Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images A terrible season for the Cowboys is likely to get worse this week. The Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. Unlike their battles from a season ago, the Cowboys aren’t one of the better teams in the NFL. Instead, they’re one of the lesser squads. At 3-5, currently on a three-game losing streak, and riddled with injuries, the Cowboys are staring down a dark hole at the moment with very little hope of turning their season around. Offensively, the Cowboys aren’t a juggernaut like they’ve been in years past. On the defensive side of the ball, they have fallen from what they’ve been over the last three seasons as they rank 26th overall. Plus, they’ve only forced six turnovers, which is tied for the second-fewest in the league. Now, they face an Eagles team that is flying high on a four-game winning streak and will likely hand the Cowboys a fourth consecutive loss. So, here’s three things that we have learned about the Cowboys heading into Week 10. The team should consider shutting down Dak Prescott for the season Dallas just can’t catch a break on the injury front. Prescott suffered what is being described as a partial avulsion of his hamstring, which is partially torn off the bone. According to doctor Jesse Morse, owner of Injury Expertz, this could take up to six weeks if he doesn’t have surgery or up to 10 weeks if he doesn’t. He also mentions that this could linger in some capacity for the rest of his life. So, with him heading for injured reserve, which would keep him out at least until early December, and a longer expected time of recovery, the Cowboys will likely be looking at a situation where they won’t have a realistic shot at the playoffs when he is ready to return. If that’s the case, Dallas needs to consider the long-term health of Prescott and shut him down until 2025. This is a BIG deal. Dak Prescott He literally partially tore the hamstring tendon off the bone (hip). This is usually a grade 2 of the semitendinosus tendon (see photo). These can take up to 6 weeks if surgery and up to 10 weeks to heal without surgery‼️ Video coming… https://t.co/PzEHZM42Zf pic.twitter.com/Jg7f0gTHax — Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) November 6, 2024 Dak Prescott Potentially significant hamstring injury pic.twitter.com/gGg1aSembO — Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) November 7, 2024 Rico Dowdle keeps showing he’s the team’s RB1 We all heard before the season that the Cowboys were going to have a committee approach to the running back room. Dowdle had the best game of his career rushing wise against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 87 yards on 20 carries in Week 5. However, he only saw five attempts the following week against the Detroit Lions in favor of Ezekiel Elliott. A week ago against the Atlanta Falcons, Dowdle was once again effective with 75 yards on 12 carries. It’s clear that the Cowboys should just ride the Dowdle wave at running back until he needs a rest here and there during a game. Otherwise, keep him on the field because the aforementioned Elliott and veteran Dalvin Cook are averaging a just 3.1 and 2.5 yards per rush, respectively. The running game is a mess in Dallas, but Dowdle should get the bulk of the workload every game until the season ends. Cowboys’ current losing streak will likely last several more weeks After the Cowboys take on the Eagles, they have the Houston Texans and the Washington Commanders after that. Anything is possible, but all of these teams have at least six wins, and they’re clearly better teams than Dallas. With Cooper Rush set the be the starting quarterback for at least the next month and half or so, the terrible play of the offensive line, a suspect running game, and a soft defense, it doesn’t seem like another win is coming any time soon for the Cowboys. Simply put, this season is a disaster with no end in sight.

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. Cowboys to put QB Dak Prescott on injured reserve for hamstring injury – Todd Archer, ESPN As expected, Dak Prescott will be out for quite some time. While the move has not been made official yet, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be placed on injured reserve, according to executive vice president Stephen Jones. Speaking on 105.3 The Fan on Friday, Jones said, “I think it’s probably no way he can be back in the four-week timeframe, so we’ll put him over there and we’ll have that roster spot to use in terms of the next four weeks and go from there. Obviously a tough, tough situation, losing him for that period time, but we’re going to do what’s in the best interest of Dak and right now I don’t think anyone knows whether it’ll be four weeks, six weeks or the season. We’ll just have to continue to monitor that and see where it takes us.” Multiple sources said Prescott is looking at 6-8 weeks of recovery because of the partial avulsion of his hamstring he suffered in last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He has sought numerous opinions on the injury and earlier Friday, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on the Fan that there is no answer yet as to whether Prescott will require surgery. If he has surgery, then he would miss the rest of the regular season. In 2022, left tackle Tyron Smith suffered a full avulsion of his hamstring just before the start of the season and missed the first 13 games. Cowboys injury news: DaRon Bland out, Micah Parsons, Tyler Guyton questionable – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys It looks like Micah Parsons has a real shot to make his return from a high ankle sprain. The Dallas Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend at AT&T Stadium, and while the Cowboys injury list is long, the Eagles look to be getting almost fully healthy for the contest. Unsurprisingly, Dak Prescott was ruled out with a hamstring that will keep him out for multiple weeks. He will probably be on injured reserve soon. Here’s what we know about the health status of the Cowboys and Eagles heading into Sunday’s game. Cowboys injury list for Sunday Micah Parsons (ankle) was designated as questionable on the final injury report. However, the indication is that he will return to the lineup for the first time since his injury against the New York Giants. CeeDee Lamb, who was in good spirits in the locker room, practiced fully Friaday and has no injury designation for this week’s game. According to head coach Mike McCarthy, Tyler Guyton, was “very limited” today and is questionable to play versus the Eagles. Guard Zack Martin (shoulder) had missed the first two days of practice, but was upgraded to full participation today and also does not carry an injury designation and will play Sunday. Also cited as questionable is Eric Kendricks, who is working through his own shoulder injury. Kendricks managed to get another limited practice Friday, leaning towards optimism that he can suit up versus the Eagles. DaRon Bland (foot) has been ruled out after three consecutive DNPs this week. Calen Carson and Trevon Diggs should be the starting cornerbacks again this week. Carson (shoulder) practiced fully this week for all three days. Meanwhile, Diggs (calf/ilness), did not practice Friday although he has been listed as questionable. Safety Juanyeh Thomas did not clear concussion protocol and has been ruled out. Jerry Jones, Cowboys see Micah Parsons as “integral” part of future – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com Micah Parsons is a cornerstone player in Dallas and will be for a long time. As the trade deadline approached last week, there was some speculation as to whether or not the Dallas Cowboys would move Micah Parsons. That speculation was baseless, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants Parsons to be in the fold for the long run. “No, absolutely not.” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan when asked if the team had considered trading Parsons. Parsons, who leads the team in pressures despite not having played since Week 4 against the Giants, is on track to return Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s clear that Jones wants him to suit up for many more games with the star on his helmet in the future too. “I wouldn’t because we want Micah Parsons, he’s integral to our future,” Jones said when asked if he would ever think about moving Parsons. “So ‘no’ is the big answer.” And the feeling is mutual amongst Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones and vice president of player personnel Will McClay, who help Jones make those kinds of decisions. “We haven’t had one conversation, ever, about not having Micah Parsons on the team, ever.” Jones said. As Cowboys navigate imperfect 2024, merits of draft and develop method come into question – David Moore, Dallas Morning News Dallas needs to do some soul searching on how they handle the offseason. The game against the Eagles, and every game before it, has been a referendum on the franchise’s approach to the offseason. This isn’t meant to impugn the concept of draft and develop. It’s sound. But no single approach to building a team can be embraced from one season to the next at the exclusion of all others. There are too many variables to juggle. Did the Cowboys allow too many players in their veteran safety net to walk, leaving head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff at the mercy of some young players who haven’t developed as quickly as envisioned? Should the club have pushed a few more salary cap hits down the road to bring more balance to the current roster? Throw in a run of injuries at defensive end and corner and the assorted personnel missteps that take place in every building across the league, and the Cowboys find themselves trapped in something of a

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images It is time to hand out some midseason “awards” for the Dallas Cowboys. We have basically reached the halfway point of the 2024 NFL regular season and sadly it already looks as if the Dallas Cowboys have ended any hopes of reaching the postseason. Due to poor play and a plethora of injuries to multiple starters so far this year, the Cowboys are currently sitting at 3-5 with still half of the season to play. Anyway you choose to look at it, this has been a very disappointing season for a team that entered the year as one of the favorites to compete for the NFC title. Now it’s looking as if they will be competing for a Top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It’s hard to remain positive for the rest the year considering all that, but we will try to remain ever the optimist. Today, we thought we would try to hand out some midseason awards for the Cowboys to a few players who may or may not be deserving depending on your personal take on things. Surprisingly, this proved to be a little more difficult than anticipated due to the the all-around poor play of the team and all of the injuries. But, here’s what we came up with. MVP – K Brandon Aubrey The one consistent thing about the Cowboys so far in 2024 has been Brandon Aubrey’s ability ability to split the uprights from almost any distance. At the midseason point he is currently a perfect 13 of 13 on his extra point attempts this season and has been successful on 20 of his 22 (90.9%) on field goal attempts, with a long from 65 yards. His strong leg and consistency has earned him the midseason MVP award in our opinion. Maybe at some point in the second half of the season will witness him make a 70-yard FG. Offensive MVP – WR CeeDee Lamb Just a season ago Dallas was the No. 1 scoring offense averaging 29.9 points per game and now find themselves the 20th scoring offense, averaging 21.4 points per game. This offense is a shell of its former self through the first half of the 2024 season and could be even worse in the second half. If there is one silver lining though, it’s probably WR CeeDee Lamb. He got off to a slow start after his holdout, but he’s currently fourth in the league in receiving yards (660), putting him on pace for his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. Defensive MVP – LB DeMarvion Overshown Poor play and injuries have plagued the Cowboys defense through the first half of the 2024 season, but LB DeMarvion Overshown has been arguably the lone bright spot for them so far this year. He’s currently played the fourth most defensive snaps (80.12%) on the team and is looking like he could be a cornerstone player for them to build around for years to come. His speed and sideline-to-sideline playmaking ability has been impressive this year, and with little more consistency he could be a superstar in the making. Rookie of the Year – OC Cooper Beebe Mostly due to his availability compared to the other rookies for the Dallas Cowboys this year, Cooper Beebe gets the nod so far for Rookie of the Year. He’s played a total of 552 offensive snaps (99.83%) so far this year, just one shy of playing every snap. Considering he’s playing a completely new position he never played before, he’s held up relatively well in the first half of the 2024 season. He’s had his fair share of growing pains as well like most rookies, but it looks as if he could be a longtime fixture for Dallas’ OL for years to come. Biggest surprise – Trade for WR Jonathan Mingo Trading a future pick for a wide receiver Dallas thought highly of in the pre-draft process not long ago isn’t all that surprising, but the price tag of a 2025 fourth-round draft pick takes the cake for the biggest midseason surprise. That’s on par for what Pro Bowl WRs DeAndre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, and Diontae Johnson were traded for. Sadly, Mingo is nowhere close to being in that league and as of yet hasn’t even proven he’s capable of starting in the NFL. Let’s just hope this turns out better than last year’s Trey Lance trade. Biggest disappointment – QB Dak Prescott 2024 has been Prescott’s worst season of his career. He has just 11 passing touchdowns to eight interceptions, his most INT’s through seven games in his career. He ranks bottom 10 in the NFL in completion percentage (63.7%, 22nd in the NFL), TD-to-INT ratio (10-8, 24th) and passer rating (84.5, 24th) this season. His eight INT’s and 6.9 yards per pass attempt are both his worst through eight games to start a season in his nine-year career. Not quite what you’d expect from the highest-paid player in the league and last year’s MVP runner-up.

Madden is calling for the Dallas Cowboys to lose this week. The Dallas Cowboys are playing a game at AT&T Stadium for the first time in almost a month this week. It feels like longer ago, but the last time we saw them in the building was when they were blown out by the Detroit Lions on Jerry Jones’ birthday. There were no touchdowns to be found for the Cowboys that day and the hope is that there is at least one, but ideally many when they host the Philadelphia Eagles this week. As the business week comes to a close Dallas remains a huge underdog at home, it is hard to disagree with that honestly, but this is football where anything and everything can happen. It seems easy to predict how this one will go, but as we always do we have decided to ask the proverbial computer to see what it has to say. Unfortunately this week’s Madden simulation has the Dallas Cowboys losing and in pretty dramatic fashion. One of the highlights of this game that we would have enjoyed is that DeMarvion Overshown had a pick-six against Jalen Hurts. It is hard to predict something that bold, but Overshown has been among the bright spots that this season has offered. As noted, the Cowboys lost and the drama was that they were driving down the field with a chance to win the game. The score was, and would wind up staying, 21-17 in favor of the bad guys, but Cooper Rush had a chance to change that in the final moments. Unfortunately Rush poorly targeted Jake Ferguson in the endzone and was picked off by Darius Slay. If things truly went that way it would be fascinating to see how Eagles fans would feel given that this Cowboys team is not expected to compete with them. If you are curious, here is how Madden has predicted other Cowboys games so far this season. 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 Here’s to hoping this week’s simulation is not correct and that the Cowboys can pull one off.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Good for Mike McCarthy for saying this. Mike McCarthy has never been one to criticize others, let alone his own boss, but the Cowboys head coach made some comments in his press conference on Thursday that raised some eyebrows. When asked about trying to set a standard for the season, McCarthy had this to say: “I, personally, as a head coach would really… you know, when you’re signing veterans in camp and you’re doing things at the end, I think that’s a pretty big challenge that doesn’t… because it’s happened more this year, it seems, that I haven’t been exposed to as much. I think if you can have everybody here in April, when that draft’s over and you line up and you’ve got that 90 man roster, if you can get to work on continuity and consistency, I think that’s a huge factor in the start of your season.” It’s not hard to see what McCarthy is referring to here. The Cowboys added veteran defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips in August, right in the middle of the preseason. Nick Vigil, a key special teamer who’s seen defensive snaps in half of the Cowboys’ games this year, was signed right at the start of August. And Dalvin Cook – who’s played the last two weeks, albeit sparingly – was added to the practice squad once the preseason had wrapped up, which only extended the ramp up period for him. McCarthy specifically mentions the period right after the draft as the ideal time to have a full 90-man roster in place. The Cowboys had their undrafted free agent class finalized by May 8 this past year. At that point, they had 81 players on their roster. They added two players in June and three more in July, but did not travel to Oxnard with a full 90-man roster. As McCarthy notes, this is not the norm in the NFL and not even the norm for the Cowboys. Since McCarthy has been in Dallas, the team has never started training camp with more than two open spots on their roster, and when they do it’s because they had players they were working out in Oxnard who signed shortly thereafter. Not only is this harmful to a team’s ability to build continuity, as McCarthy says, but it also puts a team behind the eight ball to start the season off. And, as McCarthy went on to explain, starting the year off right is key: “If you can just get started in September, because September, to me, is the best opportunity to win games. I personally think the quality of football is the best, in my coaching career, in September. So to me, from experience, I think there’s more opportunities to win. So if you can at least get out of the gate and get started – and I think having all your people there in April helps you…” McCarthy then goes on to mention injuries and how the timing of those injuries have pushed rookies into action sooner than they normally would, but the underlying point remains. McCarthy’s philosophy is that wins are easier to come by in September, which tracks with his own experience: in Green Bay, McCarthy was 29-15-1 in September while going 7-5 in September with the Cowboys prior to this year. But after the slow start to this offseason, Dallas went 2-2 in September with a -7 point differential. This isn’t exactly breaking news to anyone, though, as it’s been a fairly popular opinion all offseason that Jerry and Stephen Jones were setting McCarthy up for failure in the final year of his contract. It’s a little surprising to see McCarthy subtly hint at that, though, and outline in detail how the front office’s lackadaisical approach this offseason put the Cowboys at a disadvantage before a down had even been played.

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images Dallas may not be favored this Sunday against Philadelphia, but what players do you think can have individual success? Sunday’s projected to be another dark one for the Dallas Cowboys. Already struggling and now perhaps without QB Dak Prescott for the rest of the season, Dallas hosts a 6-2 Eagles team that’s been rolling since their bye week. Even if team success seems unlikely, are there any individual players who might benefit from the QB change or the matchup with Philadelphia? BUY WR Jalen Tolbert As long as CeeDee Lamb actually plays and the offensive line gives Cooper Rush a chance to breathe, Jalen Tolbert could have a nice game. One thing that Rush showed during his starting run in 2022 was the ability to work through the receiving options and make a smart, decisive throw. Tolbert has been missed sometimes this year as Prescott has been too focused on certain guys and looked out of sorts from the lack of protection. Again, this is predicated on Lamb being out there to draw attention and Rush actually having chances to progress through his receivers. Even if Lamb does play, the Eagles’ defensive line could give Dallas way more than it can handle. So consider this a buyer beware, but still a decent shot at a good game for Tolbert. TE Jake Ferguson Over the last two weeks, Jags TE Evan Engram had 45 yards on five catches and the Bengals’ Mike Gesicki had seven receptions for 73 yards against Philly. As long as he’s not trapped at the line of scrimmage trying to help with pass blocking, Ferguson could do some damage. Much like Tolbert, he’ll benefit greatly if Lamb can play through the shoulder issue and give his teammates more one-on-one matchups. SELL RB Rico Dowdle Dowdle might want to contract another illness this week because the Eagles’ run defense is tough. They haven’t allowed an opposing RB to average above 3.8 yards over the last three weeks. While Dowdle’s coming off a nice game against Atlanta and hasn’t been held below 4.0 ypc since the season opener, the Eagles will probably focus on shutting down the run and forcing Cooper Rush to try to beat them passing. DE/LB Micah Parsons Philadelphia may make Parsons wish he’d waited a week before returning. You may recall past years when the Eagles put Parsons in a blender using their read-option plays, and that was before Jalen Hurts was running them with Saquon Barkley. There’s also a good chance that the Eagles will just send everything in the opposite direction from wherever Parsons lines up, neutralizing him the same way teams were prior to his injury. Either way, it doesn’t project to be a joyous return for Dallas’ defensive star.