Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly devastated in the aftermath of DeMarvion Overshown’s injury. The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, but the 27-20 final score may be the least of their problems. As the fourth quarter began in earnest linebacker DeMarvion Overshown suffered a right knee injury and needed help to leave the field and game. He was just about immediately ruled out from the rest of the contest. While the team’s loss to Cincinnati stung, attention quickly turned to Overshown and what the significance of the injury was/is. At the time of this writing it is still not fully known, but some details have begun to trickle out. For starters, Overshown took to social media and expressed confidence from a faith-based perspective. He did ask for prayers from his followers/fans. Wouldn’t want this for anyone else! One of God’s Toughest Soldiers Keep me in your prayers… — DeMarvion Overshown (@AGENT0__) December 10, 2024 That could be read to meaning different things and is a bit open to interpretation, but Mike McCarthy also spoke on the situation. McCarthy noted that the team is devastated and that the injury did not look good. For what it is worth, Jerry Jones left it at saying that the team was “very concerned.” Mike McCarthy describes the DeMarvion Overshown knee injury as being “of a serious nature” and said the initial reports were not encouraging. pic.twitter.com/Q3wbY6H5KK — Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) December 10, 2024 Jerry Jones said they were “very concerned” about DeMarvion Overshown’s injury. https://t.co/g19khEFidl — Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) December 10, 2024 The Cowboys likely want to get official tests and what not done before making any final and official determinations on Overshown, but clearly there is cause for some true concern. Overshown has been having a remarkable season for the Cowboys in 2024, his first year playing. You will recall that Overshown tore his ACL (in his left knee, not the one he injured on Monday night) prior to his rookie season. We will update things around here when more is known.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Cowboys trail Cincinnati after the first half on Monday night. 2nd Quarter Unfortunately disaster struck right as the second quarter began for the Dallas Cowboys. Cooper Rush was looking for CeeDee Lamb on a slant route and the wideout got caught in traffic. A tipped ball is never a good thing for the offense and in this case it was the worst possible one as Geno Stone came away with an interception for Cincinnati. Tip drill INT! @Bengals ball. : #CINvsDAL on ESPN/ABC : Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/7rPLTs0a9R — NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024 It was looking as if the Bengals were going to be able to fully capitalize on the turnover as their offense got to midfield with no real issue. To this point in the game the Cowboys defense was generating consistent pressure, but the Bengals offense was thriving as they have in recent games. As noted Cincinnati got to midfield and was short on a third down attempt. Instead of letting them decide on fourth down the Cowboys accepted a penalty against Cincinnati, only for the Bengals to pick up enough yardage to basically get back to where they were going to go from on fourth down had Dallas declined. However it happened the Bengals went for it on fourth and short and were ultimately denied! Micah Parsons had the pressure, but DeMarvion Overshown was the one who made the full on stop. DeMarvion Overshown is relentless (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/VKnNCssQyS — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 10, 2024 A turnover on downs is not quite the same thing as an actual turnover, but capitalizing on them and turning them into points is essential if you want to win football games. The challenge was set for Dallas. Rico Dowdle carried the ball 3 times on the drive in question for 34 yards. Ezekiel Elliott got his first touch of the game for a yard. Ultimately things stalled a bit as the Cowboys got close and they had to settle for a Brandon Aubrey 35-yard field goal. Points are points. The Bengals offense took over once more and showed absolutely zero signs of slowing down. Despite the Cowboys generating a pretty consistent pass rush, Joe Burrow was continuing to find ways to evade it long enough to connect with his players for big gains, even on third downs. At long last the dam broke and the Bengals took their first lead of the game after a Chase Brown touchdown that took a bit to be fully confirmed. This was reviewed and it’s now a @Bengals TD for Chase Brown! : #CINvsDAL on ESPN/ABC : Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/RsIIJ9EumD — NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024 The next Cowboys drive went nowhere fast. After an incompletion to Jonathan Mingo on first down the Cowboys picked up a little bit of yardage on second. Unfortunately Jake Ferguson false started before third down and Cooper Rush was ultimately sacked before Dallas punted it away. It marked their first 3 and out of the game offensively. The Bengals continued to live up to their reputation on offense and move the ball with relative ease. Thankfully the Cowboys were able to generate enough pressure on a 3rd and 7 on their side of the field and forced Cincy to settle for 3. The Cowboys took over at their own 30-yard line with 30 seconds on the block and all 3 timeouts in their pocket. Given that they deferred to start the game the opportunity for the double dip was right in front of them. Unfortunately that did not happen as the Cowboys went 3 and out for a second time in a row. They punted and the Bengals sent the game to intermission. 1st Quarter The Dallas Cowboys won the toss on this particular night and what do you know, they deferred! To be clear this is the ideal way to approach football, but it worked out in the best possible way as the Cowboys defense forced a three and out. What’s more is that things got even better for the Cowboys after that. All told the good guys traveled 60 yards in 9 plays on their first possession of the game and cashed in on a CeeDee Lamb touchdown pass from Cooper Rush. It even came on 4th and 1 to make it all the more incredible. CEEDEE TD (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/SqZJ1gCOAJ — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 10, 2024 As we discussed all week though… the Bengals are a good football team despite their record. Cincinnati buckled down and traveled 75 yards across 11 total plays for their own score. It was Joe Burrow finding Ja’Marr Chase for the game-tying touchdown on a play that you simply can’t defend. Burrow to Chase for SIX. : #CINvsDAL on ESPN/ABC : Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/R32IM7eQzY — NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024 It seemed like the quarter was going to end with all square and it ultimately did, but with Dallas in position to take the lead once more thanks to this huge gain from CeeDee Lamb. (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/UY7Xh3JQCB — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 10, 2024 Through the first quarter… a lot of fun was had! Follow Blogging The Boys Everywhere Follow Blogging The Boys on X (formerly Twitter) Follow Blogging The Boys on Instagram Follow Blogging The Boys on Facebook Subscribe to the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel Notable Recent News Prior to the Thursday night game this past week between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, it was reported that the former’s offensive coordinator in Ben Johnson has a list of demands (so to speak) with regards to teams who might want him as their head coach. Namely, Johnson would like alignment between himself (as the presumptive head coach) and the team’s general manager on matters pertaining to the football team. You can see how this would effectively remove the Cowboys from consideration. Injury Updates Last week brought with it

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images Trevon Diggs is officially ACTIVE for the Dallas Cowboys! The Dallas Cowboys are all ready to go against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. As they look to make it three straight wins for the first time all year, Dallas now has a better idea of who they’ll be doing battle with tonight. The headline, of course, is the absence of Trevon Diggs from the inactives list. The star cornerback has missed the last two games and was listed as questionable coming into tonight, but it looks like he’ll play. That means the Cowboys will finally see Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis on the field together for the first time all year. Among the players on the inactives list, the only that’s on there for injury-related reasons is Juanyeh Thomas, who was ruled out with a knee injury earlier this week. The healthy scratches are Deuce Vaughn, Damone Clark, Jalen Brooks, Tyrus Wheat, and Andrew Booth Jr. That means Tyler Guyton, who was questionable coming into tonight with ankle and knee injuries, is active and available. The rookie left tackle had been rotating in recent weeks with Asim Richards, who is now on the injured reserve, but veteran tackle Chuma Edoga is now back after being activated from the injured reserve. It’s unclear if Guyton will start or potentially rotate with Edoga tonight. As for the Bengals, they’ll be without starting left tackle Orlando Brown, who was ruled out earlier this week. That’s bad news for the Bengals, as the Dallas pass rush has come alive in recent weeks since Micah Parsons returned.

Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Which Cowboys players do you think have a chance to have great games against Cincinnati? The Dallas Cowboys host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, and the key factor in the game might be Cincinnati’s defense. It’s given up at least 34 points in their three straight losses coming into Week 14. If that pattern holds, some Dallas players will enjoy a big night on primetime television. Who will most likely benefit, and who else may see low production in this matchup? BUY TE Jake Ferguson Missing the last two games and most of another with a concussion, the starter is set to return and could do it in style. For one, the Bengals have consistently allowed opposing tight ends to have strong games. Pittsburgh’s Pat Freiermuth had season highs with six catches and 68 yards, plus a touchdown, last week. Baltimore’s Mark Andrews posted the exact same stats a few weeks ago, and the Chargers’ Will Dissly posted 80 yards and a touchdown on four catches. Not only should the opportunities be there, but Dallas’ recent play under Cooper Rush has favored the TE position. We’ve seen more out of Luke Schoonmaker than ever before and even some solid work out of undrafted rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford. While Rush may be familiar with his fellow backups, there’s little reason to think he won’t lean on an even more QB-friendly target in Ferguson. QB Cooper Rush If Ferguson doesn’t have a big night, it probably means CeeDee Lamb or someone else did. No matter who gets hot among the receivers, Cooper Rush will be the one racking up passing yards. Having already put up some significant numbers in recent weeks, Rush stands to have another high-volume night against the Bengals. No, Rush is not Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, or Russell Wilson. But these upper-tier QBs have put up huge numbers against Cincinnati, with Wilson just hanging 414 passing yards on them a week ago. With Ferguson and Lamb expected to play, Rush will have sufficient firepower to keep the ball moving against this opponent. And assuming the Bengals are similarly effective with their own offense, a shootout is very possible. EDGE Micah Parsons Joe Burrow’s been sacked 3-4 times in each of the Bengals’ last three games, so it feels like ripe territory for Dallas’ resident sack artist. Parsons has returned from injury with a vengeance, getting 5.5 sacks over the last four games. These two trends speak to a clear and present danger for Burrow, and a key ingredient to the Cowboys’ potential success. SELL Cowboys secondary You won’t hear this often about a 4-8 team but the Bengals have one of the NFL’s elite offenses, especially in recent weeks. They can hit you in multiple ways and Joe Burrow is on fire right now, posting at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in the three recent losses. Dallas’ secondary has been susceptible to big plays from far lesser quarterbacks and receiving options, so expect some pain on Monday night. Chuma Edoga & Terence Steele The Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson has 11.5 sacks this year and will be a problem for Dallas’ offensive tackles. Steele has struggled all season and now Edoga, who only just returned from injury last week, likely gets his first start of 2024. At the very least, it probably wouldn’t make a big difference if Tyler Guyton was out there. But that won’t offer much consolation if Cooper Rush spends the game on his back.

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images Here are our bold predictions for Monday night’s matchup. After a 10-day layoff, the Dallas Cowboys return to action on Monday night as they host the Cincinnati Bengals. This is basically an elimination game for both teams, so it figures to be a competitive contest. Before the two teams square off, here are three bold predictions for the matchup. Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images 1) Joe Burrow continues his dominant season, throwing 3+ touchdown passes for the fifth-consecutive game When you look at Joe Burrow’s season stats, it’s hard to believe the Bengals have a 4-8 record. The former number-one overall pick is living up the the billing, having the best season of his young career. Burrow leads the NFL with 30 touchdown passes and 3,337 passing yards with just five interceptions. The 27-year-old quarterback has recorded nine multi-touchdown games on the year, including throwing three or more in a single game six times. Burrow is top six in the NFL in EPA + CPOE (0.159), EPA/Play (0.214), CPOE (4.8), and Success Rate (52.1%). Burrow has been far from the reason why the Bengals are all but out of playoff contention. He and the Bengals’ offense have scored 30 or more points in a game six times this season, but have just a 2-4 record in those games. If Cincinnati didn’t have such a bad defense, Burrow would be a near-lock to take home this year’s MVP award. This week Burrow should continue his dominant season against a Cowboys’ defense that has struggled against top offenses. The signal-caller puts together another great performance, throwing three or more touchdown passes for the fifth consecutive game. Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images 2) CeeDee Lamb records a season-high 150 receiving yards As mentioned above, the Bengals’ defense as a whole has been atrocious this season. Cincinnati has given up the fourth-most passing touchdowns (22) and sixth-most passing yards (2,892) in the league. They also have the third-worst defensive success rate (47.35) and fourth-worst defensive Rush EPA (0.023) and Dropback EPA (0.140). When Cincinnati’s defense has struggled, the Bengals have not won games. When the Bengals have given up 26 or more points, they are 0-7. When they’ve given up 25 or fewer, they are 4-1. If the Cowboys can score three or more touchdowns in this game, they should have a good shot at walking away with a win. One of Cincinnati’s biggest problems on defense this season has been slowing down the opposing team’s top receiving threats. Below are some of the best receivers the Bengals have faced this season and how they have done against Cincinnati’s defense. Zay Flowers = 7 receptions, 111 yards Terry McLaurin = 4 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD A.J. Brown = 5 receptions, 84 yards DeVonta Smith = 6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD Ladd McConkey = 6 receptions, 123 yards Jakobi Meyers = 8 receptions, 105 yards This bodes very well for Dallas’ top wideout CeeDee Lamb. The 25-year-old has been a bit quiet the past two weeks, but that will change Monday night. Lamb puts on display one of the best performances of his career, recording 150+ receptions yards on 11 receptions. Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images 3) Both teams combine to score 60+ total points There is going to be plenty of offense in this game. The O/U total for the matchup currently sits at 49.5, and the teams are going to soar past that total. For the first time in weeks, the Cowboys face a defense that they should be able to move the ball through the air against. CeeDee Lamb and Dallas’ receivers will consistently have favorable matchups, allowing Cooper Rush to get the ball out quickly to open receivers. We’ve seen what the Bengals’ offense has done this season, even against some of the better defenses in the NFL. Dallas’ defense is playing much better, but they still are a unit that has its fair share of issues. Burrow and company will take advantage of this, using their dynamic passing attack to hurt Dallas through the air. This game turns into one of the more entertaining Monday Night Football matchups of the season as both offenses light up the scoreboard.

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. This is the Cowboys offense’s best chance without Dak Prescott- Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire The Cowboys must lean on Rush’s strengths over the back stretch of the season. In situations such as this it will be tempting for the Cowboys to take shots down the field. That’s not only unnecessary, but it asks Rush to succeed in an area of personal weakness. Based on FTN Data shown by Doug Analytics, Rush has thrown catchable deep balls on less than 30 percent of his attempts this season. He’s also bottom three in attempts and catchability percentage. PFF tracking shows Rush has attempted 16 passes of 20 or more yards and completed just four of them for a 25 percent completion rate. One of those passes qualified as a big-time throw and one pass qualified as a turnover worthy throw. It’s arguably the biggest inefficiency in his game, making the case for McCarthy to avoid deep passes with Rush at the helm. Even in the 10–19-yard range Rush has struggled in 2024. His completion percentage sits at just 40 percent and this intermediate range grades as his poorest on the field with him throwing three times as many turnover worthy throws than big time throws. For as much as the Cowboys running game and defense have struggled in 2024, they are areas Dallas simply has to lean on in order to win games. Combined with a dink and dunk passing attack that plays inside the numbers, the Cowboys are best positioned to win games behind Rush at QB. Week 14 Injury Report: Cowboys hope to have All-Pro return tomorrow – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star Dallas might finally get to see the Diggs-Bland combo in 2024. Questionable: CB Trevon Diggs (Knee) T Tyler Guyton (Ankle/Knee) Let’s be honest here, Trevon Diggs needs to play in this football game if they want any chance at winning. DaRon Bland is not enough against Joe Burrow, Chase and that group. Cinicy defense is awful, but that side of the ball is scoring 35 plus a game. It has been a tough season for the Cowboys secondary with Diggs and top cornerbacks DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, and Caelen Carson all dealing with injuries this season. Mike McCarthy hinted Diggs could suit up on Monday night after the progress he has made throughout the week. “He’s making progress. He had a good day today,” McCarthy said, adding, “I thought it was clearly one of our best practices of the year.” Diggs is going to be needed in this matchup, and he has not step foot on the field since Bland has returned, so it would be nice to see both All-Pros on the field at the same time, and this would be the perfect time for it to happen. Gut Feeling: Predictions for Cowboys-Bengals- Staff, DallasCowboys.com What will happen on Monday night? Patrik: This is a tough one to call. On one hand, the Bengals’ defense is abhorrent and that is not an exaggeration. That unit is statistically one of the worst not only this season, but in the history of the league and most certainly over the past five NFL seasons. On the other hand, Joe Burrow and his band of unmerry men are torching scoreboards, and you have to defend every blade of grass against them. Even if Trevon Diggs returns to finally form the trio with DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis, the task is tall. If he doesn’t, it becomes that much more daunting. That means the name of this game, for the Cowboys, will to control time of possession with an offensive rushing attack (hi, Rico) and to play off of that to neutralize the only weapon the Bengals have defensively (Trey Hendrickson) and Burrow’s onslaught by keeping him on the sideline. Do that, and you eek out a third consecutive win. Don’t do it and you’ll get 50 points dropped on your head, and this Cowboys’ offense isn’t one that’s shown it can win that kind of a shootout. My prediction will be based on one thing and one thing only: the Cowboys’ hammering at them with Dowdle and sacking Burrow at least three times. If they don’t, it’s gonna get ugly. 24-21, Cowboys Micah Parsons is latest Cowboys star to publicly endorse Mike McCarthy- Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated Players continue to back McCarthy. Parsons says McCarthy deserves a “fair chance” to coach a season that isn’t marred by injuries. “I think I would like a fair shot with everyone back — players, coaches — because the injuries kind of struck of what this season could really be,” Parsons said, per Todd Archer of ESPN. “The injuries have been terrible. And, you know, it really sucks. Seeing Zack [Martin], D-Law [DeMarcus Lawrence] not having the year I know he planned to have. He had such a great start. It really sucks.” While Parsons shared his thoughts on McCarthy, he made it clear that the decision is ultimately up to Jerry Jones. “In terms of coaching, man, Coach Mike, me and his relationship has always been really good,” Parsons added. “He always took real good care of me. I just don’t know how the how the business side of it’s going to go, you know? [Owner and general manager Jerry Jones] has his own mindset about who he wants to coach. This is his team. I’m kind of just, like, a pawn in this business.”