Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't think either of the road teams playing Thanksgiving afternoon needs to freak about their quarterback situations. At least not for this week.

We already know the Skins will be without Alex Smith for the rest of the season, but I kind of like the idea of them facing the suddenly-viable (and perhaps overconfident) Cowboys in Dallas with Colt McCoy under center. And, if the Bears decide to sit Mitchell Trubisky rather than risk exacerbating the hand injury he suffered late in Sunday night's big win over Minnesota, it says here they will be in perfectly good hands with Chase Daniel making the short-week spot start. I actually believe the offense would roll on quite capably at Detroit if need be.

Both of the backups are more versed in their respective systems than the starters. Both have plenty of support and confidence from the coaching staff. Both are capable of winning a football game in the NFL. Both are heady and steady enough to do the job, and they know enough about the divisional foe at hand to get the job done. Some scouts I spoke to in the summer who were watching the Bears believed firmly that at that point Daniel was superior to Trubisky in his ability to unlock the offense, while Washington coach Jay Gruden has been quietly championing McCoy within the organization for years.

It's never ideal to have to be in a situation like this late in the season – especially with Washington's offensive line already wiped out by injury, along with the receiving group, and all after losing projected feature back Derrius Guice early in his first training camp. But it's also not a death sentence on the season and, at least for a few weeks, the move to the backup can cause others to pick up their play and dig in a bit more and rally behind him. It can bring out an extra spark and different energy in a football team, and I'll be interested to see how these clubs respond.

Smith is a beloved leader, he is super smart and he refuses to turn the ball over … but might the Skins offense be a bit more unpredictable and maybe a little flashier with McCoy running around on boots and waggles? Of course, keeping McCoy healthy for any sustained period of time is a chore given his size, but in a short sample size he can be effective and if the Skins can stay balanced and keep Adrian Peterson playing like he did in the first half of the season, I wouldn't discount their chances to keep hold of the NFC East lead.

If Trubisky sits, it would be just for one game, as this would provide extended rest and recovery, rather than having to play mere hours after they battled the Vikings late on Sunday night. It's an even more finite period of time during which Daniel must shine, and I believe he is more than up to the task. With that divisional lead, and a trusted No. 2 QB in the fold, and a potential January home playoff game looming, that might be the most prudent call. I wouldn't hesitate to make it.

Watch the Redskins take on the Cowboys on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox (stream on fuboTV, try for free) and watch the Bears take on the Lions on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS (stream on CBS All Access or fuboTV, try it for free).

Cousins under scrutiny

It's go time for Kirk Cousins.

Perhaps no player in the NFL will be under more scrutiny in Week 12, coming off a pedestrian outing against the Bears in primetime. Cousins will never hear the end about failing to win on the big stage and in the playoffs until he does it, and after getting a record $84M fully-guaranteed three-year contract in the offseason, for the Vikings to be staring at the prospect of perhaps missing the playoffs entirely a year after nearly hosting the Super Bowl in their home stadium has to be a shocking proposition for the team's ownership and management.

Lest we forget, the Vikings also went all-out to extend virtually every other key cog on the roster as well, ramping up for what many expected would be a memorable season. But alas, at 5-4-1, and just 4-3-1 in the NFC, and with a modest plus-12 scoring differential, this has been very much a middling team. It's not all on Cousins, as the defense suffered badly at times and the running game wasn't what many expected out of the gate, but we're also kidding ourselves if we don't think the 2018-2020 Vikings will be a referendum on their quarterback and the decision to sign him.

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Don't get me wrong – Cousins has been fine. He has played well, by and large. He just hasn't been able to transcend, and the Vikings have been a far less complete and balanced team overall this season. Through 11 weeks Cousins ranks 12th in passer rating (99.3), 12th in TDs (19), 20th in yards per attempt (7.21) and third in completion percentage (70.7), with seven picks thrown. A year ago through 11 Weeks, Case Keenum (who didn't start Week 1 behind Sam Bradford) posted the following stats: 11th in QB rating (93.7), 11th in TDs (12), 15h in yards per attempt (7.31) and 7th in completion percentage (65.7), with five picks thrown.

Not much of a difference in that production, save for the spike in touchdowns. And when you factor in the $28M/year versus the $2M Keenum made a year ago, well, that's why you get mounting pressure and angst in Minnesota. The Vikings tied the Packers last time around, and a loss to them at home Sunday night would be potentially damning. With the Patriots and Seahawks looming on the road after that, all eyes will be on the quarterback.

Watch the Vikings take on the Packers on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. on NBC (stream on fuboTV, try for free).

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