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Los Angeles (AFP)

Amari Cooper had a 90-yard touchdown catch as the Dallas Cowboys clawed their way back into the playoff hunt with a 31-23 win over the Washington Redskins on Thursday.

Cooper finished with 180 receiving yards, boosting the Cowboys to their third-straight win. They moved into a tie with Washington for first place in the NFC East Division.

The Cowboys-Redskins have a long history of clashing on American Thanksgiving Day and the latest version was one of three NFL contests on the holiday.

Dallas beat Washington for the eighth time in nine Thanksgiving games.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for 121 yards with a touchdown as the Cowboys improved to 6-5 on the season.

The Redskins dropped to 6-5, losing for the third time in four games as quarterback Colt McCoy made his first start in four years.

McCoy got the call after starter Alex Smith suffered a season-ending leg injury last Sunday.

Elsewhere another journeyman quarterback, Chase Daniel, engineered his best-ever pro game by setting career highs for passing and touchdowns in the Chicago Bears' 23-16 win over the Detroit Lions.

Making his first NFL start in four years, backup Daniel finished with 230 passing yards and two touchdowns while filling in for the injured Mitchell Trubisky.

Daniel's air attack included throwing to eight different receivers.

The Bears won their fifth straight to improve to 8-3 and are now in the driver's seat in the NFC North Division.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 28 of 38 passes for 236 yards and teammate LeGarrette Blount rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries.

© 2018 AFP