Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Enjoy some college football playoffs The College Football Playoffs continue with a game between Notre Dame and Georgia. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images The Dallas Cowboys have a handful of players who were selected to the Pro Bowl. There are but a few days left in the season for the Dallas Cowboys as they will soon be relegated to the crop of teams not playing in the annual playoff tournament. Such is life. Before the regular season comes to a close though, there are several matters for both the team and league as a whole to tend to. One is the status of the Pro Bowl, even if the event itself has lost some luster over the last decade and change. While the game itself is a bit of… something… the reality is that being selected to the Pro Bowl is a big deal. On Thursday morning it was announced that five members of the Cowboys were chosen: Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Tyler Smith, KaVontae Turpin and Brandon Aubrey. From the mothership: All five players made the Pro Bowl last season. Parsons is returning for the fourth time, making it all four seasons of his career so far. Lamb has also been selected for a fourth straight time and Turpin, Aubrey and Smith are returning for a second time. Having 5 pro bowlers despite the season that they had early on is quite impressive from the Cowboys, although given there is a rising tide effect to playing for the team what with the platform that it provides. That isn’t to take away from the seasons that any of these players had as they are all very well-deserving. The Cowboys shut CeeDee Lamb down for the season last week so it stands to reason that he may not participate in the Pro Bowl festivities. Obviously we will see about that. Of these 5 it is easy to see the likes of Micah Parsons and KaVontae Turpin also getting All-Pro nods. Brandon Aubrey is a definite possibility there. It would not be crazy for CeeDee Lamb to garner a second-team selection. Perhaps that might be a bit too optimistic for Tyler Smith, though. Congratulations to all 5 of the Pro Bowl players on the Dallas Cowboys.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Jourdan Lewis not yet focused on NFL free agency, but wants to re-sign with Cowboys – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com One of Dallas’ most reliable defenders wants to stay with the team that drafted him. FRISCO, Texas — With the 2024 calendar year now in the history books and the regular season nearing its conclusion for the Dallas Cowboys, it’s impossible to quantify the impact of certain players in a year that was decimated by all manner of adversity, and Jourdan Lewis is one such player. Despite it all, the veteran cornerback has not only been a vocal mentor and leader within the locker room, but also one of the best players on any side of the ball in Dallas — turning his one-year contract extension into a Pro Bowl caliber campaign. So it’s a no-brainer that the Cowboys want him to stay put when free agency arrives. “Jourdan’s just an uber competitor,” said executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones. “He’s a guy who’s out of contract, and obviously a guy that we want to have back on this football team.” Lewis is, to this point in his career, a lifer with the Cowboys who has proven to be, well, coordinator-proof. […] He’s not naive, though, which is to say Lewis knows what’s on the horizon and, as such, he’s not willing to play coy when it comes to where he’d like to play football next year, and possibly for the years that follow. Lewis has only ever been a Cowboy, and he hopes it can stay that way. “Always,” he said. “Dallas is my home. My kids were born here. We’d love to have another season here, or a few seasons here. My wife loves it. “But I know it’s a business, and we don’t know what the front office needs.” The good news is the front office has already stated their intentions, and that one player they definitely need is Lewis. Ideal Ezekiel Elliott landing spot lets him stick it to Cowboys one more time – Mark Powell, Fansided.com Zeke is still in search of a ring, and some rivals could give him that opportunity. Still, Elliott and the Cowboys have a complicated backstory, but one of mutual respect. The Cowboys thanked Zeke on his way out the door on Tuesday in a statement from president Jerry Jones. “Out of respect and appreciation for Zeke and wanting to provide him with an opportunity to pursue any potential playoff participation possible, we are releasing him from the Cowboys roster today,” Jones said. “As I have said many times previously, Zeke’s impact as one of the greatest to ever play with the Star on their helmet will never change and is etched in our record books and history forever. We thank him, love him and wish him the absolute best.” Where will Ezekiel Elliott land? Why not the Detroit Lions While that sounds fine and dandy, the Cowboys have no control over where Elliott lands. There are infinite possibilities, but one makes more sense than most, and that’s the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys wouldn’t consider the Lions a rival, but after the infamous Dan Skipper game, Detroit fans might feel differently. Signing Elliott and turning him into a replacement-level backup would work in the Lions favor, as David Montgomery is out for the time being. Montgomery hasn’t played since Dec. 15. Jahmyr Gibbs can handle the increased workload and will shine without Montgomery, but the Lions offense isn’t the same without its 1-2 rushing attack, otherwise known as Sonic and Knuckles. Detroit could sign Elliott for relatively cheap and place him on the practice squad as a ‘break in case of emergency’ backfield option. Frankly, that is all Elliott is asking for – a chance to help a contending team. The Lions qualify as that and then some. How cornerback has quickly turned into one of the Cowboys’ biggest needs this offseason – Matthew Holleran, BloggingTheBoys.com Injuries and free agency have turned cornerback into a need. This was just the beginning of Dallas’ injury woes at the cornerback spot. After Bland, nearly every impactful cornerback on the Cowboys’ roster has dealt with injury issues at some point this season. Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler were the worst victims of the injury bug, suffering season-ending injuries that will force them to miss a significant portion of next season. Injury issues weren’t the only problem for Dallas’ cornerback group this season. Even when the group was relatively healthy, outside of Jourdan Lewis who has had an All-Pro-caliber season, the performance was disappointing. Caelen Carson was picked on with success consistently early on in the season, never getting his job back after a shoulder injury, and Diggs and Bland both showed some rust returning from different ailments. As if all this didn’t create enough uncertainty about the future of the position group, the Cowboys currently have three cornerbacks (Bland, Diggs, out for at least half of 2025, Carson) under contract for the 2025 season. Unless they have a shift in philosophy, it will be hard for the Cowboys to bring back Jourdan Lewis, who is a free agent at season’s end. With how he’s played this year, Lewis will almost certainly be offered a multi-year contract worth more money than the Cowboys will be willing to match. If Lewis does walk, Dallas would be down to just Bland and Carson as their starting corners until Diggs returns from injury late in the regular season. After the performance he put on display this season, it would be very hard to envision the Cowboys trusting Carson enough to enter the season with him as one of their starting cornerbacks. If this is the case, it will almost force Dallas to spend one of the first three draft picks on a cornerback or acquire a starting-caliber corner that can play outside in free agency. There are plenty of glaring needs

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images The Cowboys injury report for Wednesday  After a long season, we are at the last game of the year for the Dallas Cowboys. With the team eliminated from postseason contention, expect several call-ups from the practice squad to give players a chance to make an impression heading into the offseason, plus a nice paycheck. As you would expect, some Dallas starters will be less than motivated to gut out nagging injuries and get on the field for the season finale. After today’s practice on New Year’s Day, there’s a lengthy injury report for the Cowboys. Here’s how Dallas looks after their first day of practice in preparation for the Washington Commanders. First #WASvsDAL practice report: pic.twitter.com/dVAE9Zydlj — Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) January 1, 2025 Defensive back Kemon Hall did not practice (hamstring). Also not practicing was LB Nick Vigil who was sidelined by a foot injury. Many players were limited. Donovan Wilson is managing a knee injury and earned a limited tag. The goes for Princeton Fant, who has a calf injury as well as T.J. Bass, who has been dealing with a lingering thigh injury. Tackle Chuma Edoga was also limited with a toe. Practicing in full was Jourdan Lewis (elbow) and Jalen Tolbert (finger). For Dallas’ opponent, the Washington Commanders, they have clinched a spot in the postseason and could either be the sixth- or seventh-seed heading into the playoffs. They have a lot players who were DNP and likely will be withheld until the playoffs. Washington has a few notable injuries that could change the outlook of this week’s game. Marshon Lattimore (Hamstring) has played sparingly since joining the team via trade. He was absent from today’s team activities. Former Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz (ankle) also did not practice.

Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images Washington has a bit to play for on Sunday. Week 18 playoff picture | Seeding scenarios and more – Zach Selby, Commanders.com Washington is in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Washington Commanders are officially in the playoffs. With a thrilling 30-24 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Commanders punched their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2020 and earned their first 11-win season since 1991. They currently own the No. 6 seed, and if the playoffs started tomorrow, they would play the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in the first round. But with one more game left in the regular season, there are several factors still in play. Let’s look at the current playoff picture ahead of the season finale. No. 6 Washington Commanders (11-5) It might not have been pretty, but the Commanders pulled out wins over playoff caliber teams in dramatic fashion two weeks in a row. Jayden Daniels has been the talk of the league for the role he played in getting those victories; he threw eight touchdowns compared to two interceptions while rushing for a combined 208 yards. Head coach Dan Quinn said the Commanders will be playing to win in the rematch against the Dallas Cowboys, and they’ll need a winning effort to lock up the No. 6 seed. Commanders WR Olamide Zaccheaus Has Stepped Up in the Past Two Weeks – David Harrison, Sports Illustrated The former Falcon and Eagle has been flying high the last two weeks against his old teams. The Washington Commanders knew other players had to step up when receiver Noah Brown went down for what might be the rest of the season – regular and post. In Week 16, there was a group effort with Commanders’ receivers Dyami Brown, Jamison Crowder, and Olamide Zaccheaus all stepping up to make big plays in a crucial win for the team. On Sunday Night Football, needing a win over the Atlanta Falcons to punch their ticket to the postseason, Zaccheaus once again shined in the effort as he led the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. And he’s where we start our Week 17 ‘Stash and Trash’ from the latest Washington victory in what continues to be an all-around impressive campaign for the franchise. 3 THINGS TO STASH FROM WEEK 17 REVENGE TOUR FINALE Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus was an undrafted free agent out of Virginia in 2019 when the Atlanta Falcons, led by head coach Dan Quinn, took a chance on him and brought him onto the team. Eventually, Zaccheaus left, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles last year before rejoining Quinn with the Commanders. In Week 16, the veteran was instrumental in defeated those Eagles, and in Week 17 he was absolutely critical in beating the Falcons. Call it a revenge tour if you want, but whatever it is, Zaccheaus has stepped up for his team in a big way catching 13 passes for 155 yards and three scores, and he was one less bad officiating call from making it four touchdowns in the past two games. Whatever Zaccheaus has cooking we hope its not just about playing former teams, because his spark could be incredibly valuable in beating the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. Commanders’ Dan Quinn is sculpting one of best coaching jobs in NFL history – Douglas Fritz, ClutchPoints.com The one-year turnaround in Washington should certainly be attributed to Dan Quinn. On a night when Jayden Daniels etched his name alongside Josh Allen, the terrific rookie also broke a record held by a former Washington Commanders player. But as good as Daniels has been, Dan Quinn is sculpting one of the best coaching jobs in NFL history. Jayden Daniels connected with Zach Ertz in overtime for his third touchdown pass of the game Sunday night, giving the Commanders a wild 30-24 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in a back-and-forth prime-time showdown between rookie first-round quarterbacks. The victory locked up the Commanders’ first postseason berth since 2020. They haven’t won a game since 2005. Commanders HC Dan Quinn has done incredible job Before they hand out the coach of the year hardware, let’s get a few things straight. Quinn doesn’t have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and talented defense like the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell. He doesn’t have Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the NFL’s best one-two punch backfield like the Lions’ Dan Campbell. And Quinn doesn’t have Patrick Mahomes and one of the NFL’s best defenses like the Chiefs’ Andy Reid. So what does Quinn have? He has a dynamic rookie quarterback who has far exceeded expectations. And then he has … waiting … crickets. Dan Quinn has squeezed blood out of turnip It starts on the defense side of the ball. The Commanders simply are not good. Yes, they rank No. 8 in the NFL in yards allowed. But that’s because they stand No. 7 in the league in time of possession. A defense doesn’t have to stop people when it isn’t on the field. In just one season, Quinn transformed a franchise Dan Snyder spent two decades ruining. Think about how unlikely this has been. Quinn inherited a history of losing. He inherited a bad roster. He had to start from scratch with a rookie quarterback and a paper-thin receiver room. Think about the Commanders’ receivers for a minute. The room is so bad the Commanders scooped up a receiver from arguably the worst team in the NFL. K.J. Osborn couldn’t get on the field for the Patriots, but the Commanders saw him as a boost to their receiver group. Nobody is predicting the Commanders will make a Super Bowl run this year. But if they hit on at least two draft picks in 2025 and sign a pair of key free agents, this team could be knocking at the door next year. Thanks in a big way to Quinn.

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images The Cowboys had plenty of unanswered questions before last Sunday and the blowout loss to Philadelphia added a few more. It wasn’t surprising to see the Cowboys go down in Philadelphia last Sunday. But a 41-7 blowout, especially with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts sitting out, was quite stunning. Dallas’ ineptitude on both sides of the ball threw some gas on existing fires regarding the team’s future and opened up some questions about this weekend’s finale against Washington. Which QB should start in Week 18? There’s something about facing the Eagles that turns Cooper Rush from a feel-good story into a sorry sight to behold. Once Philly adjusted following some decent early drives, and even they included a terrible decision that led to a pick-six, Rush stopped looking even remotely capable as a passer. We finally got to see Trey Lance, albeit for just one paltry drive at the end. This Sunday’s regular-season finale has Dallas hosting the playoff-bound Washington Commanders. Dan Quinn has already declared that his team will be playing to win, wanting to preserve the sixth seed in the tournament. So the question for the Cowboys is whether they will match that effort the best they can or use this last game to evaluate talent. One could argue that starting Lance this week isn’t throwing in the towel. While Rush did beat Washington earlier this year, that was with CeeDee Lamb still in the offense. Now without any game-changers in the passing attack, one thing that could give Dallas an edge is Lance’s athleticism and the ability to punish the Commanders’ generally aggressive defense. Given how they’ve handled him the last two years, it’s pretty clear at this point that the Cowboys don’t believe in Lance as an asset now or in the future. But given what Rush put on display last week, Lance probably has the best chance of playing this week that he’s ever had with Dallas. How badly does Dallas need WR help in 2025? Nobody expects another receiver in Dallas to be as good as CeeDee Lamb. Only a handful of guys in the entire NFL are. But it’s become painfully obvious these last two seasons that the WR depth chart is lacking and needs to be a priority for the team this offseason. Granted, evaluating pass-catchers since Rush took over at QB hasn’t been easy. But even when Dak Prescott was playing we didn’t see much difference in production. He’s only shown sporadic chemistry with Brandin Cooks and none with Jalen Tolbert or any other options; nothing like we saw in the past with guys like Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson. While being older doesn’t help, Cooks seems like a bad scheme fit above all else. His best assets are underutilized in Mike McCarthy’s scheme. He’s not a good complement to Lamb and definitely not capable of stepping up as a primary option in Lamb’s absence. He shouldn’t be back next year, and that’s not about his talent but this just not being the ideal offense for him. Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, and others are all perfectly adequate to bring back next year for competition and depth. Maybe you count on one of those guys emerging as a solid WR3, but you can’t do that and not make a more serious investment in the number-two spot. Even when Lamb’s healthy he needs someone else to draw the defense’s attention, and it’s especially vital to still have an impact player if he misses time. Should we be worried about Jake Ferguson? Staying on the subject of underwhelming receiving options, 2024 hasn’t been the third-year explosion anyone expected from Dallas’ top tight end. But while Ferguson’s down season is the biggest disappointment of any WR or TE, his comes with the most reasonable excuses and room for hope going forward. Ferguson left Dallas’ season opener against the Cleveland Browns with a knee injury and sat out a game before returning in Week 3. He also missed two games with a concussion in November. But despite still managing to play in 13 games his production is still well short of his 2023 numbers, including having not scored a single touchdown. There are several mitigating factors to consider. For one, Ferguson’s often looked like a guy playing hurt. He hasn’t had the same explosiveness after the catch, which naturally means he’s also going to have a tougher time getting open. There’s also been the Cowboys’ offensive line issues, forcing Ferguson to hang back more to help in pass protection than getting out into patterns. A lack of chemistry with Cooper Rush also appears to be an issue. When Ferguson was out with the concussion, Rush was doing a solid job of making Luke Schoonmaker and even Brevyn Spann-Ford look like they belong in the NFL. But when Ferguson returned, we didn’t see any real uptick from the TE position. If anything, Rush looks less comfortable getting the ball to the starter. The good news is that Ferguson still has one year left on his rookie deal and Dallas doesn’t have to make any big decision on him this offseason. There’s certainly enough room for hope his getting healthier, and getting Dak Prescott back, will bring next season closer to his own standard.

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images The Cowboys have a lot of work to do over the offseason. The Dallas Cowboys came into their Week 17 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles riding a ton of momentum, having won four of their previous five games. However, what happened in the game wasn’t that surprising at all as the Eagles showed their superiority in a 41-7 win, earning a rare sweep in the season series. As the page turns to the final game of the season, it’s almost as if a bad nightmare is coming to an end in Dallas. The Cowboys have been riddled with injuries, and they happened to a lot of their most important players. It has simply been too much to bear for Dallas, and they need to start looking forward to 2025, seeing as they won’t be in the postseason. It will be the Washington Commanders that roll into town to close out the 2024 campaign. While the Cowboys can’t play spoiler in terms of keeping them out of the playoffs, but a win could possibly drop the Commanders to the seventh seed in the NFC and force them to hit the road against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round. With that being said, here’s what we have learned about the Cowboys heading into Week 18 Rico Dowdle has proven himself no matter what happens Dowdle came into the 2024 season with the reputation of a guy who had some talent but couldn’t stay healthy enough to show it. Well, that particular narrative was put to bed, for now at least, as he will play in 16 games this season with 15 starts. Once the Cowboys finally decided that he was the unquestioned lead horse in the running back stable, Dowdle showed that while he’s not a game changer per se, he’s certainly a quality runner that can add value to any franchise. If you pair Dowdle with another quality guy at the position, it can produce a special tandem. When free agency rolls around, Dowdle will be one of the in-house guys the Cowboys have to make a decision on. He’s earned a good payday, probably in the $3-5 million range annually. However, if the Cowboys do bring him back, they should still pursue an upgrade in the draft. Getting a top guy in the building and re-signing Dowdle should be the Cowboys plan. Wide receiver should be high on the NFL Draft priority list CeeDee or bust. That’s pretty where the Cowboys are right now at wide receiver. With him missing the final two games due to a shoulder issue, the game against the Eagles gave other guys the opportunity to step up. Predictably, it highlighted just how bad the position is in Dallas. Brandin Cooks still has some ability as an older guy, but the Cowboys don’t use him correctly, which pretty much makes him irrelevant at times. The same can be said for KaVontae Turpin in terms of proper usage. Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks keep having a flash here and there, but nothing has been consistent. It’s simply too much on Lamb to have to carry the load every week, and it also limits the options of Dak Prescott, which ultimately slows down the entire offense. The Cowboys have other pressing needs like cornerback, running back, and defensive line, but wide receiver needs to be in heavy consideration during the first two days of the draft. Dallas needs more speed and another dynamic playmaker to pair with Lamb expeditiously. Cornerback is also a position of need The Cowboys have two of the better cornerbacks in the NFL in Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. However, for the second consecutive year, Diggs has had to be shut down with an injury. Bland is back playing at the moment, but he missed 10 games this season with a stress fracture in his foot. Jourdan Lewis is having one of his best years ever, but he’s also a free agent in 2025, and a team could certainly make things hard for the Cowboys with their frugal spending ways. Caelen Carson has some promise, but he hit a rookie wall before being put on injured reserve with a shoulder issue. Although Diggs will likely be ready for when the next season starts, and Bland will have a full offseason to get back to himself, there’s still quite a bit of uncertainty at the cornerback spot in Dallas, especially with the future of Lewis being uncertain. That makes drafting a cornerback a big-time priority for the Cowboys in April.