Notable headlines surrounding America’s team.
Brutal 5-game stretch will define the Cowboys’ season – Mario Herrera Jr, Inside The Star
It isn’t a cakewalk.
Week 8 at San Francisco 49ers
The Dallas Cowboys were beaten down by the Detroit Lions in a game that was out of reach by the end of the first quarter. The final score of 47-9 was the worst defeat the Cowboys have experienced in AT&T Stadium, and they have a bye week to prepare for an equally tough matchup.
Dallas’ current arch nemesis, the San Francisco 49ers, will welcome the Cowboys to Levi’s Stadium for a date on Sunday Night Football. I have to admit it feels like when the school bully challenged the new kid to fight behind the school. Except the Cowboys aren’t new, and the 49ers have beat them down a handful of times already.
San Francisco enters the game with an equal 3-3 record as the Cowboys, and also dealing with many injuries. If there was a time for the Cowboys to take advantage and finally defeat Kyle Shanahan’s team, it’s never been a better time than now.
Week 9 at Atlanta Falcons
After a likely loss in San Francisco, the Cowboys get to visit the new-look Atlanta Falcons. QB Kirk Cousins is embracing his role in the locker room, and the Falcons are flying high with a 4-2 record and a three-game win streak.
NFC Playoff picture after Lions best Vikings, Falcons fall to Seahawks in Week 7 – Cody Williams, FanSided
There was movement while the Cowboys watched.
Updated NFC Playoff picture: Lions take over No. 1 seed after beating Vikings
NFC Standings
1 Detroit Lions 5-1 (NFC North Leader)
2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-2 (NFC South Leader)
3 Washington Commanders 4-2 (NFC East Leader)
4 Seattle Seahawks 4-3 (NFC West Leader)
5 Minnesota Vikings 5-1 (Wild Card)
6 Green Bay Packers 4-2 (Wild Card)
7 Chicago Bears 4-2 (Wild Card)
8 Philadelphia Eagles 4-2
9 Atlanta Falcons 3-3
10 Dallas Cowboys 3-3
11 San Francisco 49ers 3-3
12 Arizona Cardinals 2-4
13 New Orleans Saints 2-5
14 New York Giants 2-5
15 Los Angeles Rams 1-4
16 Carolina Panthers 1-5
As mentioned, the Lions giving the Vikings loss number one on the year vaults Detroit not just into the top spot of the NFC North but to the top of the NFC Playoff picture as well. The Lions have looked like the best team in the league over the past few weeks and did nothing to change that by clawing out a win in Minnesota.
Speaking of that NFC North, though, the division looks far and away like the strongest in the entire league. If the season ended today, all four teams in that division would get into the postseason as the Packers maintained their hot start, especially with Jordan Love getting his feet back under him, as they got past the Texans in Week 7 with a narrow win. The Bears, meanwhile, are on bye in Week 7 but their 4-2 record behind Caleb Williams still has them in the mix.
Was letting this offensive lineman walk in free agency Cowboys’ biggest mistake of 2024?- Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire
Cowboys fans miss you, Tyron.
How was he last for the Cowboys?
His last season in Dallas was a bounce-back season for the 13-year veteran. Smith didn’t just play in 13 games for the Cowboys, but once again proved to be one of the best blindside pass protectors in the NFL.
His run blocking, on the other hand, left something to be desired. Smith’s decline in the run blocking portion of the game looked significant in 2023 and the Cowboys likely saw it as a good time to part ways.
How has he been in 2024?
Smith has struggled mightily in 2024. Signed by the Jets to a one year, $6,500,000 guaranteed contract, Smith was brought in to man left tackle for Aaron Rodgers’ Jets. In that time he’s logged the 4th most pass blocking snaps in the NFL at OT. He’s given up the seventh-most pressures (16) and second-most sacks (5).
His run-blocking has slightly improved, with Smith grading out at the 33rd best run blocking OT in the NFL. Given the difficult assignments he’s drawn and the number of times he’s been asked to play on an island, overall Smith grades out as the 27th OT in the NFL.
Lions DB disrespects Cowboys offense by detailing painfully obvious gameplan- Mike Luciano, The Landry Hat
It is not a fun scene in Dallas at the moment.
In an appearance on Detroit teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown’s podcast, Lions defensive back Kerby Joseph said that Dan Campbell’s team went into the game with the sole focus of taking Lamb out of the game. The Lions knew the Cowboys couldn’t counterpunch.
“Once we take him out [of] the game, we wasn’t really worried about anyone else,” Joseph said. The worst part about this for Cowboys fans is that Joseph and the Lions were completely correct in their assessment of Dallas. Even after losing Aidan Hutchinson with an injury, Detroit knew they had no answer.
Lions DB Kerby Joseph rips Cowboys offense after 47-9 beatdown
Joseph, who picked off Prescott in this win, and the rest of his Lions teammates held Lamb to seven catches for 89 yards despite 14 targets and multiple big chunk plays in garbage time when the result was in hand. Outside of that, no one wearing a star on their helmet did much of anything.
Former Cowboys receiver has explosive debut with new team in Week 7- Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
Another familiar face is producing on another team.
Former Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman laid into the team’s wideouts for their ”lazy” route running this season. He didn’t absolve Dak Prescott of all the team’s struggles but did say the pass-catchers aren’t doing enough to help him.
That’s why there were calls for a reunion with Amari Cooper, who the Cleveland Browns were willing to trade. Dallas never showed any interest and the Buffalo Bills wound up landing him in exchange for a third-round pick. As fate would have it, Cooper had a day to remember in Week 7.
Cooper’s debut with Buffalo got off to a fast start as he scored a touchdown on a 12-yard pass from Josh Allen.
That score came in the third quarter, and it got Cooper rolling. He finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
His presence seemed to help rookie Keon Coleman as well. The second-round pick had a breakout performance, going for 125 yards. Before Week 7, he had never picked up more than 51 in a game.
