Cowboys face runner-up Chiefs on Thanksgiving after beating Super Bowl-winning Eagles

Kansas City (6-5) at Dallas (5-5-1)

Thursday, 4:30 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM line: Chiefs by 3.

Against the spread: Chiefs 5-6; Cowboys 6-5.

Series record: Cowboys lead 7-5.

Last meeting: Chiefs beat Cowboys 19-9 at Kansas City on Nov. 21, 2021.

Last week: Chiefs beat Colts 23-20 in OT; Cowboys beat Eagles 24-21.

Chiefs offense: overall (5), rush (14), pass (2), scoring (9).

Chiefs defense: overall (6), rush (T8), pass (11), scoring (4).

Cowboys offense: overall (1), rush (12), pass (1), scoring (4).

Cowboys defense: overall (29), rush (22), pass (30), scoring (31).

Turnover differential: Chiefs plus-1, Cowboys minus-4.

Chiefs player to watch

RB Kareem Hunt carried a career-high 30 times for 104 yards and a touchdown in last week’s against Indianapolis. It was the most that Kansas City has been dedicated to the run all season, and it paid off. Hunt’s ability to provide some long-missing offensive balance opened up the passing game, and Patrick Mahomes threw for a season-high 352 yards. Hunt has scored in four straight games and has seven TD runs this season.

Cowboys player to watch

WR George Pickens has tied his career high of nine catches three times in his first season with the Cowboys after the offseason trade that ended his tumultuous time in Pittsburgh. He has averaged 145 yards and 16.1 yards per catch while scoring twice during Dallas’ first two-game winning streak of the season. Pickens is second in the NFL with 1,054 yards receiving. However, he appeared shaken up after going down hard on the sideline on an incompletion against the Eagles. He stayed in the game but was limited in one practice during the short week with knee and calf issues. He was a full participant Wednesday and has no injury designation, which means he is likely to play.

Key matchup

Dak Prescott vs. Patrick Mahomes. No, the star QBs won’t be on the field at the same time. But they are the focal points of a meeting of the top two passing offenses in the NFL (Dallas is No. 1). Prescott speaks glowingly of his counterpart, and longs for even a smidge of the postseason success Mahomes has enjoyed in two fewer seasons than Prescott as a starter. Prescott fell flat in his only other meeting with the Mahomes-led Chiefs, throwing two interceptions without a touchdown pass in KC’s 19-9 victory four years ago.

Key injuries

Chiefs: RB Isiah Pacheco could return after missing the past three games with a knee injury. … RG Trey Smith (ankle) and TE Noah Gray (concussion) have been ruled out. … CB Chris Roland-Wallace, who has played all 11 games and started the past two, is out with a back issue.

Cowboys: Recently acquired DT Quinnen Williams kept playing after taking a shot to the ribs against the Eagles but isn’t listed on the injury report. … LT Tyler Guyton is out after spraining an ankle against Philadelphia. Nate Thomas should start in his place. … CB Caelen Carson, who has started the past two weeks, is questionable after being added to the injury report with a hamstring issue.

Series notes

Though the Chiefs and Cowboys have played just 12 times in 65 years, they consider themselves rivals. Both franchises were born in Dallas and debuted in 1960. The Chiefs were founded as the Dallas Texans by the late Lamar Hunt, who helped to establish the AFL to rival the NFL when he was unable to secure his own franchise. He moved the team to Kansas City in 1963. The Cowboys, an NFL expansion franchise, were bought by Jerry Jones in 1989. He and Hunt were neighbors in north Dallas and struck up a friendship. In 1998, the owners created the Preston Road Trophy, awarded to the winner of each Chiefs-Cowboys game, preseason or regular season.

Stats and stuff

The only time the Chiefs and Cowboys played on Thanksgiving is also the most recent season in which Dallas reached the Super Bowl, or even an NFC championship game. It was 30 years ago, with Dallas winning 24-12. The Cowboys went on to beat Pittsburgh for the championship. Dallas has lost in the divisional round of the playoffs seven times since then, most recently during the 2023 season. … Both teams won on game-ending field goals last week. Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yarder in overtime against the Colts, and Brandon Aubrey was good from 42 as time expired against the Eagles. … Mahomes is the quickest to 35,000 yards passing, getting to 35,329 in 123 games. Matthew Stafford held the previous record at 126 games. … Chiefs TE Travis Kelce can tie Hines Ward for the fifth-longest streak with a reception by catching a pass in his 186th consecutive game Thursday. … Chiefs WR Rashee Rice had a career-best 141 yards on eight catches against the Colts. Three of his catches went for at least 20 yards. … Butker connected on five field goals last week against Indianapolis, including chip shots for the tie on the final play of regulation and the OT winner. … Prescott leads the NFL with 276 completions, is tied for second with 23 touchdowns passing and third with 2,941 yards passing. … CeeDee Lamb needs 29 yards receiving to become the first Dallas receiver to reach 7,000 in his first six seasons. … Quinnen Williams had a career-high eight QB pressures against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, according to Next Gen Stats.

Fantasy tip

Pickens has at least 130 yards and a touchdown in four games. No Dallas receiver has done that five times in a season.

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