Photo by Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Who wins tonight… Cleveland or Denver? The Cleveland Browns play the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. FanDuel has the Broncos as 6.5-point favorites over the Browns. Final score prediction: Broncos 30 – Browns 21. Check out FanDuel for all of your NFL betting needs. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images We will see if DeMarcus Lawrence does indeed play next Monday night. The Dallas Cowboys enter their Week 14 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals hoping to get their third-straight win, a feat they have yet to accomplish this season. Sitting at 5-7, a win on Monday night would put them one step closer to having a .500 record and having a potential chance at the playoffs. Despite having the better record and being at home, the Cowboys are still 6.5-point underdogs as of Monday. It appears that the defensive line will continue to be short-handed, as Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones told the media on Monday that it is a “longshot” for DE DeMarcus Lawrence to make his return to the field against the Bengals. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on @1053thefan said it’s “probably a long shot” for DE DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) to play Monday night against the Bengals, but it’s “not out of the question.” “I certainly expect to see him sooner than later.” — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 2, 2024 Lawrence has been out of action since he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot in the team’s Week 3 game against the New York Giants. If there’s been one bright spot to the Bengals disastrous season, QB Joe Burrow has been incredible and the team’s offense remains explosive. It is noteworthy that Burrow had a noticeable limp after taking a cleat to the leg against the Steelers on Sunday, and that could impact his mobility if available against the Cowboys in their matchup. However, having Lawrence back would have been big for a Cowboys defensive line that has remained thin throughout the season. While Jones said it’s a longshot for Lawrence to play against the Bengals, he did provide optimism for a return “sooner rather than later.” It’s impossible to overstate the impact that Lawrence brings on the field for the team, as he is an effective run-defender and pass-rusher on the field. Making four Pro Bowls in his career as well as receiving a second-team All-Pro selection, the Cowboys have been missing his experience over the course of the season.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images All the best to Josh Butler. The Dallas Cowboys have caught a little fire as of late with two straight wins. They managed to do so while battling another opponent outside of the one on the field, and that’s the injury bug. In their win against the New York Giants on Thanksgiving, Dallas was dealt another blow, this time to the secondary, which just got All-Pro DaRon Bland back. Cornerback Josh Butler suffered a torn ACL, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Love yall, thank you for the support ❤️ will come back stronger – 31sland ️ pic.twitter.com/3tAJUPPXGl — Josh Butler 31sland ️ (@JoshButlerTv) November 29, 2024 With Bland missing the first 10 games and rookie Caelen Carson going through his growing pains, Butler was called upon to step up and give some assistance to All-Pro Trevon Diggs. After being inactive in the first seven games, Butler played in each the previous five before his injury. He logged 12 special teams snaps versus the Atlanta Falcons and played nine defensive plays against the Philadelphia Eagles. Butler then made consecutive starts the next two weeks and tallied 61 defensive snaps in each. He also started in the Cowboys win over the Giants and amassed 29 snaps before his injury. Butler was productive in the limited time he got take the field in 2024 with 21 tackles, a sack, and five pass breakups. This is significant when getting to know Butler’s background, which is that of a guy that went undrafted in 2020 and then had stints in the developmental Spring League and the United States Football League before it closed operations in 2023. Butler was then signed to the Cowboys preseason roster that July and showed out with nine tackles and two pass breakups. He didn’t make the 53-man roster, but Butler inked a reserve/future contract. That August, he was waived but returned to the practice squad. It’s clear that Butler belongs on an NFL roster, and more importantly, he showed himself that. However, not only will he have the motivation to have a successful recovery, but Butler will likely need a year to get back on the field, which will limit his opportunities again next season. Plus, he’ll be an exclusive rights free agent in 2026, meaning next season is a contract year. An exclusive rights free agent means that Butler has fewer than three accrued seasons. So, the Cowboys can extend him a one-year qualifying offer. This will keep Butler from negotiating with any other teams, and he would have to sit out the season if he didn’t sign. If the Cowboys don’t offer him a deal, Butler would become an unrestricted free agent and could sign with any team. The Cowboys will have to decide if they want to pay Bland early or let him play out the 2025 campaign before doing an extension, seeing as he just suffered an injury. Regardless of what they do, Butler can be a very nice depth piece to have along with Carson and, of course, drafting another guy in April. Butler has a long road ahead of him, but he’s no stranger having to grind for what he wants.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Here is where the Cowboys stand in the playoff picture following Week 13. The Dallas Cowboys are mathematically alive in the playoff picture at this point in time. We are well aware what this season has been like for the team and how farfetched the idea of the playoffs sound, but as it is a possibility, we are going to discuss it until the fat lady officially sings. For what it’s worth, only one NFC team has heard her song and it was the New York Giants. If you did not connect those dots, the Cowboys were the ones who eliminated the Giants from postseason contention. Tidbits like that are always sweet. Here is the lay of the land in the NFC following Week 13. Note that there is still one game remaining across the league on Monday night, but it is between two AFC teams in the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. NFC Playoff Standings through Week 13 Detroit Lions, 11-1 (NFC North) Philadelphia Eagles, 10-2 (NFC East) Seattle Seahawks, 7-5 (NFC West) Atlanta Falcons, 6-6 (NFC South) Minnesota Vikings, 10-2 (Wild Card #1) Green Bay Packers, 9-3 (Wild Card #2) Washington Commanders, 8-5 (Wild Card #3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6) Arizona Cardinals (6-6) Los Angeles Rams (6-6) San Francisco 49ers (5-7) Dallas Cowboys (5-7) New Orleans Saints (4-8) Chicago Bears (4-8) Carolina Panthers (3-9) Ultimately Week 13 saw the Cowboys pick up some help in terms of what they needed to have happen, but not as much as would have been a full plate of Thanksgiving dinner. Three different Wild Card-contending teams lost in the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Obviously these teams could still win their respective divisions, but seeing them lose is helpful nonetheless. We are getting a bit ahead of ourselves here and will obviously have a Week 14 rooting guide available for you later on in the week, but consider the number of games coming up involving, and between, teams that are ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC standings. More chaos could fall their way by this time next week. Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers Put simply the Cowboys have to make up ground on everyone in front of them which means they need as many losses as they can get from teams who we are assuming will not win their division. They can directly impact the Buccaneers and Commanders in this regard as they still have games remaining against them, but they are going to need the right sequence of events to go their way if they want to have any shot of reaching the postseason. Once again, that is obviously a stretch give the way that this season has gone for the Cowboys; however, that stretch got just a bit more within reach over the last eight days as the Cowboys picked up back-to-back wins and saw a few of these teams slip up. If another week or two were to go their way then all of a sudden we could be talking about something that doesn’t seem completely silly. Five weeks is a long time. Let’s see what kind of chaos lurks behind it all.

Chris Jones-Imagn Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s Team. 2024 NFL Black Friday grades: Cowboys got the job done, earn a “B+” – John Breech, CBSSports For the second week in a row, the Cowboys defense took over the game and led Dallas to a win. DeMarvion Overshown came up with a pick six in the second quarter that put the Cowboys in control and they never trailed after that. The Cowboys pass rush beat up on Drew Lock who got sacked six times with Micah Parsons recording 1.5 of those. The offense wasn’t flashy, but it got the job done, especially Rico Dowdle, who had a breakout game with a career-high 112 yards and one TD. Mike McCarthy might be on the hot seat, but he still has this team playing hard, which might be why Jerry Jones has suddenly shown some interest in possibly bringing him back. NFL Week 13 Recap: Dallas Cowboys 27, New York Giants 20 – Staff, PFF.com Notable performance mostly on defense. Parsons was a force off the edge for the Cowboys, earning a 90.3 PFF pass-rushing grade. From 41 pass-rushing snaps, he produced a 29.7% PFF pass-rush win rate and racked up seven pressures, including three sacks. In games without Parsons, the Cowboys defense has allowed 0.158 EPA; however, in games with the three-time All-Pro, Dallas has lowered that to just 0.024 EPA per play. It’s especially notable in the pass-rush department, as the Cowboys have posted a 44.2% pass-rush win rate, a 32% pressure rate and a 24.4 pass-rushing productivity score in games without Parsons while recording a 46.4% pass-rush win rate, a 38.2% pressure rate and a 30.3 pass-rushing productivity score. On Thanksgiving, Parsons recorded yet another two-sack day, but he wasn’t the only Cowboys defender to thrive against the division rival. DeMarvion Overshown (four total stops, interception, fumble recovery) also impressed, especially when he tipped a Drew Lock pass to himself for an interception that he returned for a touchdown when the game was still close. Additionally, Eric Kendricks (two stops, a sack and a forced fumble), Jourdan Lewis (two stops while only allowing two receptions from four targets for zero yards) and notably Mazi Smith (one stop while consistently re-setting the line of scrimmage and putting the Cowboys linebackers in position to make plays) put together notable performances to round out the Cowboys defense’s impressive day. HIGHEST-GRADED PLAYERS LB Bobby Okereke, New York Giants (82.6) EDGE Brian Burns, New York Giants (82.3) DI Mazi Smith, Dallas Cowboys (79.9) Several Cowboys played well in the win over the Giants; grades are in – Mario Herrera Jr, Inside The Star How does PFF view the Cowboys? CB DaRon Bland (75.6) CB DaRon Bland returned to the field last week versus the Commanders, and looked even better in coverage and run support after a few snaps under his belt. Bland is aggressive enough to shed blocks in the run game, and displays great toughness in his tackling. He was credited with nine tackles and one pass defensed against the Giants, earning him the fifth-highest grade of all Cowboys players in week 13 (75.6). Judging biggest overreactions for NFL Week 13 – Mike McCarthy can still save his job as the Cowboys’ coach – Dan Graziano, ESPN One playoff win in five years just isn’t going to cut it. With its 27-20 win against the Giants on Thanksgiving, Dallas has beaten two division rivals in a span of five days to improve to 5-7 with five games remaining. Edge rusher Micah Parsons keeps saying the Cowboys can still make something happen, and I guess that’s technically true. And while they won’t be catching the Eagles for the division lead, they opened Sunday just two games behind the Commanders (whom they beat last Sunday) for the final wild-card spot in the NFC. If the Cowboys run the table to finish 10-7 and sneak into the postseason, could that lead to an extension on McCarthy’s contract? Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said in a radio interview last week that it’s “not crazy” to think McCarthy — whose contract expires at the end of this season — could get an extension and be back coaching Dallas in 2025. Verdict: OVERREACTION Full credit to the Cowboys for continuing to play hard once it looked like their season was lost. Not every team does that, and it’s a point in the coach’s favor. But it’s pretty farfetched to believe Dallas can run the table. And even if the Cowboys pull off that miracle, McCarthy likely still will have to make a bit of a playoff run to keep his job. The Cowboys fired Jason Garrett in 2020 because he wasn’t able to get them over the hump of playoff success. McCarthy hasn’t done it, either. And unless something incredibly bizarre happens over the remainder of this season, the Cowboys will likely move on. 5 Cowboys pending free agents who have earned an extension – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated A few names are playing for a contract in the final five weeks. Brock Hoffman, IOL During the offseason, Brock Hoffman made a strong push to be the starting center. He was beaten out by Cooper Beebe but has emerged as a candidate to replace Zack Martin, another pending free agent. Martin is a future Hall of Famer, so there’s no way to compare the two players. Still, Hoffman has proven himself a capable starter and brought a much-needed edge to the running game over the past couple of weeks. Eric Kendricks, LB Eric Kendricks was the primary addition in free agency this year and has been a stud. Kendricks has 107 tackles with three sacks, and one interception. He’s been the quarterback of the defense and has proven despite being 32, there’s a lot left in the tank. 3-Round Cowboys 2025 Mock Draft: Trade back nets WR, trench help with extra pick – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire Playoffs or draft? Let’s look at a mock draft. Trade Down: Arizona

Michael Chow via Imagn Content Services, LLC Who wins tonight… San Francisco or Buffalo? The San Francisco 49ers play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football. FanDuel has the Bills as 5.5-point favorites over the 49ers. Final score prediction: Bills 24 – 49ers 17. Check out FanDuel for all of your NFL betting needs. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images The Cowboys will be monitoring the health of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ahead of their Week 14 game against Cincy. The Dallas Cowboys had the day off on Sunday and hopefully were able to rest up and prepare for a potential playoff run that does in fact have a heartbeat, however faint it may be. In order for the Cowboys to make that heartbeat stronger, they will have to win a few more games. Consider that Dallas has five games left this season and will likely need to win at least four of them to make a serious run at the postseason, but that very number – four – is how many of their future opponents won in Week 13. The only remaining Cowboys opponent who lost on Sunday was the one they will see next in the Cincinnati Bengals. While Cincy lost, they put up a fight against the Pittsburgh Steelers and maybe did not escape it feeling 100%. ESPN’s Ben Baby noted after the Bengals game that quarterback Joe Burrow was seen with a “heavy” limp. Apparently Burrow said the team would have a better idea on his status come Tuesday. Bengals QB Joe Burrow walked with a heavy limp after the game. He said he got cleated on the first play of the game, which caused a gash that drew a good amount of blood. Burrow: on how he felt: “It’s always tough to tell right after the game. We’ll know more on Tuesday.” — Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) December 1, 2024 You never want to root for injuries. But the reality is that Dallas hosts Burrow’s team next and his health will play a critical role in the matchup. As Burrow himself noted the full details on what his status is, if it is even remotely questionable, will take some time to be determined. We will keep you updated on it all as the week unfolds.