Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Here are some things to keep an eye out on when the Cowboys and Panthers face off on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in what looked like an easy game when the schedule came out. The Panthers have struggled to find their footing in the post-Cam Newton era as this year will mark their seventh-straight losing season. The Cowboys are having a losing season themselves and suddenly this game should be closer than we would’ve hoped. Here are five things to keep an eye out for when the Cowboys travel to Charlotte. 1. YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS After being benched early in the season, second-year quarterback Bryce Young has found new life in the Panthers’ offense. Hoping he makes a mistake, defenses are coming after him as he has faced the highest percentage of blitzes since returning to the lineup. But they’re not getting to him as his pressure-to-sack rate is only 10.4% (according to NextGenStats), the fifth-lowest in the league during that span. He’s averaging 7.9 yards per attempt when under pressure, while the Cowboys defense gives up 7.6 yards per attempt under pressure, the third-most in the NFL. That could be a problem. Speaking of returning, no pass rusher has generated more pressures than Micah Parsons since he returned to the lineup in Week 10. Parsons is a restless beast who not only creates pressure but does so in a hurry. His 18 quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds) are also league-best since his return. It should be interesting to see who handles the pressure better as that could loom large in determining the outcome of this game. 2. I GOTTA THIELEN Since trading away D.J. Moore, the Panthers have had trouble finding their alpha receiver. D.J. Chark didn’t work out, Jonathan Mingo didn’t work out (more on that in a minute), and Diontae Johnson didn’t work out. Surprisingly, the team’s most trusted receiver over the last two seasons has been 34-year-old Adam Thielen. A hamstring injury caused him to miss seven games this year, but the veteran receiver is back now and he’s starting to heat up. His last two games include an eight-catch, 99-yard performance against Tampa Bay and nine catches for 102 yards last week against Philadelphia. Thielen had a solid game last year against the Cowboys and he’s been known to put up some big numbers against them. While with the Vikings in 2020, he caught eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. It was his best game of the season. The Cowboys just gave up a big game to JaMarr Chase. Don’t be shocked if Thielen is a pesky thorn in the Cowboys’ defense on Sunday. 3. RICO’S ON A ROLL Through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Cowboys didn’t know what they wanted to do at running back. During that span, only once did running back Rico Dowdle have more than a dozen carries in a game. Lately, they have committed to giving Dowdle more touches. Over the last three games, he’s averaging 20 carries for 110 yards at 5.6 yards per carry. Dowdle has also snuck inside the top 10 in yards per carry (4.8) and rushing success rate (54.6%) for the year, ranking eighth in the NFL for running backs in both categories. The Panthers have a horrid run defense. They have allowed a league-worst 170 yards per game this year. Four times this year they’ve surrendered over 200 yards a game, including each of their last two contests. It’s nice to see the Cowboys running game start to gain traction and they should be able to keep that momentum going against the Panthers on Sunday. 4. DON’T BE SO QUICK TO PULL THE TRIGGER With a name like Cooper Rush, it’s only fitting that he’s in a hurry. The Cowboys quarterback likes to get the ball out of his hands quickly. That’s nice when plays have developed, but it can be a bit of a problem when they haven’t. Rush’s internal clock must be loud because he tends to panic amidst the slightest amount of pressure. He releases the ball 0.38 seconds after facing initial pressure according to NextGenStats. That’s the fastest draw this side of the Mississippi (and across the entire NFL). The issue with Rush’s quick trigger is two-fold. First off, he’s going to his checkdowns far too often. This has led to a 4.6 average yards per attempt when pressured, the fourth-worst in the league. Secondly, his frantic passing has produced quite a bit of off-target throws, giving his receivers no chance to make a play. For Rush to be effective, he needs to muster courage and stand in the pocket like a big boy. 5. CAN WE PLEASE GET SOME MINGO? Before the trade deadline, the Cowboys shipped a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Panthers for former 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo. The hope was that a change of scenery would help spark an otherwise underwhelming start to his NFL career. Well, it hasn’t gone well in Dallas. In four games, Mingo has only been targeted 11 times. He has just two catches for 10 yards. Mingo heads back to Carolina in what typically is viewed as a “revenge game” as he faces the team that drafted him. There will be no stellar performance in this one, but for now, we’d settle for a “shoulder shrug” game where he just put together a respectable performance. The Mingo experiment has been a painful one thus far, but if there is any chance of him turning a corner and showing some promise, it needs to happen real soon.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images The latest and greatest news about the Dallas Cowboys is here. Stargazing: Cowboys to watch vs. Panthers – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com These two need to keep pressure on Bryce Young early and often. Micah Parsons, EDGE There were some who questioned the leadership and selflessness of Parsons heading into the 2024 season but, from the moment training camp started in July, the All-Pro pass rusher has shown he’s keenly aware of the criticism and has evolved into one of the most vocal leaders in the locker room. And after the gutting loss to the Bengals that took him to tears and all but eliminated Dallas from the playoff picture, and the loss of DeMarvion Overshown, the final four games will be the biggest test of his leadership; and I’m looking forward to seeing how he responds to a challenge like this that’s never presented itself to him ever in his football life. Marist Liufau, LB With Overshown now lost to three torn ligaments in his right knee, the onus immediately falls upon Liufau to step up going forward. The decision to use a draft pick on him in April proves brilliant now, and the rookie has flashed in his opportunities to this point, including a critical sack on Joe Burrow that could’ve and should’ve helped lead the Cowboys to victory over the Bengals in primetime. Mike Zimmer is hinting at using Parsons differently with Overshown not in the mix, but I’d draw a circle around Liufau going forward as they try to use him in Overshown’s packages. Rico Dowdle, chasing 1,000 yards, a bright spot for Cowboys – Todd Archer, ESPN The former backup has shined as a starter, and has a milestone within reach. The words “one thousand” and “yards” were never formed into a full question before Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle answered. “Two-sixty-nine,” Dowdle said. “Yep, two-sixty-nine.” That’s how many yards Dowdle needs in the Cowboys’ final four games to reach 1,000. In a season full of team disappointment with a 5-8 record and playoff talk dismissed the way Jim Mora dismissed it so many years ago — “Playoffs?!” — an individual milestone is still in play for Dowdle. How much does he want to reach that mark? “I definitely want it,” he said. “Definitely I’m trying to do it. That’d be nice to get [my] first 1,000-yard season. Definitely want to do it. It’s out there, so trying to.” Dowdle leads the Cowboys with 731 rushing yards on 152 carries, both career highs. That he has a chance at 1,000 yards is remarkable in a way, considering the start of the season. Cowboys injury report: Cooper Beebe ruled out, Trevon Diggs questionable – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys Dallas has several players whose status is up in the air for Sunday. As the Cowboys prepare to travel to Carolina to face the suddenly rejuvenated Carolina Panthers, the Cowboys will have to do it without some of their promising young talent. The week’s final injury report revealed the status of their key players. As expected, Cooper Beebe has been ruled out by #Cowboys vs. Panthers. Several questionable, including Trevon Diggs. None labeled as doubtful. Full final injury report for Week 15: pic.twitter.com/3gcmqhvFoi — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) December 13, 2024 Rookie center Cooper Beebe has been ruled out. After suffering a concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals, he has not practiced this week and is slated to miss Sunday’s game. Juanyeh Thomas (knee) has also not practiced this week and has been ruled out. Veteran Eric Kendricks (NIR-personal/shoulder) missed all practices this week but managed to be ruled as questionable. Trevon Diggs (knee) did not practice today, but there hasn’t been any indication that he is at imminent risk of missing this week’s game. He is questionable. Jourdan Lewis (hamstring) is also questionable. The good news for Dallas is that CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) Tyler Smith (ankle), Rico Dowdle (knee), and DaRon Bland (foot) have been removed from the injury report and carry no injury designation for Sunday. What does the future hold for Tyler Guyton after rocky rookie Cpwboys season? – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News Tyler Guyton has certainly gone through his fair share of rookie growing pains. Sunday’s game between the Cowboys and Panthers unexpectedly means little for playoff possibilities and is more about draft positioning. That’s a result of life in the NFL. It’s a year-to-year business. Part of that yearly process is the patience teams afford young players in their development. For Carolina quarterback Bryce Young, a return from a benching allowed him to grow and show he was worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. On the other side is Tyler Guyton, the Cowboys’ first-round selection in 2024. The chance is remote that Guyton will be on the field Sunday as Young tries to end the Panthers’ three-game losing streak Guyton wasn’t benched by the Cowboys. Injuries pushed him to the sideline, and he may just not be ready to play full-time at left tackle. Coach Mike McCarthy recently said that if not for a foot injury, Chuma Edoga would have been the Cowboys’ Week 1 starter at left tackle. Edoga has recovered and is projected to make his second consecutive start against the Panthers. The Cowboys knew moving Guyton from being a full-time right tackle in college to the demanding position of left tackle in the NFL would be challenging. While Guyton has shown flashes of a future at the position, how he’s responded to neck and ankle injuries and a team-high 16 penalties are concerning. CeeDee Lamb 27 yards away from joining exclusive Cowboys club – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire Lamb has quietly has another productive season. At just 5-8 and on the brink of official elimination from playoff contention, there wouldn’t seem to be much left for the Cowboys to play for. But there is one star player who will have a noteworthy accomplishment well within his grasp when

Madden believes this is going to be a tough week for the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a loss this week, the first time they are tasked with doing so since they successfully did a few weeks back at Washington. On paper that game was much more difficult than the one at hand. In fact, that game was so difficult that in winning it the Cowboys won while as big of an underdog as they had done so in a victory in over 14 years. The Cowboys are, in fact, the team who oddsmakers believe will lose on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, which is incredible given that it has been two years since Carolina was favored in any kind of game. The 2024 Cowboys are quite the elixir for groups. In order to hopefully understand what will happen on Sunday we did what we always do and ran a simulation through Madden 25. You can watch it right below. As fate would have it, you can count Madden among those who believe the Cowboys are going to lose this game. Madden actually has the Cowboys not even hanging with the Panthers as the final score is 31-17. For what it’s worth, Madden correctly predicted a Dallas Cowboys loss last week. When predicting a loss specifically this season, Madden has a record of 5-2 in terms of accuracy. Week 1 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Cleveland Browns, 18-17 Week 1 In Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Cleveland Browns, 33-17 Week 2 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to New Orleans Saints, 36-29 Week 2 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to New Orleans Saints, 44-10 Week 3 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Baltimore Ravens, 21-14 Week 3 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Baltimore Ravens, 28-25 Week 4 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to New York Giants, 28-21 Week 4 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants, 20-15 Week 5 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14 Week 5 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17 Week 6 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Detroit Lions, 38-31” Week 6 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Detroit Lions, 47-9 Week 8 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers, 22-7 Week 8 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to San Francisco 49ers, 30-24 Week 9 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Atlanta Falcons, 13-10 Week 9 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Atlanta Falcons, 27-21 Week 10 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Philadelphia Eagles, 21-17 Week 10 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Philadelphia Eagles, 34-6 Week 11 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Houston Texans, 24-17 Week 11 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Houston Texans, 34-10 Week 12 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat Washington Commanders, 24-21 Week 12 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat Washington Commanders, 34-26 Week 13 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants, 48-14 Week 13 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys beat New York Giants, 27-20 Week 14 Madden Prediction: Dallas Cowboys lose to Cincinnati Bengals, 36-33 Week 14 in Actuality: Dallas Cowboys lose to Cincinnati Bengals, 27-20 If the Cowboys did lose to the Panthers then it would likely be viewed as the latest new low for the team, even though the Panthers have been finding legitimate form as of late. Consider that Carolina scored 20+ points in three of Bryce Young’s first 19 career starts and that they have hit that threshold in four of his last five. Whatever the case, Madden expects the Cowboys to drop a game for the ninth time this season on Sunday. We will see how right they are.

Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Taking one last look at the Panthers side of things. 4 bold Carolina Panthers predictions against the Cowboys in Week 15 – Luke Gray, CatCrave.com Carolina being competitive recently has made for some interesting predictions. Carolina Panthers secure 5+ sacks One thing that has gone under the radar over the past three games is the complete resurgence of the Carolina Panthers pass rush. They have 25 sacks on the season — 13 of those coming during this stretch. Up against a patchwork Cowboys offensive line, this represents another opportunity for the Panthers to make an impact. Dallas gave up three sacks in its Monday Night Football loss against the Cincinnati Bengals. If Evero is smart in his blitzing scheme as he has been in recent weeks, this could be a big day. Expect a potentially prolific performance from D.J. Wonnum. It’s no coincidence that the Panthers’ pass rush has come to life since the former Minnesota Vikings star made his debut in the win over the New York Giants. Carolina Panthers hold the Cowboys under 100 yards rushing The Carolina Panthers struggled immensely in the run game as they have done all season long against the Philadelphia Eagles. This wasn’t exactly a surprising development when one looks at their performance levels throughout the campaign and the standard of rushing attack Nick Sirianni has at his disposal. This could be a real opportunity for the Panthers to hold a team under 100 rushing yards for the first time since the Week 3 win at the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cowboys average just 91.2 rushing yards per game — 28th best in the league. Winning in the trenches is crucial. The likes of Shy Tuttle and LaBryan Ray must enhance their ability to shed blocks and make plays at the contact point to achieve this objective. A’Shawn Robinson changes Panthers defense as a pass rusher – Kassidy Hill, Panthers.com A defensive resurgence in recent weeks has been led by one particular Panthers player. CHARLOTTE—The Panthers pass rush has come alive in recent weeks. After nine sacks and 20 quarterback hurries in the first eight weeks of the season, the defense has notched 16 sacks and 29 quarterback hurries in the last five games. There are a few reasons for that: increased chemistry amongst a defense that saw a lot of new faces and injuries or the addition of D.J. Wonnum and then Amaré Barno, allowing for more push and helping to free up Jadeveon Clowney. One of the more surprising factors though is the pass rush Carolina is getting from defensive end A’Shawn Robinson. “I think this is the most opportunities I ever had to rush in my career and I’m capitalizing on them,” Robinson said Sunday following the Panthers game against the Eagles, a smile he couldn’t keep away taking over his face. The smile was a message, he said. “It’s a shot to everybody that discredited me in my whole career, said I couldn’t pass rush.” Robinson is now in his ninth season in the league. Three of them were in LA with the Rams. Ejiro Evero was a coach on that defense and has some insight as to why Robinson didn’t receive too many pass rush opportunities with the Rams from 2020-2022. “Well, I think the major reason that he didn’t get much pass rush in LA is because Aaron Donald got to the quarterback too fast,” laughed Evero. But now as the defensive coordinator for the Panthers, Evero is reaping the benefits of a Robinson on a mission. “I’ve been the best player since I came from college to the NFL. And you can say whatever you want to say, statistically it shows, film shows itself,” Robinson declared. “So, I believe myself on a high level who I am, and I know who I am.” Jaycee Horn reacts to Panthers being favored over Cowboys for Week 15 game – Zach Roberts, Sports Illustrated Carolina is favored in a game for the first time in two years. The margin is slim, but the oddsmakers still think the safest bet is for the Panthers to win a home game over the Dallas Cowboys. That has not happened very much in Jaycee Horn’s career, as the team has been pretty bad overall since well before he was drafted. That said, the team seems to be trending in the right way lately. They have two wins in five games and the three losses are all to division-leading teams that came down to the final possession. They’re playing better, and Las Vegas is finally willing to admit that. Here’s what Horn had to say about it. Jaycee Horn is surprised his Panthers are favored but not for the reason you think Jaycee Horn said he’s surprised that the odds favor Carolina because “it seems like everybody hates the Panthers.” He smiled and continued,” At the end of the day, that stuff don’t matter. All these pre-season awards, the picks all these analysts make, they tend to be wrong. We just gotta do better in our game.” Horn said he’s not necessarily surprised that it’s been 33 games since the Panthers were favored. He’s just mostly surprised they’ve been picked to win this one at all. Since 2021, the Panthers are 17-46. That was Horn’s rookie season, so he has not been on a good team yet. Horn, who is injured and questionable to play this weekend, commented recently on the surge the Panthers are experiencing lately. He believes things are trending in the right direction, and the odds might be a part of that. Here is the Cowboys’ final injury report for Week 15 at Carolina. As expected, Cooper Beebe has been ruled out by #Cowboys vs. Panthers. Several questionable, including Trevon Diggs. None labeled as doubtful. Full final injury report for Week 15: pic.twitter.com/3gcmqhvFoi — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) December 13, 2024

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Cowboys fans seem to have made up their mind on Mike McCarthy. The Dallas Cowboys’ last gasp of playoff air was robbed from their lungs the second Amani Oruwariye decided to touch the football on a blocked punt. For the briefest of moments, Nick Vigil’s punt block had set the Cowboys up to win the game over the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, the Cowboys are also-rans in 2024 and must start looking toward 2025 as an organization. But they still have to play four more games. Those are the rules. So this week they turn their attention to the Carolina Panthers, another NFL franchise that is going though some things. Even with all of their issues the past couple of year, for the first time in a while they are favored in a game. For Cowboys fans, that might not come as a shock as almost all confidence has been lost that the direction of this franchise is going in the right direction. We are now back down to single-digit confidence. Further, Cowboys fans have rendered their verdict on the future of Mike McCarthy. It was assumed that McCarthy would be gone once the season started to go south. But then Dak Prescott, Jerry Jones and others made comments that McCarthy could stay. Cowboys fans aren’t buying the argument. Only 16% of fans think McCarthy should be back. As for the game on Sunday, NFL fans are split as to who will cover the spread.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The offseason is quickly approaching for the Dallas Cowboys. After the most recent loss to the Cincinnati Bengals there is really no reason to continue pretending the Dallas Cowboys have any kind of chance to reach the postseason this year. It’s time to start focusing more on the future of this organization and where they are headed. They will have a lot of work to do in the offseason and they might as well start now. Today, we thought we’d get a jumpstart on things and take a look at some of the more important unanswered questions for the Cowboys prior to heading into the offseason. With just four games remaining on the 2024 NFL regular-season schedule, these offseason decisions may start happening sooner rather than later. Will the Cowboys retain Mike McCarthy as their HC? The first thing the Cowboys have to do is figure out their head-coaching situation before they can do anything else in the offseason. Many believe it’s time to move on from Mike McCarthy, but Jerry Jones and Company as of yet haven’t been forthcoming as to what his future holds in Dallas. They don’t seem to have closed the door completely about giving him a contract extension, but at the same time haven’t fully endorsed he is the right man for the job either. With four games remaining on the 2024 regular-season schedule, a decision will have to be made sooner rather than later. Should the Cowboys consider trading Micah Parsons? After taking care of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb financially, Micah Parsons is next in line to receive a contract extension from the Cowboys. There’s little doubt a big payday is coming his way considering he’s arguably one of the best, if not the best, defensive players in the league, but is it in the best interest of the Cowboys to be the team to pay him? Injuries and poor play this year has exposed their roster depth, and as such, could really use the draft capital they could get in return by trading No. 11 away to the highest bidder. This is one of those chicken and egg debates with no clear answer right now. Will the Cowboys be more aggressive in free agency? A year ago the Cowboys did little in free agency to help upgrade the roster and as a result we have seen their depth exposed due to the plethora of injuries they sustained this season. Jerry Jones and Company will be sure to point out getting players back healthy will help improve things, but there are still several holes they will need to fill via free agency and the draft. With the investment they’ve made in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and possibly Micah Parsons, money could be tight for them once again. That probably means we’ll see much of the same from them this offseason as we did last year.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images It is starting to seem more likely than not that Mike McCarthy could return to the Dallas Cowboys in 2025. Jerry Jones has been dropping breadcrumbs left and right for a few weeks now. At just about every turn or radio appearance, Jerry has expressed confidence/optimism/support/call-it-what-you-want in favor of Mike McCarthy as the head coach of his football team. It should be noted that Jerry did not exactly do this back in January when it would have made sense (in a literal sense, not a contextual one) to extend the skipper. As we are all aware, he chose to let McCarthy (and a majority of his staff, including new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer) run at the season in contract years which has existed as a cloud hanging over them throughout the entire campaign. As noted though, Jerry has offered that McCarthy is a fine coach, a Super Bowl-winning one at that, and said things like that it isn’t impossible for McCarthy to return to the team in 2025. Conventional wisdom suggests that this seems more likely than not given that the hottest would-be name on the market (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson) likely won’t be a match for the Cowboys based on the fact that they are, um, the Cowboys. In terms of names, the actual biggest on the market figured to be the legendary Bill Belichick, but this week he joined the University of North Carolina which takes him off of the board. For what it’s worth, reports are that Belichick and his group were not only unsure if Dallas would have an opening but if Jerry would cede control/power to him. Obviously that is the thing when it comes to the Cowboys. Connecting dots it stands to reason that there may not be a worthwhile option for the Cowboys if they do indeed reach a point where they are looking for a new head coach in a month’s time. National reporting is starting to corroborate this. On Friday, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini note that “word around the league” is that Mike McCarthy is going to return to the Cowboys for 2025. From our friends at Bleacher Report: On track to have their first losing season since 2020, the Dallas Cowboys may not be looking to move on from Mike McCarthy as their head coach. Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic on the Scoop City podcast (starts at 9:35 mark), there is a “feeling around the league” that McCarthy will be back with the Cowboys in 2025. The feeling in question could just be the logical leap that anyone is able to make right now. If it’s dark and cloudy outside then it is more probable than not that it is going to rain. That type of thing. But if you want to put on a tinfoil hat you could convince yourself that Jerry and the Cowboys assessed this overall situation over the last who-knows-how-long and that is why they began to advocate more for McCarthy. Maybe they were getting ahead of things so as to sell that this is what they wanted. Or heck, maybe this really is what they do actually want. If we are measuring the wants and wishes of important people involved, quarterback Dak Prescott has also issued a public endorsement. Last week he offered a rare public comment (since his injury and surgery) and noted that he wants McCarthy back. He even went as far as saying Mike deserves a shot “on his terms.” “Your coach seems like he’s playing on his last contract and [I’m] almost feeling helpless like I can’t help him in this situation, especially a guy you believe in so much and you believe in being your head coach,” Prescott told Yahoo Sports during a Tuesday afternoon Zoom call. “Control what I can control, help and support Mike to every extent that I can.” … “I believe in him wholeheartedly,” Prescott said, speaking in partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods. “I don’t want to necessarily get into the nuts and the screws of it all obviously, but I think he definitely deserves a chance — another contract and a chance to coach this team amongst more influence. ‘On his terms’ may be a good way to say it. “But I wholeheartedly believe in him.” There are still four games left in the regular season for the Cowboys so any serious conversation along these lines will be tabled until after the New Year begins; however, it is starting to seem like there is a lot of smoke building which would suggest a fire is somewhere around these parts. Is it the flame of Mike McCarthy? Alive and not at all extinguished?