Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb clears concussion protocol ahead of Sunday night matchup vs. Vikings – Grant Gordon, NFL.com The Cowboys will have CeeDee Lamb on the field this Sunday. CeeDee Lamb is back in the saddle. The Dallas Cowboys four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has cleared concussion protocol and is in line to play Sunday night against the […] The Cowboys will have CeeDee Lamb on the field this Sunday. CeeDee Lamb is back in the saddle. The Dallas Cowboys four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has cleared concussion protocol and is in line to play Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday. Lamb was concussed on Dec. 4 in his team’s Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions. With the game taking place on a Thursday, though, Lamb had some extra time to get through the protocol. He was at practice Wednesday in a limited capacity and upgraded to a full participant by Thursday, foreshadowing his availability for Sunday. Trevon Diggs’ status for Sunday, future with Cowboys remain unclear – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com Trevon Diggs feels good enough to play, but it will be a game-time decision. FRISCO, Texas – Heading into last week’s game against the Detroit Lions, Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs said he felt good enough to play, but didn’t get a lot of practice in throughout the week. On Friday, Diggs said he felt he got a good amount of reps a good week of practice under his belt this week, and is ready to play. Still, Cowboys COO/EVP Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that the Cowboys will make a decision on Diggs’ playing status Saturday, and he’s officially listed as questionable. Earlier in the week, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that Diggs has “got to show us that he’s ready to do everything the right way.” It’s been a difficult and unclear situation for both sides over the course of the season, but Diggs says he’d still want to remain with the Cowboys in the future, although he’s ready for anything. “I love Dallas. But, you know, at the end of the day, it’s a business,” Diggs said. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m prepared, I’m ready for it. I would love to be here. I love everything that comes with Dallas, the fans, the relationships I’ve built here. But if that’s not what it is, that’s just not what it is.” When it comes to his future, Diggs said that he didn’t really think about it too much. Why? “Because I know who I am. I know what I’m capable of. I know what I can do. I’m not having a crisis of not knowing how to play football. I know how to play football, I know what I’m capable of, I know what skillset I have. So, you know, it’s all about showing it, putting it out there, and making the plays that I’ve always made.” DeMarvion Overshown can finally get back to playing his game with no restrictions. FRISCO — When it comes to the team’s linebacker play, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus wants his players to be like one of his former players. He believes that a linebacker’s job is to hit the ball, which means not only making a bunch of tackles, but also causing disruption and forcing turnovers. He pointed to former Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee as an example of it. “You should have all those things because you’re the middle of the defense,” Eberflus said. “And that’s what we’re looking for.” He paused for a moment. “Those guys are working to do that,” he said, “and I’m starting to see it with Overshown.” On Sunday, he may see a little bit more of it. Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has had a steady increase in his snaps since he made his season debut on Nov. 17. Overshown, recovering from tearing three ligaments in his knee, had 47 snaps in the 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions, making up 76% of the team’s defensive plays. Overshown said he’ll no longer be on a snap count, starting on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. “Now that the limit is not a thing anymore, those packages that I wasn’t on the field, you’ll see me more,” Overshown said. “It’ll still be some mixing and matching, but I’ll be on the field more than I have.” Injury concerns linger as Cowboys will be without key starter in Week 15 – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated Dallas has good and bad news on the injury front heading into Sunday. Injuries have been an issue for the Dallas Cowboys all season, but they’ve received plenty of good news entering Week 15. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is cleared from concussion protocol and that tight end Jake Ferguson will be able to play despite suffering a calf injury in practice. They even announced that the pitch count for linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has been lifted. Not all news is good, however. While appearing on 105.3 The Fan, Stephen Jones said the Cowboys expect to be without starting left tackle Tyler Guyton for the third straight game. Guyton, a first-round pick in 2024, is recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered during the Week 12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Shortly after the comments from Jones, Dallas officially ruled Guyton out in Week 15. With Guyton out, 2024 seventh-round pick Nate Thomas will start against the Minnesota Vikings. KaVontae Turpin says he’ll stop fair catch fakeouts, but Cowboys’ return issues run deep – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News KaVontae Turpin and the Cowboys certainly need to fix this reoccurring issue. FRISCO — Cowboys wide receiver and returner KaVontae Turpin has been flagged twice in the last three games for invalid fair catch signals. The penalties, Turpin said, have been a product of a debate he has when the ball is in the air between taking the safe route and fair catching punts, or being aggressive. Turpin said he hasn’t had too many

The Dallas Cowboys and their opponent this week, the Minnesota Vikings, are both trying to hold on to slim playoff chances this week. Minnesota is relatively healthy. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are starting to look better as the week has progressed. Here’s who we can expect to see on the field per the final injury report […] The Dallas Cowboys and their opponent this week, the Minnesota Vikings, are both trying to hold on to slim playoff chances this week. Minnesota is relatively healthy. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are starting to look better as the week has progressed. Here’s who we can expect to see on the field per the final injury report of the week. CeeDee Lamb (concussion) practiced fully on Friday and cleared the league’s mandated concussion protocol. That’s right! Lamb will be available for the big game this weekend. Jake Ferguson (calf) was limited in today’s practice. However, it has been reported that he will likely play against the Vikings. Jadeveon Clowney (hamstring) was a full participant again and but is still questionable for the game. Trevon Diggs (knee) was limited all week and still hasn’t been activated from injured reserve. As noted, a decision on him will be made tomorrow. Stay tuned for more details regarding his roster status. And as expected, Tyler Guyton (ankle) has been ruled out, and it will be Nate Thomas getting the start at left tackle once again. See More: Dallas Cowboys Injuries

Suddenly, the NFC East has become a division nobody wants to win.  After ripping off three straight wins, the Cowboys were positioning themselves for a chance to contend in the division, but they lost on Thursday Night Football to the Lions in a game filled with the kind of errors and miscues that doomed this […] Suddenly, the NFC East has become a division nobody wants to win. After ripping off three straight wins, the Cowboys were positioning themselves for a chance to contend in the division, but they lost on Thursday Night Football to the Lions in a game filled with the kind of errors and miscues that doomed this team earlier in the year. Then, on Monday night, the Eagles refused to accept the gift their rival had given them. Another inept performance on offense led to a loss to the Chargers, the third loss in a row for Philly. That streak feels likely to snap this week with the Raiders coming to town, but it’s inexplicably left the door open for Dallas. Consider it cracked open, though, because the Cowboys have plenty of flaws they need to fix still. Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman debate whether that’s feasible this late in the year. Tom: Let’s start with the low hanging fruit. Too often the defense has just lain down and given up big plays. For a few games it looked better, but against the Lions, they surrendered six plays of 20+ yards. One was a 35-yard run, but the rest were Jared Goff tearing it up through the air. The real culprit seemed to be the lack of a pass rush with just one sack of Goff. It’s hard to see how this can be fixed. They may be able to beat several of the teams down the stretch. But one game should be against Justin Herbert who just delivered an incredible performance against the Eagles despite his injured hand. And the Eagles had tons of pressure, only losing because they just kept giving the ball away. David: I’m not ready to bail on this defense just yet. The Lions are a good team, especially on offense, and their line is the source of their identity. The pass rush being slowed by that unit doesn’t concern me, because most teams struggle against them. The Cowboys defense still ranks 20th in EPA/play and 16th in success rate since adding Quinnen Williams, among others. To quote my favorite haunting HBO docudrama, that’s not great but it’s not terrible. Justin Herbert is a better quarterback than the one they just faced, but his supporting cast is less impressive, specifically an injury-plagued offensive line. You can see that in looking at Herbert’s games this season: he’s had some phenomenal ones but also has five games with a sub-60% completion rate. That’s way better than J.J. McCarthy, the next quarterback on the schedule, so I’m not totally discouraged about the defense’s chances of a rebound. If I’m looking for a concern, though, I have two, the biggest one being these slow starts on offense. Tom: It’s like they need a quarter or so to all get on the same page. I think it’s partly the issues at offensive tackle. The interior of the line seems to be good, but things just don’t click outside. It leads to more pressure on Dak and limits the running game. More importantly it gives the opponent a chance to get an early lead. That’s never good for anyone. With how tenuous the situation for the Cowboys they need to flip that script. It is hard to point to an obvious solution, but maybe it’s as much execution as anything. David: I think you’re on to something with the tackles. Even before Tyler Guyton was injured, the ends of this offensive line have been an issue. It takes a bit for Dak to settle in because of it, and eventually he just trusts his playmakers to make up for it. And, thankfully, he’s got the playmakers to do just that. Another thing I’m just as concerned with is special teams. The Cowboys are third in the league in special teams penalties and penalty yardage. Opponents are also averaging the 31-yard line as their starting field position, one of the higher numbers in the league and certainly a contributing factor in the defense giving up so many points. Brandon Aubrey is obviously amazing, and KaVontae Turpin is an electric returner, but the rest of this unit has been downright sloppy lately. Even Turpin has drawn a flag each of the last two weeks for, inexplicably, calling for a fair catch and then running after catching the ball. It’s simple, inexcusable mistakes that are costing this team, and the worst ones are coming on special teams. Tom: I’m glad you brought up the special teams. They had a significant role in the Detroit loss. Both the touchdown drives that sealed the win for the Lions started less than 60 yards from the end zone because the coverage was so inept. On average they only had 59 yards to go the entire game. That’s hardly a formula for success for the Cowboys. That’s one thing the coaches can work on. It might actually be solvable with coaching and a bit of cussing. The rest we will have to see. Dallas is in the unfortunate position of having to rely on a ton of other things to go just right to make the playoffs. It’s a hole they have been digging all season. Of course we hope they climb out. Clearly, however, we need to be prepared for failure. See More: Dallas Cowboys discussion

The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night and it is a game that they have to have if they want any hope of staying alive and reaching the playoffs. One of the things that has helped the Cowboys find life across the second half of this season has been […] The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night and it is a game that they have to have if they want any hope of staying alive and reaching the playoffs. One of the things that has helped the Cowboys find life across the second half of this season has been the improved play on the defensive side of the ball. That group struggled last week against the Lions, but they are certainly playing better than the way things were going for the first two months of the year. Our discussion prompt today is a uique one as you could go a number of directions: Who has been the best player on defense this season? Some might say Quinnen Williams. To be clear this is an acceptable answer, but he has only played 4 games for a Cowboys team that has played 13 as a whole. Who is your answer and why? See More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Not much went right for Dallas in Week 14, but the Eagles stopped the bleeding with their Monday night loss to the Chargers. With the Cowboys’ best shot at making the playoffs now clearly in their own division, it’s more important than ever that we dive into the goings on of the NFC East. Philly’s […] Not much went right for Dallas in Week 14, but the Eagles stopped the bleeding with their Monday night loss to the Chargers. With the Cowboys’ best shot at making the playoffs now clearly in their own division, it’s more important than ever that we dive into the goings on of the NFC East. Philly’s third-straight loss pulled Cowboys Nation out of a state of mourning, following our own defeat last Thursday to the Detroit Lions. It kept Dallas’ goal of overcoming the Eagles’ two-game lead manageable, especially if Philadelphia’s losing streak is the beginning of a complete second-half collapse. Considering they just had one in 2023, going 1-5 in their final six games, it’s not an unreasonable scenario. Here are the NFC East standings going into Week 15: Philadelphia Eagles 8-5 (2-2 in division, 7-3 vs NFC) Dallas Cowboys 6-6-1 (3-1, 3-5-1) Washington Commanders 3-10 (1-1, 1-7) New York Giants 2-11 (1-3, 1-8) All Dallas has to do to win the division is match win totals with Philadelphia after Week 18. Tiebreakers won’t matter; the Cowboys would have the better overall record thanks to their tie with Green Bay. And even if Philly winds up with their own tie, which is highly doubtful, Dallas still has a superior record within the NFC East to carry them. If we get to the point that the Cowboys actually have caught up with Philly, that shouldn’t change. Unfortunately, the more reasonable goal for Dallas this week is just to maintain their current deficit. The Eagles are hosting the 2-11 Raiders, so that’s a good balm for their current rash of losing. If we’re going to get two more losses out of Philly, they’ll likely have to come from their final three games: two against Washington with Buffalo in between. Anything can happen, of course. If Philadelphia did somehow lose to Vegas, Dallas can’t afford to squander it. Their Sunday night game against Minnesota is really a must-win for momentum and pressure purposes, even if not mathematically. If the Cowboys don’t get the job done against the Vikings, we really can just start talking about 2026. Elsewhere in the East, Washington and New York face each other this week in about as meaningless a game as you could ask for. QB Jayden Daniels has already been ruled out, and now we’re just hoping he returns for those games against Philly. But outside of that and next April’s draft order, nothing to see here. See More: Dallas Cowboys Playoffs

CeeDee Lamb gives major update on concussion, status vs. Vikings – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com CeeDee Lamb looks set to play on Sunday night. FRISCO, Texas — The moment was a terrifying one for all who watched helplessly as CeeDee Lamb’s helmet banged against the turf at Ford Field last week, the Dallas Cowboys’ All-Pro wide receiver […] CeeDee Lamb gives major update on concussion, status vs. Vikings – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com CeeDee Lamb looks set to play on Sunday night. FRISCO, Texas — The moment was a terrifying one for all who watched helplessly as CeeDee Lamb’s helmet banged against the turf at Ford Field last week, the Dallas Cowboys’ All-Pro wide receiver blacking out for a moment as his fingers locked, similar to what was witnessed on multiple occasions by Tua Tagovailoa, and it was immediately known he suffered a concussion against the Detroit Lions. He was immediately removed from the contest and ruled out with said concussion, but he’s made significant progress toward potentially clearing the league’s protocol to take the field in Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings. “There’s been a lot of work and eye discipline, and trying to frustrate myself, essentially, to see if I have any more residuals of the concussion, and any type of symptoms,” said the four-time Pro Bowler. “But as for me, now, it’s just been heavy on rest, to be honest. I’m doing everything, meeting all my requirements, getting ahead of everything, and especially with the extra two to three days that we had off — I feel like that was big.” Cowboys vs Vikings: 3 bold predictions for Sunday’s matchup – Matt Holleran, Blogging the Boys Bold predictions for Sunday Night Football. 1) Cowboys’ defense bounces back in a big way, forcing J.J. McCarthy into his fifth multi-interception game of the year J.J. McCarthy’s NFL career has gotten off to a rough start. After being selected with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the former Michigan Wolverine suffered a knee injury in Minnesota’s preseason opener that forced him to miss the entirety of his rookie year. Coming into this season, hopes were high for the 22-year-old quarterback. The Vikings took a big gamble, letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency after a career year in favor of their young quarterback. Unfortunately for both McCarthy and the Vikings, the move has not panned out well to this point. After winning 14 games last season, the Vikings are just 5-8 this year, and a big reason for their lack of success has been the struggles of their offense. Minnesota ranks bottom seven in the NFL in points per game (19.6) and total yards (3,584), and inconsistent quarterback play from their young signal-caller has been a leading factor in the offense’s shortcomings. Mailbag: Can the Cowboys fix slow starts? – Tommy Yarish, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys offense needs to start fast against the Vikings. Any reason for the consistently slow starts? The Cowboys have now been outscored 109-49 in the first quarter this season. In the other quarters combined they are outscoringopponents 332-277. Why is this such a problem? Is there a fix? – PaulRoberts/Oklahoma City, OK Tommy: If there was a textbook answer, then everyone would be starting games fast. I think that quick starts are sort of along the same lines of winning close games: You figure it out by, well, figuring it out. I don’t know if there one concrete thing I can point to as to why Dallas hasn’t been able to start games off on the right foot, but to they’re credit, they’ve certainly found ways to finish it on the right foot. I’m sure that with the extra time this week to sit back and evaluate everything, that Brian Schottenheimer has looked back at his opening script to see if anything stands out to him as to why things haven’t gone their way in the first quarter offensively. We’ll see if they can improve during the last four games of the season. Ranking Dallas Cowboys’ remaining 2025 games by difficulty amid playoff race – Randy Gurzi, SI.com Can the Cowboys win out? 1. Week 16 vs. Los Angeles Chargers The toughest game remaining on the schedule for Dallas comes in Week 16 when the Los Angeles Chargers visit AT&T Stadium. Jim Harbaugh’s team did the Cowboys a favor when they defeated the Eagles in Week 14, but they could just as easily hurt them when next week rolls around. Los Angeles is the final team with a winning record on the schedule for Dallas, and quarterback Justin Herbert can carve up the secondary if they’re not locked in. Cowboys Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb come to defense of George Pickens amid outside criticism – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News There should be zero concerns with George Pickens. FRISCO — Since the Cowboys acquired George Pickens, fellow receiver CeeDee Lamb has gone out of his way to point out their similarities. He’s said, from the beginning, that they both are No. 1 options for the Cowboys. It’s why Lamb said he can relate to the external criticism that Pickens has faced since last Thursday’s 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Pickens, as he noted quickly after the game, didn’t have his best performance in the loss to the Lions. He finished with five catches for 37 yards on nine targets. Criticism about Pickens’ performance was sparked by comments from former NFL cornerback and Amazon analyst Richard Sherman, who criticized Pickens’ effort level and what Sherman described as disinterest throughout the game. Pickens eventually responded in a post on Instagram that was quickly deleted. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he had a good conversation with Pickens about the deleted post. He also reiterated his belief in Pickens. Quarterback Dak Prescott did the same on Thursday. “He’s responded great,” Prescott said of Pickens. “Just came in like a pro, as I expected him to do. … When you’re playing to the level he is and to the standard

For the Dallas Cowboys to do the improbable and make the playoffs, they are going to need a win over the Minnesota Vikings. Thursday’s injury report offers some optimism and some bad news for that game. Here’s the most recent news regarding Dallas’ injuries.  Still no official practice for Tyler Guyton. Guyton has missed multiple […] For the Dallas Cowboys to do the improbable and make the playoffs, they are going to need a win over the Minnesota Vikings. Thursday’s injury report offers some optimism and some bad news for that game. Here’s the most recent news regarding Dallas’ injuries. Still no official practice for Tyler Guyton. Guyton has missed multiple games because of a high-ankle sprain, and maybe he can get some limited action tomorrow, but for now, he is trending toward not playing Sunday night. CeeDee Lamb (concussion) did practice again today and improved to full participation. That is a major plus, as he suffered no setbacks after participating in a limited fashion yesterday. Also, cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) was limited again today, and if Diggs proves he can do all that’s asked of him from the Cowboys coaching staff, we may see him back Sunday. Jake Ferguson (calf) was downgraded a DNP Thursday and is a storyline to keep an eye on for the remainder of the week. Meanwhile, Jadeveon Clowney (hamstring) was limited today. Cornerback Shavon Revel (knee) was also limited again. See More: Dallas Cowboys Injuries

As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Detroit, things looked bleak for the Cowboys. The loss to the Lions dropped them to 6-6-1, snapping a three-game win streak and derailing what had suddenly become a burgeoning playoff bid. A few days – and another Eagles self destruction – later, things have been upgraded […] As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Detroit, things looked bleak for the Cowboys. The loss to the Lions dropped them to 6-6-1, snapping a three-game win streak and derailing what had suddenly become a burgeoning playoff bid. A few days – and another Eagles self destruction – later, things have been upgraded from bleak to just dire. They currently have an 11% chance to make the playoffs, according to the playoff simulator at The Athletic. Even a single loss the rest of the way drops them under 3%, and likely eliminates them not long after. To call it a longshot would be an understatement, but Brian Schottenheimer is fine with that. The first-year head coach is plenty used to being a longshot. A coach’s son, Schottenheimer was always supposed to be the “next big thing.” You’d think that in a league full of good ol’ boys who care more about who you know than what you can do, Schottenheimer would’ve been a head coach much sooner. After all, his father is one of just eight head coaches in history with 200+ career wins. But it took time for Schottenheimer, who was often overlooked for various reasons. When Rex Ryan took over as the head coach of the Jets, and decided to retain Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator, expectations were low in New York. After Week 11, the Jets were written off at 4-6 after losing three straight. But Ryan, Schottenheimer, and the rest of the team kept the faith in what they were building. They then ripped off three straight, finally getting above .500, before a loss to the Falcons set them back. But they stayed the course, winning their final two games – including blowing out Peyton Manning’s Colts and shutting out a 10-win Bengals team – and making the playoffs as the final Wild Card team. Despite holding a 9-7 record and sneaking into the postseason, the Jets were the most dangerous team in the league. They proved it, too, beating the Bengals again before upsetting the Chargers in San Diego. That brought them all the way to the AFC Championship Game almost exactly two months after being written off at 4-6. And while the Colts would beat them to go onto the Super Bowl, it didn’t diminish the magical run the Jets had pulled off. Schottenheimer finds himself in a very similar situation now. Just like the 2009 Jets, the 2025 Cowboys ripped off three straight wins before suffering a disappointing loss. Now, they need to run the table just to have a hope at the playoffs. Their remaining schedule isn’t as tough as that Jets team was, but the Vikings and Chargers are hardly pushovers. And while the Giants and Commanders are just thinking about the draft already, divisional road games are still never easy. The Cowboys need some help, yes, but they can only focus on what they control. Winning out the rest of the way puts them at 10-6-1 and, according to the playoff simulator, gives them a 54% chance to make the playoffs regardless of the outcome of any other games. Throw in just one more loss for the Eagles, in any game, and those odds surge to over 70%. Over the last decade, only two teams have failed to make the playoffs after winning 10 games. The Seahawks did it last year, while the Dolphins did it in 2020. The vast majority of the time, 10 wins is as good as clinching the playoffs; on the rare occasion it isn’t good enough, it’s hard to feel bad about that year given its rarity. What this all boils down to is the fact that the Cowboys have a shot, long as it may be. At the very least, they’ll be able to hold their heads high knowing they did everything in their power to get into the postseason. And, in the optimistic scenario, Schottenheimer recaptures some of that 2009 mojo and takes the Cowboys all the way to the NFC Championship Game. It’s hard to envision such a scenario right now, but just ask Jets fans how they felt at this point. Schottenheimer knows, too. And he knows that this team is far from being out of it in early December. All they have to do is keep fighting. See More: Dallas Cowboys Playoffs