingly lost season with an important victory over the Atlanta Falcons last week to give themselves a chance at first place in the division. Dallas’ cause was helped by a Week 11 loss by the Redskins, as they dropped a late fourth-quarter lead to the Houston Texans. Not only did Washington lose the game, they also lost their starting QB Alex Smith for the season.

In what has been a strength of the team all season, the Cowboys’ defense showed up big time in Week 11 against the Falcons. Demarcus Lawrence was a man possessed, registering 1.5 sacks, while last week’s Defensive Player of the Week, LB Leighton Vander Esch, turned in another huge performance with a game-changing interception in the fourth quarter. That solid D allowed Dak Prescott to manage the game to victory.

Washington has already defeated the Cowboys this regular season in a 20-17 victory in Week 7. But after losing two of their last three games, they’ve allowed Dallas to climb back into the NFC East race. Combined with the fact that the Redskins will now be faced with playing the rest of the season without Alex Smith, the dramatics of a Dallas-Washington matchup will be on full display for Thanksgiving football.