ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Dallas notched a franchise-record 10th straight win by edging Washington 31-26 in Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day action, with quarterback Dak Prescott accounting for two touchdowns and fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott running in another pair of scores.
It was even closer in Detroit, as Lions kicker Matt Prater slotted his kick as time expired to break a tie and give the Lions victory over Minnesota, while Pittsburgh used its strong defense to record a more comfortable victory against Indianapolis.
Prescott tied Don Meredith’s club record from 50 years ago with his fifth rushing TD of the season, and that helped the Cowboys snatch victory despite a strong performance by Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Dallas continued its strong record against Washington in Thanksgiving games, making it seven wins from eight, and opened a 3-1/2 game lead over the Redskins in the NFC East. Washington missed a chance to move above the New York Giants and into second place.
The Cowboys had an eight-game streak with at least 400 yards snapped, finishing with 353. But Dallas answered with touchdowns each time the Redskins got within a score.
The teams exchanged five successive touchdown drives in the second half, with the fourth of them being a run from Elliott, the NFL rushing leader, which established a winning 31-19 lead.
After Cousins’ second scoring toss to Jordan Reed with 1:53 remaining cut the margin to five points, Dustin Hopkins’ onside kick went out of bounds, and the Cowboys ran out the clock.
Prescott completed 17 of 24 pass attempts for 195 yards and one touchdown. Cousins went 41 of 53 for 449 yards, finishing 8 yards shy of his career high. It was enough for him to become the first Washington quarterback to have two 400-yard games in a season.
Detroit took sole possession of top spot in the NFC North by edging Minnesota 16-13 after the teams started the day with the same 6-4 records.
Darius Slay returned an interception 13 yards with 30 seconds left, setting up Prater’s 40-yard field goal to win it.
The Lions have won six of seven, including two against Minnesota this month, despite trailing in the fourth quarter of every game this season. They extended their NFL record of having their first 11 games decided by seven or fewer points.
The Vikings have lost five of six, plummeting out of first place after surging to the top of the division by winning their first five games.
Minnesota could have played for overtime on its last drive, but coach Mike Zimmer allowed Sam Bradford to throw and Slay made him regret it.
Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown hooked up for three touchdowns as the Steelers beat Indianapolis 28-7 to improve to 6-5 and boost their playoff chances.
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