Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images The Cowboys are big-time home underdogs against Cincinnati. Every so often the spread for a football game doesn’t seem quite right. That is the case this week for the Dallas Cowboys game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. This isn’t some screed about how the Cowboys deserve more respect for pulling off one shocking win and then also beating the worst team in the league in the New York Giants. There is no doubt the Cowboys are playing better, but that is not what is off about the opening line this week. FanDuel has the Bengals as 6.5-point favorites. This is a Bengals team that is 4-8. As in one less win on the season than the 5-7 Cowboys. The Bengals have beaten the murderers row of the Panthers, Giants, Browns and Raiders. Sure the Bengals have lost some close games to some good teams, but they are currently on a three-game losing streak. They will also be on the road. And now we learn that Joe Burrow is limping. All of that adds up to the Cowboys being almost a touchdown underdog? That just doesn’t feel right.

Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images DeMarvion Overshown is looking like a cornerstone player for years to come. When the Dallas Cowboys drafted DeMarvion Overshown in the third round in 2023, the thought was that he would be an immediate addition to a linebacker room that desperately needed his services. The flashes were there in the preseason, but Overshown suffered a torn ACL and went to the shelf. Of course, the Cowboys were cautious with his recovery. Now that the bandaid has been taken off, we’ve gotten a weekly dose of what Overshown can do on the football field, and it’s extremely pleasing to the eye. The former Texas Longhorn didn’t waste time making an impact. In the Cowboys season opener against the Cleveland Browns, Overshown only played 44% of the snaps, but he tallied 11 tackles and a sack. All Overshown has done since then is continue to elevate his game week by week to the point that he is currently second on the Cowboys with 84 tackles and in sacks with five. Even when he doesn’t get to the quarterback, Overshown is making life difficult for them with 17 pressures and 10 hurries in his 67 pass-rush snaps so far this season. What makes Overshown so unique, much like All-Pro Micah Parsons, is his versatility. In addition to his 584 snaps in the box, he also has 84 on the defensive line and six in the slot. The latter isn’t surprising because he once played the safety position, so he has some coverage skills as well. Overshown got his first career interception on Thanksgiving against the New York Giants by tipping the ball to himself and tracking it down. More importantly, he took it all the way for a touchdown. It was a special moment for Overshown, as he explained after the Cowboys win. I was just playing football and it’s like, man, I knew a play was coming and I’ve been told all week that play is coming. I didn’t know when it was coming, but it was coming, and I was just playing football. I [saw] the ball, tipped it, and I was just praying the whole time that it stayed up. I was like, ‘Man, please let my speed, for once, be fast enough to get to this ball. Everywhere else is cool, but let me get to this ball. So the emotions? I’m just overjoyed right now. It’s a good win and I’m proud of our team. WHAT A PLAY BY OVERSHOWN. : #NYGvsDAL on FOX : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/o9hC8Zduzw — NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024 Coming back from a major injury is never easy, especially an ACL. There’s no guarantee that the player will ever be the same. Just ask former Cowboy and now retired wide receiver Michael Gallup, who suffered the same injury at the end of the 2021 season, and he was never close to the same player. For Overshown, not only has he clearly recovered, he’s playing elite level football, and mind you, his career in the NFL at the moment would be the equivalent of a redshirt freshman in college. When watching Overshown play, it’s like watching a heat-seeking missile. He literally hits another gear as soon as the ball is snapped, and he’s decisive when reading his keys. Overshown doesn’t look like a guy that’s playing in his first full season on the field. He looks like a seasoned veteran. While he was rehabbing last year, Overshown was fantasizing about showing his ability on the pro level. I’m very thankful. Just before the game I was telling myself around this time last year, I was just waiting to show people my testimony of when I get back on the field. I’m going to show what God has truly put in me — to inspire and play like I do. Overshown is only 12 games into his career, and he’s already performing at a high level. Needless to say, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images AFTERNOON GAMES LET’S GO. More NFL action in the late afternoon slot. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Let’s have a good Sunday. The Cowboys already played this week, so enjoy some other NFL games. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images Plenty of opportunities have been created for the Cowboys this season thanks to injuries. The Dallas Cowboys have done a tremendous job remodeling their offensive line. It hasn’t always been smooth and not everything goes according to plan, but once things start to come into focus it becomes rather apparent the front office has a pretty good idea of what they are doing. This offseason brought about a lot of criticism. They allowed veteran All-Pro tackle Tyron Smith to leave in free agency after his healthiest season in four years. They also let Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz leave for a bigger paycheck creating two large holes on the offensive line. What raised eyebrows wasn’t just letting two key starters walk, but rather doing next to nothing in free agency to fill those voids. All they did was re-sign veteran swing tackle Chuma Edoga who didn’t play that well last year. That doesn’t necessarily make fans feel good about the offensive line entering the new season. But in typical front office fashion, what seems like a problem in March isn’t always a problem in December. The team felt comfortable letting two starters leave because they already had safety nets on the roster. In 2022, they lost Tyron Smith in training camp causing them to start rookie Tyler Smith at left tackle. As raw as he was, he performed surprisingly well. When he moved into his preferred position of left guard last year he flourished, earning All-Pro honors immediately. So while Tyler is the team’s star left guard, they know he could play left tackle if needed, which he did earlier this year without skipping a beat. They also felt content with letting Biadasz leave because of what they saw in Brock Hoffman. The undrafted interior lineman started two games for them last year after Biadasz got hurt. While the team still had other plans to replace the vacated starters, they knew they had some worst-case-scenario options they were comfortable with. Another element to this is that the Cowboys’ scouting department led by Will McClay had a strong grasp on the talent-rich draft class looming right around the corner. It was clear they were going to address the offensive line in the draft, which is exactly what they did. When the draft rolled around, they packaged their 24th overall pick for pick 29 and pick 73, which they used to select tackle Tyler Guyton and guard Cooper Beebe. Guyton and Beebe moved into the starting lineup right away. Guyton played right tackle in college but was moved to the opposite side to protect Dak Prescott’s blindside. Beebe was a guard in college but was moved to center as the team again put faith that the transition would be seamless. It was trial by fire. It hasn’t been without some bumps along the way, but overall we can see what these young players bring to the table. But it gets even better. This season we’ve seen Father Time finally catch up with Zack Martin. One might say we saw some writing on the wall last season as his play declined. He’s missed the last two games due to injury, and the team has called upon Hoffman to play right guard. To the shock of many, Hoffman has impressed. He is getting his hands on defenders, taking them on the ground, and doing so with some swagger. Hoffman has provided an added level of nastiness within the offensive line. Guyton is having a rough go his rookie season as he constantly gets hurt which is unfortunate because the best thing for him right now is repetition. He’s still a work in progress, but he’s showing improvement. Beebe’s move to center has been no problem. He’s getting off the snap quicker and once he gets his mitts on the defender he does a good job anchoring and not giving ground. Beebe has played two games (50 pass-rushing snaps) against one of this year’s best defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and didn’t allow a single hurry. Add Hoffman’s raw power and improved fundamentals to the strength of Smith and Beebe and suddenly the Cowboys interior offensive line just got a whole lot stronger. While it might have not been Plan A, the Cowboys have remodeled their offensive line. A once-aging group just got a whole lot younger. LT Tyler Guyton 22 LG Tyler Smith 23 C Cooper Beebe 23 RG Brock Hoffman 25 RT Terence Steele 27 And let’s not forget about some quality youngsters on the bench. swing OT Asim Richards 24 swing iOL T.J. Bass 25 This isn’t the first time the Cowboys have completely overhauled their entire offensive line. There may be more work to be done. The Cowboys may again look to the draft for improvements and the list you see above may not be the final product. But with all these young players showing so much promise, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the Cowboys offensive line going forward.

Chris Jones-Imagn Images Your latest Cowboys news. Brandin Cooks felt the “trust” from his coach, QB in first game back – Patrik Walker, Dallascowboys.com With Brandin Cooks back from his stint on injured reserve, the wide receiver position is in good hands for the Cowboys. Brandin Cooks had been on injured reserve after he underwent a procedure on his knee after the Week 4 game with the Giants. He was activated this week to play after missing the last seven games. “It’s always frustrating when you’re not playing the game that you love,” Cooks said after the game. “I put so much work in. I’m so grateful by God’s grace to be out there and compete with the team.” And it seemed as if Cooks felt right at home as well, catching the first offensive touchdown of the game – a 3-yard reception in the corner of the end zone to give Dallas a 20-10 lead. “I just think it’s a trust-throw with (Cooper Rush) to trust me to be able to go get it and run underneath it,” said Cooks, who hadn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 1 at Cleveland. But it was his diving catch on another third down to ice the game in final two minutes that also showed his value. That play gave the Cowboys a new first down and allowed them to run out the clock for the 27-20 win. “I think that’s huge to trust me in the situation like that,” said Cooks, who had three receptions for 16 yards. “Coop trusts me and Coach trusts me with the play-call.” Cowboys Need Just One Thing To Make Playoffs: Perfection – Austin Givan, Athlon Sports The stars that need to align for the Cowboys to make the postseason. The Dallas Cowboys have kept their postseason hopes alive with back-to-back wins, including a 27-20 Thanksgiving victory over the New York Giants. But sitting at 5-7, their playoff aspirations are a long shot. To secure a Wild Card spot in the competitive NFC, Dallas needs to finish strong while relying on favorable results across the league. And when we say “strong,’’ we basically mean “perfection.’’ The NFC East title is out of reach with the Philadelphia Eagles comfortably ahead. Instead, Dallas must target a Wild Card berth, competing with teams like the Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, with just three spots available and several teams already ahead in the standings, the Cowboys need a nearly flawless run. A bit of hope could come in the return of key players who have been battling injuries like pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence and Trevon Diggs. Remaining Schedule Highlights: Week 14 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Monday Night Football): Dallas faces a tough challenge, however, against a struggling Bengals squad led by Joe Burrow. The Cowboys’ pass rush, led by Micah Parsons, will need to exploit Cincinnati’s protection issues to secure an upset win. Week 15 @ Carolina Panthers: A must-win against a struggling Panthers team. Anything less would likely eliminate Dallas from playoff contention. What Needs to Happen Elsewhere: · The Washington Commanders (7-5) must continue to falter, ideally losing at least two of their remaining games with Dallas holding the tie breaker at the moment. They face matchups against the Titans, Saints and Falcons that could go either way. Cowboys 2023 draft class finally starting to become regular contributors – Brian Martin, Blogging The Boys The Cowboys are starting to see a return on investment with the 2023 rookie draft class. It wasn’t long ago the Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft class was looking like an all-time bust, but recently things have started to change for those draftees. Believe it or not, it’s looking as if they could have several of these players turning themselves into regular contributors, quite possibly starters. Ideally teams want to hit on every single one of their draft picks and the Cowboys have been better than most and doing just that. It wasn’t looking as if it would apply to their 2023 draftees, however, the arrow is trending upwards for several of them the further we get into the 2024 season. Today, we’re going to identify a handful of these players who are finally starting to become the players they were drafted to be. Whether they continue to trend upwards from here on out is unknown, but as of now things certainly look encouraging moving forward. Round 2, Pick 58 – TE Luke Schoonmaker Schoonmaker had fallen out of favor with the coaching staff and was barely playing prior to Jake Ferguson sustaining a concussion against the Houston Texans a few weeks ago. Since then he’s become a reliable target in the passing game for QB Cooper Rush and is putting up his best numbers. Once thought to be a waste of a draft pick, the former Michigan TE is looking more and more like a starting caliber player. Round 3, Pick 90 – LB DeMarvion Overshown Overshown has far outplayed anybody else from the Cowboys 2023 draft class. He has arguably been the team’s Defensive MVP this year and looks to be a superstar in the making. He’s been one of the few bright spots for the team this year on the defensive side of the ball and is someone they can continue to build around for years to come. He started out as a flash player, but has now become a consistent playmaker. Jimmy Johnson says Cowboys will give fans ‘false hope’ in playoff run – Randy Gurzi, Cowboys on SI Playoffs? Legendary coach has a warning. On the heels of two wins in a row, the Dallas Cowboys are starting to think about the playoffs once again. Admittadly, they have a lot of ground to cover at 5-7 but Micah Parsons said this team can get hot and go on a run. He’s not the only one who believes they can rip off enough wins to get into contention either. Legendary head coach Jimmy Johnson, who led the