Cowboys’ Josh Butler suffers ACL injury, Juanyeh Thomas dodges disaster :: The Mothership
After delivering a breakout performance against Washington in Week 12, Butler will need season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL, according to Stephen Jones. Thomas, however, could be back in two to three weeks despite having to be carted off the field on Thursday. His knee injury has been classified as a meniscus issue, one that will require a far shorter rehab.
DeMarcus Lawrence nearing return for Cowboys after defense loses another player for the season :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
While Jerry Jones announced that Lawrence will “more than likely” make his return when the Cowboys takes on the Bengals, McCarthy was careful to temper expectations slightly. “D-Law is going to do more this week,” McCarthy clarified. “We don’t have a definitive answer there. That plan hasn’t been set for the week…He’s coming back into the real fray as far as practicing.”
Shifting the Overshown window: a major takeaway in Cowboys 27-20 win :: Cowboys Wire
When the Texas product was first drafted by the Cowboys in 2023, he was a player without a clear and obvious position, projected to perhaps play a safety-linebacker hybrid role in Dan Quinn’s defense. But after missing his rookie season to injury, Overshown is proving to be a linebacker/edge rusher who’s making an impact much more like Micah Parsons and becoming the kind of defender that opponents must directly scheme against.
DeMarvion Overshown explains emotional pick-six in Thanksgiving win over Giants :: The Mothership
Overshown revealed that he had “been told all week” that a big play was coming his way. Recounting his first-ever pick-six, the linebacker explained, “When the running back let me loose, I was like, ‘There’s some B.S. going on.’ And then the quarterback threw the ball and I was like, ‘This is my play to make.’ I was able to kick in some nitrous and we were dancing in the end zone.”
Brandin Cooks’ return shows Cowboys how important WR2 is for plans :: Cowboys Wire
The veteran’s return after seven weeks illustrated just how important a true WR2 really is on this team. Cooks is slated for free agency this winter and expected to leave Dallas. Finding someone at least as good, preferably better, has to be a key objective for the Cowboys front office. Given their history in free agency, that may mean using a top-50 draft pick.
While Cowboys’ spirits rise, this is where Mike McCarthy wants his team’s focus directed :: Dallas Morning News
A two-game win streak has buoyed the mood significantly within The Star, and McCarthy knows that the playoffs are now a talking point for outside observers. He’s trying, however, to keep his players locked in to a much short-term objective. “My messaging will be, ‘Let’s just pour all of this into Cincinnati right now,’” the coach said. “That’s all that matters. If we don’t take care of Cincinnati, the narratives will definitely change.’’
Cowboys Thanksgiving Game ratings prove they’re still America’s Team :: SI.com
Backup quarterbacks, lousy records, whatever. The Cowboys-Giants matchup drew 38.5 million viewers, per Fox, good enough to count as the most-watched telecast of the NFL season so far. (Another report, though, does point out that Thursday’s game had the lowest in-person attendance of any game at AT&T Stadium this year. The team still leads the NFL at the turnstiles.)
Cowboys-Giants coverage, analysis :: Cowboys Wire
Predictions: Can Cowboys make playoff push in final five games? :: Cowboys Wire
It’s possible, though certainly unlikely, that the Cowboys have a miracle in them that would turn the 2024 campaign into a postseason berth. They’re not as close to catching the lowest-ranked wild card teams as the numbers suggest, and remaining tilts versus Philadelphia and Washington will make it very hard to win out (Cincinnati and Tampa Bay are no slouches, either). Even if Dallas finishes with nine or even 10 wins, they will likely be on the short end of any tiebreaker scenario with another NFC team.
Cowboys Today: Did Dallas plan to do TD celebration with chicken nuggets? :: The Athletic
There was no red kettle touchdown celebration for the Cowboys this Thanksgiving… but someone seems to have had one planned. Found inside each of the on-field props- well after the game- were boxes of chicken nuggets shaped like the Cowboys’ star logo.
Jason Garrett revealed how long he kept turkey leg John Madden gave him in 1994 :: Awful Announcing
The former Cowboys head coach was on the call for Thursday night’s game and got to re-live his moment of glory as the team’s backup quarterback in 1994, when he led Dallas to an improbable Thanksgiving win over Brett Favre and the Packers. Reminiscing about being awarded an official John Madden turkey leg that day, Garrett admitted that he kept it as a souvenir a little longer than was probably healthy. “You know something? I had it in the freezer,” Garrett said. “It was in tinfoil… I probably had it for 15 years. Then we finally moved.”
Bears fire Matt Eberflus following timeout disaster at end of Chicago’s Thanksgiving loss to Lions :: CBS Sports
Eberflus, 54, served in Dallas as Cowboys linebackers coach from 2011 to 2015 and then added passing game coordinator to his title for 2016 and 2017 during Garrett’s tenure. The coach was heavily panned for how much time the Chicago offense wasted in the closing moments of their Thanksgiving Day comeback attempt versus the Lions. It’s the first time in the long history of the Bears franchise that they’ve made a head coaching change in-season.
