Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins: Game keys and who will win Monday night

Dallas Cowboys (3-8) at Washington Redskins (5-6): Monday Night Football preview

Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, FedEx Field, Landover, Md. - TV: ESPN

*TV announcers: Jon Gruden, Mike Tirico, Lisa Salters

*Keys to the game: No team wants to go on the road, and there's even more travel trepidation when you pack a minus-12 turnover ratio like the Dallas Cowboys. QB Matt Cassel, 0-4 as Tony Romo's fill-in, returns as the starter with Romo (collarbone) down again. Taking care of the ball is priority 1A and 1B, and getting it to RB Darren McFadden is a near second. Cassel has been sacked an average of once every 13 drop-backs, and looked cautious and timid in previous starts. There is confidence to be found throwing down the field against the Redskins if coordinator Scott Linehan opens the field to Cassel. McFadden might be running out of gas. He's trying to play every game for the second consecutive season but posted 11 yards on 10 carries last week coming off of 29-129 the previous game and 103 carries in November.

Washington's Kirk Cousins no longer looks like a backup trying to show his stuff. In his past three home games, his passer rating was 124.7 vs. Tampa Bay, 158.3 vs. New Orleans and 114.4 against the Giants with three 300-yard games. The Cowboys utilize the same Cover-2 shell shown by the Bucs and Giants, and with speedy WR DeSean Jackson's legs under him again, this is no longer a popgun attack.

*Matchup to watch - Cowboys LB Sean Lee vs. Redskins TE Jordan Reed: Cousins defended his favoritism of Reed, calling him a dominant receiver, and often the designed primary read in the red zone. Lee has 12 interceptions in his career and though he gives up six inches in height, the weak-side playmaker held his own against Greg Olsen and the Panthers last week.

*Player spotlight - Redskins CB Bashaud Breeland: Thinned by injuries, the secondary is held together with duct tape and bailing wire some weeks. Breeland gained confidence when his study habits helped him ace Cowboys WR Dez Bryant in 2014.

*Fast facts: This is Cassel's fifth career "Monday Night Football" start. He is 3-1. ... Washington's top eight players in receptions this season have at least one touchdown catch.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The backup blues bite again. Dallas slinks to the cellar of the NFC East and the Redskins make more headway toward a playoff spot behind a confident Kirk Cousins.

*Our pick: Redskins 23-15.