Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports The Dallas Cowboys had a great first half against Tampa Bay. 2nd Quarter The Cowboys punted shortly after the quarter began and this time around the Buccaneers made it a point to draw blood. Tampa’s drive traveled 57 total yards, many of which were by way of an incredible Mike Evans catch, before Bucky Irving ultimately reached the endzone to make the game 10-7. Bucky Irving too quick for six! : #TBvsDAL on NBC/Peacock : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/SKUyN02Uhs — NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024 Dallas picked up a nice chunk of yardage on their next possession thanks to a huge play from Cooper Rush to CeeDee Lamb. In the first half alone there were several big plays happening across both sides. Unfortunately the Cowboys had to settle for another field goal attempt. It wasn’t quite 58 yards, it was 49, but it was nevertheless good from Brandon Aubrey. The Cowboys defense made sure to stand tall on their next drive and forced another punt. Look at third down, though. Chauncey Golston got the sack, but Carl Lawson! Chauncey Golston sacks Baker on 3rd down! : #TBvsDAL on NBC/Peacock : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QYSgKEC7at — NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024 You will recall that Dallas took the opening kickoff after winning the toss. This inherently put some pressure on this next possession for them to score as it in all likelihood would be some time before they would even have the ball again. When you need something great to happen, call CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee Lamb forever and ever (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/jENFXfi2Z8 — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 23, 2024 CeeDee appeared to go down hard on this play which was certainly not great to see given the shoulder ailment he has been battling. He did appear to be okay shortly after. Lamb had another tough catch almost immediately after that put the Cowboys right on the goal line. At that moment it was time to call in Ezekiel Elliott, who had no issue scoring. Feed Zeke! : #TBvsDAL on NBC/Peacock : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ovKDbasvX1 — NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024 The Buccaneers got to work and did so very quickly, the quickest of anyone on the night. Tampa traveled 71 yards on 7 plays in under a minute of game clock and found their second touchdown of the night in the process. Baker moves in the pocket and delivers a dot to Jalen McMillan for the TD! : #TBvsDAL on NBC/Peacock : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bMUjTBpSYr — NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024 The Cowboys had enough time to work with to where they were actually able to make something out of it! Cooper Rush stayed calm and put Dallas in field goal range… for Brandon Aubrey. Amazingly, Aubrey hit his second 58-yard field goal of the night as the half ended. 1st Quarter The Dallas Cowboys won the toss, the first thing they won on the day what with them having been eliminated from playoff contention, and elected to receive. Cooper Rush was up. That first drive was a methodical one as Cooper Rush completed all 6 passes that he attempted; however, the Cowboys kept things in front of them and were hardly taking shots down the field. Ultimately things stalled just a little bit and they had to settle for a 58-yard field goal attempt which Brandon Aubrey converted with (shocker) relative ease. When Tampa Bay took over they began to move with relative ease themselves until things got a bit tough around midfield. Ultimately the Buccaneers went for it on fourth and short and even though Baker Mayfield found a wide open receiver, Sterling Shepard dropped it to turn the ball over to the Cowboys. The Cowboys went straight to work on their next drive. Cooper Rush found Brandin Cooks for a huge gain that put them in position to threaten for a touchdown this time around. Soon enough, Cooper Rush found Jalen Tolbert in the back of the endzone with one of the prettiest throw and catches you will ever see. RUSH TOLBERT TOUCHDOWN pic.twitter.com/yXf0POWNSs — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 23, 2024 Tampa’s next possession seemed to reach go-for-it territory on fourth and short as well, but this time the Bucs chose to punt it away. Dallas’ offense took the field for the third time in the game and with a 10-0 lead at their back. The quarter ended with Dallas facing 3rd and 8 from their own 22. 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 This past week saw the trailer for the Netflix documentary chronicling Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys teams of the 1990s release… if you are into that. Injury Updates We have known for some time that Trevon Diggs’ season is over, but the Cowboys formally placed him on injured reserve on Saturday. Dallas signed Andrew Booth to the active roster in response. NFL News Relevant To The Cowboys As noted up top… the Washington Commanders beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and in the process they eliminated the Cowboys from playoff contention. The Drought™ grows all the more large. Up Next For The Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are set for their final road trip of the season next Sunday as they will visit the Philadelphia Eagles. After that they will return home to host the Washington Commanders before they wrap everything up.

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Eric Kendricks is officially OUT for the Dallas Cowboys tonight. The Cowboys were officially eliminated from playoff contention earlier today, but they still have a game to play. With just under 90 minutes to go until kickoff against the Buccaneers, we now know who will and won’t be suiting up. Perhaps the biggest question mark heading into this game was the status of Eric Kendricks, who missed practice most of the week and was listed as questionable for today’s game. After giving it a go in pre-game warmups, Kendricks has been made inactive. T.J. Bass was another question mark, listed as questionable as well, and he will be unable to go in this one either. Joining Kendricks and Bass on the inactive list are Juanyeh Thomas, Deuce Vaughn, Jalen Brooks, Tyrus Wheat, and Justin Rogers. Notably, Rogers was just brought back to the team after being a preseason cut earlier this year, but the rookie will not suit up in this one. As for the Buccaneers, they’ll be without several key players. Safety Antoine Winfield and tight end Cade Otton were both ruled out earlier in the week, while KJ Britt – who was listed as doubtful – has officially been ruled out. All three are starters whose absence will be felt.

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 play tonight, so enjoy some other NFL games. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Here are our bold predictions for Cowboys/Bucs. The Dallas Cowboys are back in action on Sunday night as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While this game does not mean much for the Cowboys, Tampa Bay is currently leading the NFC South and needs this win to maintain their division lead. Before the two teams square off, here are three bold predictions for the matchup. Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images 1)Mike Evans continues his hot streak, recording 150+ receiving yards and a touchdown Even at age 31, Buccaneers’ wideout Mike Evans is still producing at a consistently high level. Evans has been less than 100% almost all season, but despite the nagging injuries, the wideout has had another productive season. On the year Evans has caught 52 passes for 749 yards and nine touchdowns. After missing three straight games during the middle of the season, the veteran has been at his best in Tampa Bay’s last four games. Evans’ production has played a large part in the Bucs making a strong playoff push, catching 26 passes for 414 yards and three touchdowns over that four-game span. This week, Evans has a chance to continue his hot streak against a Cowboys’ pass defense that has struggled to slow down elite wide receivers. When Dallas faced a Bengals team with star receiver Ja’Marr Chase two weeks back, the All-Pro wideout had a dominant day, recording 14 receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Evans will follow suit and have a big day in his home state, going over 150 receiving yards for the second straight week. Perry Knotts/Getty Images 2) DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis both record interceptions Fresh off signing a three-year, $100M deal last March, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has had a very productive season. The former number-one pick ranks third in the NFL with 32 passing touchdowns and fourth in passing yards with 3,617. Mayfield is also in the top 10 in EPA + CPOE (0.133), EPA/Play (0.184), and Success Rate. (51.5%) If there’s one thing Mayfield has struggled with during this breakout season it’s been protecting the football. The 29-year-old has thrown 14 interceptions this year, which is good for the second most in the league. Mayfield also leads the league in interceptable passes (23) and is second in danger plays. (34) While the Bucs are on a four-game winning streak, Mayfield has thrown five interceptions during this span. With his multi-interception games against the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay has overcome his mistakes due to the talent gap between their team and the opponent. This week, they face a Cowboys team that is good enough to take advantage if Mayfield continues to make these mistakes. Mayfield continues to be extremely aggressive, leading to a pair of Dallas interceptions. DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis both join the pick party as Baker records his third multi-interception game in the last four weeks. Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images 3) Jonathan Mingo scores his first NFL touchdown Last week against the Carolina Panthers we saw 24-year-old wide receiver Jalen Brooks score the first touchdown of his young NFL career. This week, another wideout will follow suit, and that guy will be Jonathan Mingo. Mingo has not made much of an impact after being acquired from Carolina at the trade deadline, but this is the week he finally makes a play. Late in the third quarter, Dallas throws Mingo a jump ball in the end zone that the 6’2 wideout comes down with, scoring the first touchdown of his NFL career.

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. Could Mike Zimmer return to Cowboys in 2025, even if McCarthy doesn’t? – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire The Cowboys defense has played better the last few weeks. Could they retain their defensive coordinator if the team says goodbye to Mike McCarthy after the season? One of the more interesting aspects of the 2024 debacle was the fallout of losing Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator. Quinn had been sought after since pretty much the moment he was hired in Dallas as his impact on the Cowboys‘ defense was quick and obvious. Thanks to the addition of first-round phenom Micah Parsons, Quinn’s approach was run by top-tier young talent, which highlighted his approach and ability to direct. Quinn both passed up on and was passed over for several vacancies he interviewed for across 2022 and 2023, but with things looking ready to implode in Dallas he finally moved on, joining Washington. The problem was, the Mike McCarthy coaching staff he left behind had seemingly worn out their lifelines and were only signed for 2024. That, among several other factors, led to the hiring of Mike Zimmer to a one-year deal to take over the defense. It’s been long assumed that Zimmer’s fate would be part and parcel with McCarthy’s. If the Cowboys met the edict and advanced to an acceptable postseason point, the staff as a whole would see new contracts, including Zimmer. With the way the season started, t was pretty clear the main cogs in the coaching staff would all be clearing out their offices. Dallas was horrible on both offense and defense, the team looked disinterested and seemed to be playing out the string by October. But a funny thing has happened since that point. While lip service is being paid to the possibility McCarthy could get a new deal, that likely isn’t happening. But Zimmer on the other hand, that’s becoming more intriguing week by week. Week 16 Rooting Guide: How the Cowboys keep their 0.1% chance at the playoffs alive – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star With the even the slimmest of playoff chances still alive for the Cowboys, here who you root for and against today. New York Giants (2-12) over Atlanta Falcons (7-7) The Atlanta Falcons will have a new quarterback under center despite still being in the hunt for the 7th and final playoff spot in the NFC. QB Kirk Cousins has been benched in favor of rookie 8th overall pick Michael Penix Jr. New York has cycled through quarterbacks this season, and even released maligned QB Daniel Jones after not seeing improvement. They are on the hook for most of his contract, but are also in line for the first overall pick in the draft. A victory here doesn’t make sense for them, but crazier things have happened. New York Jets (4-10) over Los Angeles Rams (8-6) Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are officially eliminated from playoff contention, but they can still play spoiler to teams like the Los Angeles Rams. They still have games left versus division rivals Buffalo and Miami, and they can spoil Buffalo’s seeding while eliminating Miami altogether. Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams lead the NFC West against all expectations. Los Angeles had a mass exodus of impact players, and were expected to be in a rebuilding season. Instead, they sit atop their division with a deep playoff run in their sights. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) over Washington Commanders (9-5) Philadelphia already defeated the Commanders a few weeks ago. It was a one possession game in Philadelphia, but this time they play in Washington. Hurts and the offense are playing lights out, and look to extend their 10-game winning streak, the longest in the league. The Washington Commanders currently hold the 7th and final Wildcard spot for the playoffs, and a loss to the Eagles would probably knock them out of that spot in favor of the Falcons or Cardinals. They cannot afford a loss, but the Cowboys need Philadelphia to win their 11th straight. Cowboys Announce Ominous Trevon Diggs Move Among 5 Roster Changes – Mike Fisher, Athlon Sports As expected. the team placed Trevon Diggs on season-ending injured reserve as well as a few corresponding transactions. Saturday marks the official end of the season for Trevon Diggs as he faces a challenging climb back to health for 2025. Meanwhlle, buddy Micah Parsons is trying to help their Dallas Cowboys get healthy now. Dallas has officially moved Diggs onto the Reserve/Injured list after his serious – one report says “ominous’ – knee injury that requires bone graft surgery …and and the club has signed CB Andrew Booth to the active roster. Dallas also elevated center Dakoda Shepley and linebacker Darius Harris from the practice squad for tomorrow night’s game against Tampa Bay. Meanwhile and he has his 2024 season-closing personal goals in place as well. So he’s not going to let a flu bug get in the way of any of that … right? The Cowboys on Friday released their official injury report in preparation for the “Sunday Night Football’’ visit from the Tampa Bay Bucs, and to the surprise – or maybe shock? – of many in Cowboys Nation, Micah’s name is on the list. Parsons is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium due to an illness. Should the news be especially concerning for 6-8 Dallas as it limps through a season in which Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, Trevon Diggs and likely DeMarcus Lawrence are among those injured and out for the year? Cowboys hot topic: Osa Odighizuwa’s good play could price him out of Dallas – Matthew Lenix Jr., Blogging the Boys Could this Dallas defensive tackle raise his price too high for the Cowboys? The Dallas Cowboys are trying to close the 2024 season on a positive note and have successfully done so at the moment with three wins in their last four games. Although they won’t

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images This business side of the NFL can’t be ignored here. The Dallas Cowboys are trying to close the 2024 season on a positive note and have successfully done so at the moment with three wins in their last four games. Although they won’t make the postseason, it is good to see them showing heart and resolve with all the injuries and misfortune they’ve had. However, once these season ends in January, the page will turn to offseason activities, which includes free agency. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has already mentioned that the team will have a tight offseason when it comes to spending. While that’s not surprising in the slightest with how things go in Dallas, it also puts the future of some of the top guys on the roster in question. One in particular, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, is a big one to monitor. Back during the summer, Odighizuwa made it clear what he wanted to do was sign an extension with Dallas while having his best NFL season to date. The former third-round pick has certainly done the best season-to-date thing. So far this season, Odighizuwa has already tied a career-high with four sacks and set a career mark with 22 quarterback hits (nine more than any other season). He’s also equaled his best year with 31 hurries and has set a new career-high in pressures with 51. His 79.0 pass-rush grade ranks ninth for all defensive lineman in 2024 per Pro Football Focus. This is great for Odighizuwa because he has certainly upped his value. With what he’s done this season, and the steady progression in his play, Odighizuwa is possibly looking at commanding a deal around $5 to $7 million annually. If he finishes strong in the last three games, he could be looking at double-digit numbers per year. As good as it is for him, it may be the opposite for Dallas. The Cowboys do like to keep the players that they draft and develop into star or contributing players. Unfortunately, especially when it comes to Stephen Jones specifically, it always comes back to the salary cap, or at least it’s used a reason not to pay guys big dollars. The Cowboys put themselves in these positions by waiting to pay players, much like they did with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Those deals could have and should have been done earlier to put the Cowboys in a better position as far as the cap. There are plenty of ways to manipulate the cap, but Dallas tends to stand firm on being frugal. If Odighizuwa is to hit the market, teams will come calling. Although he’s a bit undersized at 280 pounds, Odighizuwa uses his wrestling background to get tremendous leverage and drive much bigger offensive linemen into the backfield. He’s solid against the run, and he helps keep linebackers clean, and teams that see themselves as contenders will be willing to pay him for those services and pay him well. It would behoove the Cowboys to value defensive tackles as a high priority for once during the offseason and bring Odighizuwa back. However, with the way Dallas handles contracts, don’t be surprised if the 2024 campaign is his last with the Cowboys.