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The last time the Cowboys and Redskins met, back in Week 2, Dak Prescott had yet to win an NFL game. In fact, Dallas had won two of its previous 16 contests without franchise quarterback Tony Romo in the lineup. That all changed on Sept. 19 when the Cowboys scored a late, game-deciding touchdown, and that 27-23 victory would be the first of nine straight victories for an outfit that managed just four wins in 2015.

Prescott remains the obvious storyline. A 2016 fourth-round pick has outplayed not only every other quarterback in his draft class, he's been one the NFL's most consistent passers. And according to Football Outsiders' metrics, Prescott ranks No. 3 in total QB value and value per play, behind only Matt Ryan and Drew Brees.

No one saw this coming -- and that includes the Cowboys, who were excited about the prospects of having a healthy Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, a brand new toy in rookie first-rounder Ezekiel Elliott, and the galaxy's best offensive line to make it all work. But in August, Romo suffered a broken vertebrae in his back, which prompted flashbacks to last season's 4-12 meltdown that "featured" Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore taking snaps under center. There were even reports that the Cowboys were trying to trade for veteran Josh McCown, who previously has had success as a fill-in. No trade materialized, perhaps in part because of how well Prescott played in the preseason, and the team decided it had the supporting cast in place to roll with a rookie starting quarterback.

Turns out, Prescott is a rookie in name only. In 10 starts, he has been the model of consistency, completing 68 percent of his passes with 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions, and he sports an eye-popping passer rating of 108.6. Is he the beneficiary of the league's best offensive line? Yep. And he also has the luxury of sharing the backfield with Elliott, who ranks first in Football Outsiders' total RB value metric. But Prescott is more than just a passenger on the Cowboys' Playoff Train. In fact, you could argue that he's the conductor. He ranks 10th in passer rating when under pressure (74.3), according to Pro Football Focus. He improves to 7th when he has time in the pocket (123.6) , and is No. 2 on play-action passing attempts (125.0).

Concerns about hitting the rookie wall remain unfounded. With six regular-season games left, it's still a possibility but Prescott seems unfazed by, well, everything. The lowlight of his season thus far came in Week 8 during a nationally televised game against the Eagles. Prescott struggled for parts of three quarters but pulled it together late to spearhead a 29-23 overtime victory. And it was that late surge -- including a 5-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Jason Witten -- that convinced us he deserved to keep the starting gig, no matter how healthy Romo was.

A few weeks later, that's exactly what happened. And in the three games since the Eagles' victory, Prescott has earned positive grades, according to PFF, with wins over the high-powered Steelers and then the Ravens, who have one of the NFL's top defenses.

10 minutes you won't get back

As happens every week, we join Will Brinson on the podcast, this time to break down the Turkey Day rematch. Spoiler alert: We like the Redskins to win.

Dak won't be the only franchise quarterback on the field Thursday

The Redskins franchised Kirk Cousins in the offseason, which often happens when player and team can't come to terms on a long-term deal. In Cousins' case, there were also concerns about whether he could be Washington's long-term answer at quarterback or if his maddening inconsistency was something that he would never outgrow.

In the season opener, the Redskins hosted the Steelers on Monday Night Football and we saw the old Cousins -- indecisive, inaccurate and more burden than benefit to the offense. But in the weeks since, he has been every bit the franchise quarterback, and that was only reinforced with his near-flawless performance in tough conditions against the Packers on Sunday night.

When it was over, Cousins had completed 21 of 30 passes for 375 yards, three touchdowns and zero turnovers. For the season, he now has 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions and a passer rating north of 95. There's more: According to FO, Cousins came into Week 11 as the No. 6 quarterback, ahead of Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford and Ben Roethlisberger -- three quarterbacks who are due a combined $228 million in salary over the next several years.

Which brings us to this nugget, courtesy of CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, who offered up this tweet moments after Cousins put the finishing touches on that Green Bay beatdown:

Cousins was clinical against the Packers, so much so that he seemed more accurate the further downfield he threw the ball. Compounding matters: 30-mph wind gusts that appeared to affect everyone but Cousins. His first touchdown "only" went for 17 yards, but the biggest takeaway from the play was Cousins' decisiveness; DeSean Jackson appeared to be his third read, and he calmly went through his progressions before hitting Jackson in stride.

That play is a complete 180 from the conversations we were having about Cousins in previous seasons, and right up through Week 1. But he has been really, really good in recent weeks, registering positive grades, via PFF, in each of the past five games, with the high point coming against Green Bay on Sunday.

So this is where we have to ask Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan: HOW YOU LIKE KIRK NOW?!

Of course, McCloughan understands the importance of having a competent quarterback, even if he's an unfinished product. Here's what the GM said this offseason, when the Redskins ended up franchising Cousins for 2016 at $19.95 million.

"Let me overpay him if he's good," he said at the time. If you have a productive guy, it helps everything, and it proves out. You look around this league and see the teams that are in the playoffs every year and look who the quarterbacks are. Look at the ones who win. It proves out."

No rest for the weary

You know how, just about every week, players who take part in the Thursday night game invariably complain about the ridiculousness of being forced to play four days after throwing their bodies around for three hours Sunday?

It's a fair criticism, particularly when the quality of "Thursday Night Football" is something less than we see on Sunday or Monday. And it also seems reasonable that the quick turnaround would lead to more injuries. It's a fair concern, one players mention often. Oh, by the way...

Yes, the Cowboys wrapped up their game against the Ravens on Sunday at around 4 p.m. ET. Seven-and-a-half extra hours doesn't seem like a big advantage ... when your next game is seven days away. But when you're playing on a Thursday afternoon in Dallas -- and have to travel 1,300 miles to get there -- then, yeah, that's problematic.

The last time they met (on Thanksgiving)

It seems like a lifetime ago, but the Cowboys last hosted the Redskins on Turkey Day on November 22, 2012. That was Robert Griffin III's rookie season, back when he there was still hope and promise that he would be the face of the franchise for the next decade. Those dreams would be trampled two years later and crushed altogether by 2015. But the second half of the 2012 season was a heady time to be a 'Skins fan, and the Thanksgiving Day game was the team's second of seven straight victories that propelled them to a division title and the playoffs.

Here's what we wrote four Thanksgivings ago:

And so ends the Cowboys season. With a chance to make a move on the stumbling Giants, and playing at home on Thanksgiving Day where quarterback Tony Romo was undefeated, Dallas didn't show up for their biggest game of the season until things were well out of hand. When it was over, the Redskins left the Jerry Dome 38-31 winners and right back in the mix in the NFC East. The Redskins, three weeks removed from coach Mike Shanahan announcing that guys were playing for jobs in 2013 after an inexplicable loss to the one-win Panthers, are suddenly relevant again.

The takeaway: A lot can change in four years, even when you think you have your franchise quarterback.

It's (not) Color Rush Thursday, y'all

For the 2016 season, "Thursday Night Football" has been the refuge of the Color Rush uniforms. But that changes on Thanksgiving, where there are three games, none of which will feature the Color Rush look. Which means if you were hoping to see the Redskins in their all-mustards, you'll have to wait until 2017. In the meantime, you'll just have to use your imagination:

No 'TNF' on Twitter this week

Twitter-streaming Thursday Night Football will be on hiatus over Thanksgiving but will return next week. Here's the remaining NFL-Twitter TNF schedule:

Be sure to CBSSports.com's Pro Football Rundown for all the latest NFL news and commentary.

They said these words

Here's Cowboys coach Jason Garrett explaining why Dak Prescott frowns on littering: "He's a neat freak."