Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable. Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Brian Martin, Jess Haynie, Tom Ryle, David Howman and RJ Ochoa. What is the best way to describe special teams during the Washington Commanders game? The Dallas Cowboys come away with a miraculous victory in a game that had both sides score just three points by half time. Both offenses had their struggles throughout the game and both team’s defenses put up a major fight. That left the game being decided by the final part of the roster, special teams. Brandon Aubrey had his first field goal blocked, then another hit the post and even Brian Anger had a punt blocked which put Washington in scoring position. But the special teams madness didn’t end there. Aubrey got back on form, KaVontae Turpin then made a house call on a kickoff return for 99 yards, with a spin move that will make highlight reels for weeks. On the Commanders’ side, Austin Seibert missed a field goal and in a dramatic conclusion of the game, he missed the extra point on the final scoring drive to level the score. But it didn’t stop there! After all that Juanyeh Thomas then returned an onside kick at the end of the game, which thankfully didn’t affect the outcome. This game was won for Dallas off the efforts of defense and the crazy turn of events that unfolded on special teams. The game proving that you need all three elements of your roster to win games in the NFL. Howman: A hot mess. Emphasis on “mess” in the first half, and emphasis on “hot” in the second half. A blocked kick, a blocked punt, and a straight up miss from Brandon Aubrey is pretty terrible. But Aubrey bounced back to hit two field goals and all four PATs (which, apparently, was a big deal in this game) and the Turpin touchdown was massive in fending off a surging Commanders squad in that fourth quarter. RJ: It was a chaotic mess that was only tolerable because the Dallas Cowboys won. I recognize that this makes me not cool, but something like Juanyeh Thomas not going down when recovering the onside kick is inexcusable and the type of thing that coaching should theoretically address. This group needs some serious tightening up in the worst way and this game proved that. Tom: Was it something in the water? Washington certainly had its own share of special teams mishaps and breakdowns, and they were arguably more important than Dallas’ errors. Or you can look at it as both teams having some massive wins on special teams. Remember that only one of Aubrey’s misses was really on him, while Austin Siebert had a terrible day of his own. I’ll agree they have plenty to work on, but as Brad Sham said on the postgame show at 105.3 The Fan, the shuffling of the offensive line probably jumbled the blocking for kicks as well. I’ll just enjoy the pure craziness of it all and not get too wrapped up in things. Jess: It was definitely “special.” For so many rare plays to happen in one game is just one of the record books. But two things you can take away from it are Brandon Aubrey’s resilience and KaVontae Turpin’s brilliance. It’s sad that Turpin’s big plays are all coming in meaningless games, but he’s earning league-wide recognition as one of the luminaries of his craft. And for Aubrey, as we also saw last Monday after his one miss, he just keeps proving how icy his veins are. Brian: Special teams for both the Cowboys and the Commanders certainly made the game more interesting and actually helped to determine the outcome of the game. It was really odd to see Dallas have both a kick and punt blocked. You can probably contribute it to Dallas’ backup offensive lineman playing a role they’re not accustomed to, but it was still strange nonetheless. It still amazes me to watch KaVontae Turpin dominate in the return game like he does. What positives from the Commanders game can fans take away as Dallas prepares for the New York Giants? As previously mentioned, Turpin made a 99-yard return and he’s now flashed that top end speed two weeks in a row and needs some serious consideration for extra snaps on offense. Luke Schoonmaker made a solid catch for the team’s go-ahead touchdown. The touchdown proving that he does have something under the hood for this offense to tap into. Jalen Tolbert, although somewhat inconsistent, proved he could be relied upon to make pressure catches in the endzone. And, of course, there’s Cooper Rush who played with extra confidence after the first touchdown which is a good sign. Beyond all that on offense it was exciting to see what the Cowboys defense orchestrated. The team was insanely efficient with Josh Butler stepping up, Donovan Wilson making a big play and Micah Parsons proving he’s still hungry. All optimistic notes going into the next game. Howman: Cooper Rush actually looked good. Not “carry us to the playoffs” good, but he hit on 75% of his passes, including several deep shots, and threw two touchdowns without a turnover. Compare that to Tommy DeVito, who came nowhere close to capturing last year’s magic in his start against the Buccaneers. Plus, Mike Zimmer’s defense has been playing genuinely good football as of late, and certainly good enough to have a chance against Mr. Cutlets. RJ: Mostly I think that the biggest takeaway is that the team has some spine and is willing to stand tall and put up a fight. We may think that the Commanders are frauds now, but for a while they were being regarded as being quite

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images KaVontae Turpin picked up NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his huge day against Washington. The Dallas Cowboys were victorious last week against the Washington Commanders and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin was a big reason why. With things hanging in the balance late in the game, Turpin took matters into his own hands and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. There was still some chaos that unfolded afterwards which made matters a bit more hectic, but Turpin’s outstanding moment stood tall as the breakpoint of the contest. Turpin was recognized as a result of it all as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. NFC Players of the Week! (Week 12)@saquon | @KaVontaeTurpin pic.twitter.com/XZpMzdkQ5c — NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2024 KaVontae Turpin has established himself as one of the better return men in the NFL for a few years now, but the play in question was actually the first kickoff that he ever returned for a touchdown. Given that he had a punt return for a touchdown to start the season it is safe to say that 2024 is going rather well for him. Zebra Sports offered that Turpin reached a top speed of 21.35mph during the run in question and that this was the third-fastest return that the NFL at large has seen all year. Turpin is indeed quite fast. Dallas Cowboys WR KaVontae Turpin reached a top speed of 21.35mph during his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on Sunday against Washington, according to @ZebraSports. This was the third-fastest kickoff return this season. Turpin officially has 3 of the 20 fastest speeds… pic.twitter.com/GMmOQrloha — RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 26, 2024 Just six days before his moment of glory Turpin put an end to the touchdown drought that the Cowboys offense was experiencing in their home building of AT&T Stadium. On that specific play Turpin once again displayed his speed as it was literally the fastest that any player has traveled all year. Kudos to KaVontae Turpin. Need I remind you that he is set to be a free agent in the spring.

Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images It is always fun to watch the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. It’s that time again. Time to wake up Thursday morning and start prepping all the Thanksgiving dishes early in the day, with the parade on the TV in the background while you cook. Then sit down at the table and enjoy all the delicious food, but also keep an eye on the clock to make sure you finish in time for the real focal point of the day: Dallas Cowboys football. It’s hard to believe it’s already here, but the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving game is right around the corner. Soon, millions of people will be forced to tune in and watch a 4-7 team led by Cooper Rush square off against a 2-9 team led by maybe Tommy DeVito? If the Cowboys manage to win, it’ll be the first time this calendar year they’ve won a game in their home stadium. To say that this matchup has lost its appeal would be an understatement. Odds weren’t great coming into the season that this would be a game with major playoff implications, but duels between Dak Prescott and Daniel Jones have generally been somewhat competitive. But Prescott is out for the year with an injury, while the Giants benched Jones for financial reasons before outright cutting him last week. New York turned to Tommy DeVito, last year’s undrafted rookie whose flashy play and stereotypical Italian demeanor made him an Internet sensation. The Giants went 3-3 with DeVito as the starter, though the quarterback had been up and down in his performances in those games. In his first start of the year, DeVito was unable to recapture any of the magic from last year’s run. He completed 67.7% of his passes for just 189 yards against a tough Buccaneers defense and, outside of a rushing touchdown down big in the fourth quarter, the Giants were held scoreless in a 30-7 loss. Sensational rookie receiver Malik Nabers made some eyebrow-raising comments afterwards, too: “It ain’t the quarterback,” said rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who led the Giants with six catches for 64 yards. “Same outcome when we had DJ at quarterback. “I don’t know what it is,” Nabers added when asked to identify the team’s problem. “Everybody know better than me. … I know I’m tired of losing.” The Cowboys can relate to that, as they had their own controversy not too long ago when Micah Parsons made a comment about Mike McCarthy, which he later apologized for. Both these teams seem to be on the verge of a new coaching staff after a lost season, which makes this matchup interesting for all the wrong reasons. DeVito has popped up on the injury report so it is actually unclear if he will play. Drew Lock would be the next quarterback up. At this point, Giants fans are doing daily mock drafts and arguing about which quarterback they’ll take with their top five draft pick. Cowboys fans have started to adopt that trend, though they know Dallas won’t be drafting a quarterback wherever they end up picking in the first round this year. Still, it seemed as if the fan base was just starting to make peace with the fruits that bear from a terrible season. Naturally, the Cowboys chose that moment to pull off a chaotic win over the Commanders on the road, with Rush putting up perhaps his best game of his career and the Dallas defense showing real promise. Now they enter this game as four-point favorites, and would probably be more favored if they had proven capable of winning at home this year. It brings up a fascinating question though. If the Cowboys win this one, they’ll have won two straight – both of them division games – and will sit at 5-7. As it currently stands, the Commanders team they just beat – who have now lost three in a row – would be the seventh and final playoff team if the season ended today. Only one other NFC team behind Washington has a winning record right now. Considering that the Cowboys’ next four opponents after the post-Thanksgiving mini-bye all sit with losing records at the moment, suddenly the door is open for the Cowboys to go on a run. Assuming that happens, they would be looking at an 8-7 record as they go to Philadelphia for a rematch against the Eagles, which is just one week prior to their rematch with the Commanders. Obviously, this is a pie-in-the-sky scenario right now, but a win on Thanksgiving would legitimately open the door for a playoff run given the current state of the NFC playoff picture. All they have to do is something they used to always do but haven’t been able to all year long: win at home.

Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The latest news about the Dallas Cowboys before Thanksgiving. Cowboys O-line embodies ‘five is one’ mentality vs. Commanders – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys offensive line had one of its best games, even without Tyler Smith and Zack Martin. Zack Martin and Tyler Smith have made a combined 10 All-Pro teams and 10 additional Pro Bowls. Both did not play on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Typical rule of thumb tells you that when you’re without that experience and pedigree on the offensive line, you see a dip in play. Instead, Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass helped lead the Cowboys to one of, if not their best performance on the offensive line this season. “We definitely had a lot of moving parts, but we have a standard in our o-line room that says ‘five is one,’” Hoffman said. “And no matter who’s in there, we all play to that standard that’s been set for the Dallas Cowboys for years.” Between Bass, Hoffman, and rookie center Cooper Beebe, only two pressures were registered on Cooper Rush on a combined 99 pass blocks, allowing him to complete 24 of his 32 passing attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns. In the run game, they allowed Rico Dowdle to rush for 86 yards on 19 carries, his second-best rushing performance of the season. “It was time for us to step up and I thought we did,” Beebe said. “I thought we played with a pretty good attitude, something that I feel like we hadn’t been playing with for a couple weeks, it was nice to get a win and get back on track.” Jerry Jones: ‘Not crazy’ Cowboys may keep Mike McCarthy – Todd Archer, ESPN.com If the Dallas Cowboys do the impossible, there is a world in which Mike McCarthy could be the head coach next season. “I don’t think that’s crazy at all. That’s not crazy,” Jones said. “Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach. … Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He’s got great ideas. So the bottom line is in no place in my body language or anything else have you seen an indication about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year. And we shouldn’t. We’ve got a lot of football left.” McCarthy was asked about Jones’ comments later Tuesday. “I really haven’t talked about it all year and definitely not going to start on a short week and an important division game,” he said. “But I’m not going to throw away positive vibes, either. So keep them coming. It’s all good. But, yeah, that’s not something I’m really focused on.” The Cowboys are 4-7 and snapped a five-game losing streak in Sunday’s win against the Washington Commanders. They play the 2-9 New York Giants on Thanksgiving, followed by games against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) and Carolina Panthers (3-8). “This thing isn’t over,” Jones said to The Fan. Jones noted the Cowboys will have players such as wide receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and others coming off injured reserve and guards Zack Martin (ankle, shoulder) and Tyler Smith (knee, ankle) and tight end Jake Ferguson (concussion) returning from injuries. But the Cowboys are on thin ice. Since 1990, seven teams have started 4-7 and made the playoffs; however, two of those teams (Washington in 2020 and Carolina in 2014) won their divisions with sub-.500 records. Since the expansion to the 17-game schedule in 2021, two teams have made the playoffs with 4-7 starts (Jacksonville in 2022 and Tampa Bay in 2023), but both were division winners. DaRon Bland ‘feels great’ after 2024 debut, ahead of Thanksgiving bout vs. Giants – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com Could DaRon Bland have a pick-six on Thanksgiving for a second year in a row? The good news for Bland is that, following his 2024 debut against the Washington Commanders, his surgically-repaired foot is showing no signs of a setback. “The soreness wasn’t too bad,” he said. “[I’m] good.” That matters in a major way when considering the Cowboys are tasked with taking the field for a second game in a matter of only four days. That is difficult enough of a task for players who haven’t missed any time prior to this stretch but, for one who missed the previous 10 games, the challenge is heightened. For his part, Bland says he’s ready to get back on the field again, not taken any snaps for granted at this point. “It was good being back out there,” the All-Pro said. “I felt like I knocked off some rust. … [I feel] Better than I thought it would. I thought I’d be a lot more rusty, but I feel pretty good.” He was met with a bit of a surprise when the Cowboys ditched their plan to put him on a pitch count later in the eventual upset win over the Commanders, Bland going on to log more than 60 reps in this first game back. His play helped contribute to one of the best collective efforts from Dallas’ defense this season, one they’re hoping to duplicate on Thansgiving, sans the late-game anxiety. “We just needed to hunker down a little bit,” said Bland. Giants’ Daboll says sore Tommy DeVito not 100% to play Thursday – Jordan Raanan, ESPN.com It’s not likely, but we live in a world where the Thanksgiving matchup could feature Cooper Rush vs Tim Boyle. Daboll is “hopeful” that DeVito will be ready to make his second start since replacing Daniel Jones. DeVito was projected as a limited participant in Tuesday’s walk-through practice as the Giants try to snap a six-game skid. “The plan is to play,” DeVito said afterward. “Yeah, see how I feel [Wednesday]. Hopefully wake up feeling a little bit better after I get some more treatment.” DeVito will start if he’s healthy enough to play. Backup Drew Lock will take some reps at practice just in case. The

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images There are a couple of Giants players to pay specific attention to this week. The Dallas Cowboys pulled off one of the most surprising and entertaining victories against the Washington Commanders and will try to replicate that success this week against another division rival, the New York Giants. Considering the Giants have played even worse than the Cowboys this year, securing another “W” definitely seems doable. For those fans around Cowboys Nation wanting the team to tank for better draft positioning in the 2025 NFL Draft, watching them went back-to-back games may be a tough pill to swallow. But, for those wanting to see the Cowboys play more competitive football this Thanksgiving matchup against the Giants should appease their appetites. Today, we’re going to share a few matchups you may want to keep a close, watchful eye on in this Week 13 matchup. Each matchup listed below could help sway the game in the Cowboys favor, but if nothing else it should be entertaining to watch while you celebrate “Turkey Day” with loved ones and good food. QB Cooper Rush vs. Giants’ secondary Cooper Rush is coming off arguably his most efficient/productive game against the Commanders. He has somehow managed to spark what was thought to be a dormant offense and turned them into a competitive one. From the ground game to the aerial attack. he has breathed a breath of fresh air into the offense and will look to continue his success this week against the Giants, who just allowed the Buccaneers to put up a total of 450 yards against them and a score 30 points. Don’t be surprised to see Rush have similar success. KaVontae Turpin vs. New York Giants For the second consecutive week in a row KaVontae Turpin has had a 60+ yard explosive play that resulted in a touchdown. First it was in Week 11 with the 64-yard TD reception against the Texans, and then he followed that up with a 99-yard kick return against the Commanders. While he’s better known as one of the most explosive return men in the league, he is also proving to be just as dangerous on the offensive side of the ball when given the chance. It will be interesting to see if his explosive plays continue this week. Cowboys’ iOL vs. Giants’ DT Dexter Lawrence For the consecutive week the Cowboys could be without their starting two guards, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin. While both T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman performed admirably last week against the Commanders, they will have their hands full in this Week 13 matchup against the Giants stud All-Pro DT Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence is arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the entire league. He is currently leading all DTs with 10 QB sacks and will be looking to add to the total going against Dallas’ backups this week.

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images Billy Joe DuPree is making sure to help others in his work well after his playing days for the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys have had a number of people play for them over their storied history, so many so that it is difficult to stand out among the bunch. One of the most impressive players in franchise history who deserves more attention is former tight end Billy Joe DuPree. He was a staple for the organization during the run that they had in the 1970s. DuPree was an incredible weapon in the passing game who also served as a fundamental blocking piece as the Cowboys run game took off. Quite simply, he is one of the more important players in franchise history. On Tuesday I was fortunate enough to have some time with Mr. DuPree to discuss his memories of playing for the Cowboys, what it was like playing on Thanksgiving Day specifically and the work that he is doing these days with the Pro Football Retired Players Association. You can listen to our interview below. Throughout his life, a point he emphasized in our conversation, Mr. DuPree had a giving spirit and always sought to help those less fortunate than him. It is qualities like this that make rooting for our favorite players even more fun, when they are exemplary humans in addition to talented athletes. The PFRPA is a champion for retired NFL players and works to ensure that retired players, who gave so much to the game, have the support that they need to take care of their health and well-being. Additionally, the PFRPA offers its members various benefits and programs (including dental and vision care) and is always looking for new ways to support retired NFL players and enhance their lives after retirement. You can visit their website right here. Our thanks to Mr. DuPree for the time!

Peter Casey-Imagn Images The Cowboys injury report for Tuesday The Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day. A big part of the game will be the injuries. Let’s focus on the latest injury reports for Dallas and New York. Dallas #Cowboys / New York #Giants Practice Injury Report – News on Martin, Diggs, Ferguson pic.twitter.com/qE4azGVUoe — fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) November 26, 2024 Not practicing for a second consecutive day for the Cowboys were Jake Ferguson (concussion), Eric Kendricks (groin/shoulder), Marshawn Kneeland (knee), Zack Martin (ankle/shoulder), and Asim Richards (ankle). Ferguson is a long shot to play on a short week, so his absence isn’t surprising. No Martin and Richards on Tuesday puts the Cowboys’ offensive line in a dubious position for Thursday, but we’ll see if either can practice tomorrow. Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) was downgraded to a DNP today as well as Caelen Carson (shoulder). Among those limited for Dallas were Cooper Rush (knee), CeeDee Lamb (back/foot), and Tyler Smith (ankle/knee). There’s no indication that they are at risk of missing Thursday’s game, but tomorrow should provide clarity. For New York, quarterback Tommy DeVito was added to the injury report with a forearm injury. However, he did practice and was listed as a limited participant. Also limited for the Giants were linebacker Micah McFadden, (thumb/heel) Evan Neal (hip), and cornerback Tae Banks (rib). Not practicing for New York was Jermaine Eluemunor (quad), and edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (toe) who will move to IR. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (knee) was upgraded to a full participant.