Cooper, Cowboys join Redskins atop NFC East with win

ARLINGTON, TEXAS >> Ezekiel Elliott made the $21 donation after his touchdown. Amari Cooper took the freebie following the first of his two scores.

The bonus for the Dallas Cowboys: They’re all the way back in the NFC East race.

Cooper had a 90-yard touchdown after celebrating with a free throw following his first scoring catch, Elliott ran for 121 yards with his TD and the Cowboys pulled even with Washington atop the division with a 31-23 Thanksgiving win over the Redskins on Thursday.

The Cowboys (6-5) won their third straight game since the first home loss, to Tennessee in the Dallas debut of Cooper following a trade dropped them two games under .500.

Dallas’ eighth win in nine Thanksgiving games against Washington, and second in three seasons, earned a season split.

The Redskins (6-5) lost for the third time in four games in Colt McCoy’s first start in four years coming off Alex Smith’s seasonending leg injury.

The former Texas Longhorns star threw three interceptions to offset two touchdown passes. McCoy won his two previous starts at the home of the Cowboys, one for the 2009 Big 12 championship and the other his most recent NFL victory with the Redskins in 2014.

Cooper, the former Oakland receiver had much more fun in his second home game, finishing with a Dallas Thanksgivingbest 180 yards receiving — 105 of those coming after the catch on his two touchdowns.

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