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.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images Mike McCarthy out-dueled Dan Quinn last week. It’s been a tough year for Mike McCarthy. Nobody is going to feel overly sorry for the coach who owns a Super Bowl ring, has a street named after him in Green Bay, and is very well compensated for his job as the head coach of the most valuable sports franchise in the world. But it would be an understatement to say that 2024 has been unkind to McCarthy. It started with the embarrassing loss in the Wild Card round to the Packers. Getting ripped apart by your former team is tough to stomach. Then, Jerry Jones decided to hold onto McCarthy for another year, but refused to extend his contract, making McCarthy a lame duck coach. Around the same time, McCarthy lost his revered defensive coordinator to a division rival, as Dan Quinn took the head job for the Commanders. What followed was an offseason full of moves that screamed “setup.” It’s hard to view the Cowboys’ moves since that playoff game as ones you’d expect from a team doing everything in its power to win now. If anything, it looked like a team who was already preparing for a new coach in 2025. It’s not entirely surprising that the Cowboys stumbled out of the gate, and even less surprising that they continued to do so after Dak Prescott was lost for the season. Last Monday night, the Cowboys hung with the Texans for three quarters before Houston pulled away and delivered the Cowboys their fifth straight loss. It was their longest losing streak since 2015. Then came a road trip to face Quinn and a Commanders team filled with former Cowboys. Washington was favored to win by 10.5 points, the second-largest point spread of the week. It was a reflection of how bad the Cowboys have been this year and how good the Commanders have been with Quinn in charge. Once the game kicked off, though, none of that mattered. McCarthy’s offense was up first, and he had a script that worked beautifully. Cooper Rush was dealing, mostly to CeeDee Lamb, and the Cowboys were in field goal range after just three plays. A drop from Jalen Tolbert on third down forced a field goal, which was inexplicably blocked. The next drive also saw the offense firing on all cylinders, with several strong runs from Rico Dowdle bringing them right to the edge of the red zone. But a pitch to Dowdle on third and short got blown up, bringing up another field goal try. This time, Brandon Aubrey just flat out missed the kick. That was the theme for much of this game: the offense was moving the ball, but found a way to shoot themselves in the foot, whether it be a drop or a missed kick or a penalty that wiped out a first down. When the fourth quarter came around, though the offense stepped up. They scored 10 points on consecutive drives, which featured Luke Schoonmaker getting wide open in the endzone. Special teams scored the final two touchdowns of the day for Dallas, taking pressure off the offense, but that doesn’t erase how good McCarthy’s unit played. They averaged 5.4 yards per play – Dallas is averaging an even five on the year – and posted a success rate of 45.5%, which was the 11th highest of any team this week. More shocking was their 55.3% success rate on all dropbacks, which ranked third in the league. Getting that kind of production and efficiency with Rush under center and playing behind an offensive line that was forced to start backups at both guard spots is nothing to sneeze at. It was a reminder of how good McCarthy can be – the coach has quite the record with backup quarterbacks, mind you – and the fact that it came against Quinn made it a little more satisfying, even if he won’t admit it. This game won’t change much, of course. McCarthy is still all but guaranteed to be let go after the season despite what Jerry Jones said, and the Cowboys are all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs for the first time since McCarthy’s first year in Dallas. And there’s still a compelling argument to be made that a change in leadership is necessary. That said, bad coaches don’t win Super Bowls, and they sure don’t win 171 regular season games, as McCarthy has. He may not be the coach that will help this franchise return to its glory days, but McCarthy has always been a good coach. For a brief, fleeting moment in what’s been a disaster of a season, McCarthy got the chance to remind everyone of what he’s capable of.

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The Cowboys season took an unexpected turn on Sunday Things were rolling along in a normal fashion. We, as fans of the Dallas Cowboys, found ourselves in a comfortable rhythm of watching the team lose each week and then we went about our business. There was an inevitable sense that this was our fate except for the occasional game against other duds like the New York Giants or the Carolina Panthers. The most important thing was watching our draft position for 2025. Then the Cowboys pulled a stunner and beat the Washington Commanders. Suddenly the mood was lightened and there was a glimmer of optimism. Considering the Cowboys play the 2-9 Giants, the 4-7 Cincinnati Bengals, and the 3-8 Carolina Panthers coming up, thoughts of the Cowboys somehow reaching a 7-7 record and then anything could happen in a playoff chase began to percolate in the corners of the internet. There has been plenty of debate about fans rooting for a tank job versus rooting for wins. We know that the players and coaches won’t be tanking, they just aren’t wired to do that. But as fans, we get to choose. So after our standard confidence in the franchise question, we wanted to know your thoughts on what you want to happen for the rest of the 2024 season. Would you rather the team tank and lose for draft position, or would you rather they win, establish some momentum heading into the offseason, and not completely fracture the franchise? There is no wrong or right here, just opinions. Hit the poll and let us know in the comments. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Dallas Cowboys fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Please take our survey