Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Here are all of the things we are rooting for (besides the Cowboys) on Sunday. Heading into Week 6, the Dallas Cowboys are among a pack of 3-2 teams in the NFC. As we approach the season’s halfway mark, each week brings more clarity to the playoff picture. This week’s rooting guide presents several key games that could impact Dallas’ eventual postseason positioning. Of the six teams sitting at 3-2 right now, two lead their divisions (Falcons and Seahawks) while the four others (Bears, Bucs, Cowboys, Packers) are firmly in the wild card hunt. It’s still early to break down the specifics, but your Cowboys would be the seventh seed if the tournament started today. If things stay congested as the season progresses, Dallas will need things to swing their way throughout the NFC. Here’s how they need games to swing in Week 6: Ravens over Commanders This is easily Washington’s toughest assignment so far in 2024 and a great chance to see who they really are. If the Cowboys can get a huge win over Detroit this Sunday, it’d be even sweeter if the Commanders drop this one and allow Dallas to pull even with them in the NFC East. If the Lions get the win they’re projected to, then that makes it all the more critical for Washington to go down here and keep the Cowboys within a game. Browns over Eagles Coming off an early bye week, Philly is probably going to roll 1-4 Cleveland. The week off, plus getting WR A.J. Brown back, should help the Eagles’ offense restore some order. Beating the Browns won’t mean they don’t still have issues, but it will quell the negativity for at least a week. Giants over Bengals While their road win over Seattle last week was impressive, it’s still hard to buy that New York is about to turn their whole season around. They still feel like an eventual bottom-rung team, so let them have this one and hurt their record for draft purposes. Seahawks over 49ers This is a tough one to pick. If the Seahawks win the NFC West, they could make trouble for Dallas later on should the Cowboys also win their division. But the 49ers as a wild card team is scary for multiple reasons, either potentially taking a spot from Dallas or being a scary first-round opponent. Better they fall further down the standings. Saints over Buccaneers New Orleans has gone into freefall since that big Week 2 win in Dallas, losing their last three and now having to start Spencer Rattler at QB. Tampa is a more likely contender down the road so it’d be good for them to drop this one. Cardinals over PackersPanthers over FalconsJaguars over Bears Three easy picks here. Atlanta, Chicago, and Green Bay are all in that 3-2 cluster we mentioned before. The Jaguars are in the AFC and Carolina isn’t a threat, so no harm in them winning. Arizona has enough talent to get hot and eventually contend for a wild card spot, but we’d still rather see them hang a loss on the Packers this week.

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Rico Dowdle has a chance to make Dallas Cowboys franchise history on Sunday. Sunday is an important day for the Dallas Cowboys. A win sends them into the bye week riding a three-game win streak with a victory over a top NFC team to boot. Should Dallas lose, well, it won’t feel like the end of the world, but sitting at .500 would feel like a victory in and of itself given the events of the last month. It goes without saying we are rooting for the former, but we can also root for something very specific within the game. Dallas had two touchdowns last week in the win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the one that broke the seal was Dak Prescott finding Rico Dowdle. That marked the second week in a row in which Dowdle scored by way of a pass which had me wondering, how often have we seen back-to-back games in team history with a running back catching a touchdown? As fate, I mean history, would have it, not a lot! Stathead Dowdle is just the 15th running back (using that term loosely since fullbacks were counted in this search) in team history to post back-to-back games with a receiving touchdown. Isn’t that weirdly fascinating? If we limit our search a little bit more to asking when this occurred in a single season then Dowdle is only the 13th player to do it. Amazingly, all of these streaks were left to dry with none of them reaching a third game. This means that Dowdle has a chance to stand alone. Should Dowdle catch a touchdown against the Detroit Lions this week, then he will be the first running back in team history to post a receiving touchdown in three straight games. In general, it is also a pretty rare thing for a running back to have three receiving touchdowns in a season as a whole, a list Dowdle would also obviously join. Stathead Dowdle doing it would be another point of interest given that both starting running backs that the team has employed in recent history (Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard) each did it at least once. A season of three receiving touchdowns from Dowdle (he just needs to catch one period to join this list to be clear, in any game this season) would mean their last three RB1s have done it. Here’s to hoping Dowdle does it this week in a winning effort for the Cowboys.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys Jourdan Lewis talks Lions, competitive fire and being ‘tone-setter’ for Cowboys – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com Jourdan Lewis’ amazing story doesn’t get told enough. That respect is rooted in not only his competitive fire, or the fact he’s the longest tenured defensive player in Dallas not named DeMarcus Lawrence, but also in how he overcame a devastating injury in 2022 that nearly ended his football career. It was one that thrust him into depression and forced him to face his darkest demons and, with the help of coaches and teammates, he was able to beat back and defeat. He’d return in 2023, but to a slow start, and that was not necessarily a surprise when considering just how awful the injury was. Lewis intercepted a throw from Jared Goff in the Cowboys’ matchup against the Detroit Lions, in 2022, and his foot shattered — literally shattered — as he landed and attempted to push off. He shared, recently, that he fractured nearly every bone in his foot and shredded every ligament and tendon to varying degrees, some completely torn altogether. “I didn’t think I’d ever play again,” he said. “[I think] about that everyday.” Lewis underwent an extensive surgery that required a metal plate and brace placed in his foot along with a total of five screws, effectively reshaping his foot to the point he had to relearn how to walk, run, jump and cut before he could be medically cleared for football activities, trying first to regain a sense of normalcy in his everyday life. Through all of this, in a matter of only several months or more, Lewis is not only back to prime form but, arguably, he’s better than he’s ever been. Cowboys are left with obvious Ezekiel Elliott decision after Week 5 win – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat Everybody seems to be questioning Zeke’s role on this roster. Dowdle’s goal-line fumble capsized his rushing grade, but he forced six missed tackle in the game, which was tied for the third-most of any running back in Week 5, per Pro Football Focus. He also had the second-most explosive runs of any back. Elliott, who is seemingly battling a mysterious injury, worked as the second back against the Steelers and finished with six carries for 17 yards. However, it was Dowdle and fullback Hunter Luepke who saw the most touches on the Cowboys’ game-winning drive. Elliott converted a 3rd-and-1 on the drive, but that was his only touch. Even more noteworthy? Elliott didn’t receive a single touch on Dallas’ 16-play, 90-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter that put them in front 13-10. Dowdle saw eight touches on the drive, including his receiving touchdown on 2nd-and-10 just outside the red zone. While McCarthy trusts Elliott to convert in short-yardage situations, it can be argued that he prefers Luepke to Elliott when the offense needs to put up yards in a hurry. That shouldn’t surprise anyone as Luepke is far more dynamic than the elder statesman. Don’t expect the Cowboys to cut Elliott outright, but based on what transpired Sunday night don’t be shocked if Zeke is a healthy scratch next week and Dalvin Cook gets elevated from the practice squad. It’s been a long time coming. Cowboys roster moves: Marshawn Kneeland to IR, Carl Lawson promoted, DaRon Bland named for return – RJ Ochoa, BloggingTheBoys.com New injuries and players returning from injury cause a roster shuffling. The Dallas Cowboys announced a handful of roster moves on Wednesday. None of them were particularly shocking, but they are now official nonetheless. It was reported on Tuesday afternoon that DaRon Bland has a chance to play (to some degree) on Sunday against the Detroit Lions so his designation to return was a formality that we knew was inevitable. In addition to that move, the Cowboys have now officially placed rookie Marshawn Kneeland on injured reserve and signed Carl Lawson to the active roster in his place. It goes without saying that the Cowboys are in a dire situation from an injury perspective as Sam Williams did tear his ACL at the beginning of training camp, Micah Parsons is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and DeMarcus Lawrence is already on injured reserve with a foot injury. That the Cowboys are getting anything back right now is a huge win. Notably the Cowboys are on their bye next week which will provide some more time for players to rest up, heal and get right. Even though that is the case, Kneeland must now miss at least four games starting with Sunday’s against the Lions. After that the next three games for the Cowboys are at the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons before hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. That takes us to the middle of November for context. Tiering all 32 NFL quarterback contract situations – Dan Graziano, ESPN How Dak Prescott’s contract ties him to the Cowboys for four (or more) years. 4. Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott Signed through: 2028 Remaining guarantees: $47.75 million Earliest exit point: 2027 offseason Prescott’s recently signed extension included an $80 million signing bonus and fully guaranteed salaries of $1.25 million in 2024 and $47.75 million in 2025. On the fifth day of the 2025 league year (March 17), his $40 million salary for 2026 becomes fully guaranteed. On the fifth day of the 2026 league year, his $45 million salary for 2027 becomes fully guaranteed. All of those salaries — plus $17 million of his $55 million salary for 2028 — are guaranteed against injury. So if Prescott is healthy, and they cut him after the 2026 season but before the fifth day of the 2027 league year, they will have paid him $169 million for three seasons. That’s an average of $56.3 million per year, which is a lot. But we’re dealing with a hypothetical and unrealistic scenario in which Prescott has stayed healthy but played poorly, leading the Cowboys to eat $33.38

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images The Cowboys have taken some positive steps over the last two weeks, but there is still a lot of work to do. The Cowboys are officially on a winning streak for the first time this year, though it hasn’t been the most inspiring run. Their win over the Steelers counts the same as any other win, but it sure was ugly to watch. The analytics reflect that, too. As we enter the second week with strength-of-schedule adjustments for all DVOA-related grades taking effect (though the model won’t be at full strength for a few more weeks), the Cowboys’ standing amongst the NFL landscape is starting to come into focus. And it looks about as good as the team did on Sunday night. Here’s the good news: the Cowboys moved up in total team DVOA for the second week in a row. The bad news? They’re still just taking baby steps. As a team, Dallas is still in the bottom half of the league in efficiency. Comparing that grade to their DAVE score, which combines actual results with DVOA-based preseason projections, the Cowboys are 12th in the league. Essentially that means that the Cowboys should be roughly six spots higher based on what everyone expected them to be and what they’ve shown so far. And if the last two weeks are anything to go off of, the Cowboys are making their way in that direction, albeit at a snail’s pace. 2024 NFL Team Tiers, Weeks 1-5, courtesy of rbsdm.com The EPA-based team tiers reflect much of the same sentiment for America’s Team. They officially crossed over into the bottom right quadrant, which means the offense is now above the league average in EPA/play. They’re now hovering right around the Falcons, Eagles, Colts, and Cardinals, who just beat the 49ers this past week. Taking a broader look at the league as a whole, this chart reflects the lack of any truly great teams right now. The Chiefs and 49ers are overlapping almost perfectly right now in the category of “we know they’re capable of more.” The Bills and Saints are in the most ideal spots on this chart, though both lost by double digits last week, while the Vikings and Commanders are operating on opposite sides of the same “elite on one side of the ball, not so great on the other” coin. In short, the race for NFL supremacy is wide open. Offense In a lot of ways, the offense had a great game this week. They nearly doubled the Steelers’ offensive output, Dak Prescott threw for over 350 yards, and Rico Dowdle had a career night. However, they scored just once in four red zone trips and had just two touchdowns on nine drives. The Cowboys were moving the ball well, but they also had a handful of extremely inefficient plays that killed their overall grades here. Prescott’s three turnovers, Brandon Aubrey’s blocked field goal, and Dowdle’s fumble (even though it was recovered) amounted to a total net loss of 18 expected points. For context, the Cowboys’ biggest play in terms of expected points added (EPA) was the game-winner to Jalen Tolbert, which constituted +4.6 EPA. Inefficiency in the red zone killed what was an otherwise positive outing for this offense. Speaking of inefficiency in the red zone, it was almost entirely because of Dak Prescott. His fumble was the result of holding the ball too long, and the two interceptions were just poorly thrown balls, even if the receiver might share some of the blame. The crazy thing is that Prescott had a phenomenal night outside of those three plays. If you discount turnovers for all quarterbacks, Prescott would’ve ranked second in the NFL in EPA/play in Week 5 despite playing against a Steelers defense that was fifth in EPA/play in the first four weeks. Of course, the turnovers do count, but even so Prescott was sixth in EPA/play this week. Given that Prescott is usually more careful with the ball, this would seem to bode well for the quarterback moving forward. All things considered, this was a really encouraging game from the offensive line. Dak Prescott was pressured on just 31.1% of his 45 dropbacks, the second-lowest pressure rate the Steelers have had in a game this year. Considering that this came in a game where Tyler Guyton left early with an injury, moving Tyler Smith out to left tackle and T.J. Bass slotting in at guard, that’s pretty good. It was far from perfect – Zack Martin was the only lineman in this game to not allow multiple pressures – but it was enough to get the job done. The Cowboys also had their best game of the season in run blocking, and Rico Dowdle certainly took advantage. They’re now in the top 10 in pressure rate, adjusted sack rate, and adjusted line yards. That bodes well for a line with two rookie starters. Defense This game serves as a great illustration of the value of advanced statistics vs box score statistics. The Cowboys offense racked up yards, but they weren’t very efficient. Meanwhile, the run-heavy Steelers offense averaged just 3.5 yards per carry (only six teams were worse in Week 5), but those runs were still very efficient, posting the fourth-best EPA/rush in Week 5. As a result, the Cowboys run defense took another hit in the efficiency grades, even though they didn’t give up a ton of yards. The pass rush, though, posted a surprisingly efficient night despite being without its two best players. They’re now ninth in pressure rate after a game that saw five different defenders register 2+ pressures. The Steelers don’t have much in the way of true offensive firepower, but the secondary still yielded a 55.6% completion rate from Justin Fields, who was completing 70.6% of his passes coming into this one. Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis took turns covering the Steelers’ top receiver, George Pickens, and they limited the big downfield threat to

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images The Cowboys running back room is in an interesting spot right now. It was clear that the Dallas Cowboys needed help in the running back room once Tony Pollard wasn’t on the roster anymore. Many believed Dallas would emphasize the position in the NFL draft since they aren’t big players in free agency. However, the Cowboys didn’t pick one up, and instead, they brought back veteran Ezekiel Elliott just days after the draft. The days of Elliott being a force as a runner are long gone. These days, he is expected to specialize in converting short third-down situations and in the red zone where he has shown a nose for scoring. With the committee approach that the Cowboys are going with, Elliott was supposed to be the other piece along with Rico Dowdle to lead the rushing attack. Although he does have the second most carries on the team, Elliott has seen his snaps go down. He had 23 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the previous two games before that, he only logged 15 and 10. That’s due in large part not only to Dowdle being more effective but also because Hunter Luepke has seen his role increase. He matched Elliott’s 23 snaps last Sunday and basically doubled his snaps with 30 and 29 in the two weeks prior. Elliott could still be used in short-yardage areas and in the red zone. However, the Cowboys have strayed away from using him there as well. When they were inside the five on the final drive, Luepke caught an 18-yard pass to set up 1st and goal. After Prescott ran it down to the one, the Cowboys decided to hand the ball to Dowdle at that crucial moment. So, it brings up the question of what Elliott’s role is at this point? It was a great story in a way to have Elliott back in Dallas. He’s here for a specific reason, though, and if the Cowboys aren’t even going to use him in those ways, he’s basically just taking up a roster spot.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports Here is the Dallas Cowboys injury report for Wednesday After a thrilling late-night win in the early Monday morning’s wee hours, the Dallas Cowboys are back in the building. Though the Cowboys got the hard-earned win, they suffered a few more injuries to an already depleted roster. Marshawn Kneeland sustained a knee injury that will keep him off the field for some time as he heads to injured reserve. However, the Cowboys may receive help where they need it most against a formidable opponent such as the Detroit Lions this week. #Cowboys injury report vs. Lions (Wednesday): DaRon Bland practice window opened. Full participant in a limited practice held today. Caelen Carson back to full workload. Eric Kendricks, Nick Vigil DNP (Zack Martin DNP is veteran rest day) Full report: pic.twitter.com/NsgHGFZcXK — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) October 9, 2024 DaRon Bland was back in practice after the team designated him to return to practice. He was back on the field today practiced in full. Bland began the season on injured reserve and missed the first five games. It’s unclear if he will be back for this week’s game, but if he does, it will boost the secondary, which has been without him and Caelen Carson for the last two games. Speaking of Carson, he may be close to returning to game action as he too was also listed a full participant today at practice. If Bland and Carson return, it would be the first time Dallas has had its full complement of cornerbacks available this season. Let’s not forget Jourdan Lewis who had a terrific performance against George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. With all of their cornerbacks healthy, the Cowboys have arguably the deepest cornerback room in the division. Micah Parsons did not practice as he will be out multiple weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Tyler Guyton left last week’s game but is fine and practiced fully. Meanwhile Eric Kendricks (calf/shoulder), Markquese Bell (illness), and Nick Vigil (foot) sat out of team activities. The Detroit Lions released their Week 6 initial injury report for Dallas Cowboys week. https://t.co/oz7L5OkPIp — Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) October 9, 2024 For Detroit, Center Frank Ragnow, was designated a full-go while returning from a pectoral injury Wednesday. Brian Branch, who was sick, also returned from an illness.