The Dallas Cowboys will host their annual Thanksgiving Day matchup on Thursday afternoon in a showdown with the AFC West's Las Vegas Raiders.

Prescott struggles in Cowboys' third loss

After jumping out to a 6-1 start to the season, the Cowboys have lost two of their last three, behind shaky play from quarterback Dak Prescott.

In Sunday's 19-9 defeat to Kansas City, the veteran signal caller went 28-of-43 for 216 yards, was intercepted twice, lost one fumble, and was sacked five times against a defense that ranks in the bottom 10 against the pass.

Prescott's issues weren't entirely his fault. Left tackle Tyron Smith was out with injury, and wideout Amari Cooper tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the game. Receiver CeeDee Lamb also left the second quarter with a concussion, and running back Ezekiel Elliott tweaked his ankle early in the contest and finished with just 32 yards.

While the NFL's No. 1 offense looked like a shell of itself, the Cowboys defense did its part to keep Dallas in the fight. The unit held Patrick Mahomes to 260 passing yards and no touchdowns, intercepted him in Dallas territory, and forced a fumble on a sack by rookie sensation Micah Parsons.

Parsons is the frontrunner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and will be crucial in Thursday's matchup against the league's third best passing offense (289.6 yards per game).

Raiders fall to .500 amid three-game losing streak

With their recent three-game skid, the Raiders appear locked in another downward spiral that has been all too characteristic of this franchise in recent history.

In 2019, the team finished 1-5 after a 6-4 start, then dropped five of seven games in 2020, after it began 6-3.

Now, Las Vegas has lost five of its last seven, following a 3-0 start in the 2021 season.

Penalties have been a common issue, as seen in the Raiders' last three games, including Sunday's 32-13 loss in which Las Vegas was penalized seven times.

The team has also been terrible in the red zone, which was again the case against Cincinnati, who allowed the Raiders to convert on just one of three red-zone opportunities.

Quarterback Derek Carr had another rough outing, as he threw for 215 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and lost a fumble at Cincinnati's 21-yard line with under two minutes remaining.

Tight end Darren Waller posted 116 receiving yards, and his backup, Foster Moreau, caught the team's only touchdown. 

In the run game, Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake combined for just 60 yards, while the defense surrendered 159 rushing yards and let the Bengals score both times in the red zone.

Raiders and Cowboys betting trends

• Las Vegas is 4-1 ATS in its last five games as a road underdog
• Las Vegas is 2-6 ATS in its last six games overall
• Dallas is 4-0 ATS in its last four games following a straight-up loss
• Dallas is 6-1 ATS in its last seven home games
• The Under is 7-3 in the Raiders' last 10 games as a road underdog
• The Over is 6-2 in the Cowboys' last eight home games

Cowboys will feast on Thanksgiving visitor

The Cowboys are 6-6 against the Raiders in 12 all-time head-to-head matchups, and have won their last three, dating back to Thanksgiving Day 2009.

Las Vegas has been outscored 96-43 since its bye week, and will have issues holding off Dallas' offense, which should bounce back in front of the hyped-up holiday crowd at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys will feed Zeke often, if Elliott is good to go Thursday, or will look to Tony Pollard in the run game against the Raiders' bottom-five run stop unit, if he is not.

Carr will need to air it out to hang with the Cowboys, but Dallas will get the win and do enough on defense to cover the spread.

Score prediction: Cowboys 31, Raiders 20

NFL Week 12 pick: Cowboys -7

Raiders vs. Cowboys Pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for the Cowboys to win outright and cover the spread.