Draft ramifications of another Cowboys win is significant in Week 17 reidhanson The Dallas Cowboys enter Week 17 as underdogs who have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Their best players are out for the year. Their hopes and dreams have been moved to next season. Their coaching staff is in limbo and after hints that free agency would again be disappointing, the only visible path to turning things around come from the draft next April. They don’t have much to play for, and given the way the NFL seeds draft order, they have clear incentives to lose. “You play to win the game,” was a statement once made by then New York Jets head coach, Herm Edwards. The six words were simultaneously simple and nuanced. It spoke to the underlying objective in sports in the face of strategy and lost motivation. His Jets had started 2-5 and the New York media were busy pushing all of Edwards’ buttons when the famous sentence was first uttered. “Hello?” Edwards poignantly said in a way Lionel Richie himself would applaud. “You play to win the game. You don’t just play it to play it. That’s the great thing about sports. You play to win. And I don’t care if you don’t have any wins. You go play to win.” Edwards’ statement and overall mindset as a coach seemed to make an impact on his team. The Jets went on a winning streak following that infamous presser, even making the playoffs. The Cowboys aren’t so fortunate in their timing since they find themselves in a situation at the end of the season with the playoffs completely out of the picture. They’ve gone 4-1 in recent weeks but their horrific start to the year was ultimately too much to overcome. Should they just “play to win the game?” Obviously, the players playing and coaches coaching are playing to win. They aren’t focused on next year because, to most of them, there might not be a next year. But fans are torn. Beating the Eagles would be hilarious given the roster Dallas is going to field so it would be impossible for Cowboys fans not to cheer for that turn of events. Yet the ramifications could be significant. Based on forecasts, the Cowboys have much to lose with a win this week. As convoluted as that sounds Dallas fans have to weigh the costs and benefits of a Cowboys win. Beating the Eagles would drop Dallas as many as three spots down the draft order. In this relatively weak draft class, that could mean the difference between a cornerstone player and a rotational piece. It’s a high price to pay for a simple smirk today. There’s also the matter of Jalen Hurts’ uncertain status. The Eagles quarterback has yet to clear concussion protocol meaning he probably won’t play on Sunday. Beating Philadelphia sans Hurts just isn’t going to feel the same. All of this implies fans have some sort of power over the results. Chances are, random Cowboys fan living in fill-in-the-blank, USA isn’t going impact the result more or less based on his level of fervor in cheering. Regardless, it’s important to know the situation and mentally prepare for the ramifications heading into this second-to-last game of the season. A win against the Eagles in Philadelphia would feel nice but would it be worth the price of dropping three draft slots? Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys top draft pick was benched, but still brings potential at OT reidhanson It’s never a good sign when a team’s top draft pick has been benched for a replacement-level journeyman who’s just barely getting by, but that appears to be exactly what’s happening with Tyler Guyton and the Cowboys this season. Dallas’ top pick from the 2024 draft class has had a tough rookie year. Plugged into the starting spot out of need more than readiness, Guyton was thrown to wolves, and not so surprisingly, struggled immensely. Technique has been sloppy, responsibilities have been forgotten, and penalties have been aplenty. It’s no wonder the Cowboys didn’t push their struggling left tackle back into the lineup after he returned from injury earlier this month. Working in place of Guyton has been the veteran Chuma Edoga. Edoga consistently rates near the bottom of the league in LT performance, yet he’s been given the starting job over Guyton in recent weeks. It’s an odd decision since Edoga doesn’t appear to factor into Dallas’ long-term plans. Pro Football Focus regards them as similarly poor players with Guyton grading out 72nd of 78 among offensive tackles and Edoga only holding a 0.2-point advantage in grade. Penalties may ultimately be the reason the Cowboys have opted for the veteran because Guyton has struggled in that area specifically. Even though Guyton has only started 10 games, he still ranks No. 2 in penalties among offensive lineman. Only Laremy Tunsil, a player with six more starts than the Cowboys rookie, exceeds Guyton in penalties, and it’s only by one. Jerry Jones brought up penalties when discussing Guyton’s struggles this year. He remained optimistic but also somewhat fed up. “You cannot make numerous mistakes relative to penalties, you can’t do that,” Jones said of Guyton. “But he’s learning to be the potential player that we all see many times out there during the course of the game. The main thing is that he has the right attitude and he’s smart.” Based on the Cowboys’ words and actions, they seem prepared to continue to hold Guyton back the rest of this season. The rookie only played seven snaps on Sunday and quite frankly, they weren’t very good snaps. With the playoffs out of reach it’s difficult to justify not giving the ultra-inexperienced rookie more snaps, but that’s where the Cowboys appear to have settled. “I’m not concerned about his future at all,” Jones said of Guyton. “In fact, I’m encouraged about his future.” Jones’ statements are more likely an example of hyperbole than true faith, but given the investment, Guyton still clearly factors into the Cowboys future in 2025. Everyone may have to wait until next year to find out in what capacity exactly that will be. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys former 3rd-round pick predicted to make $105 million in free agency due to position K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys have just two games remaining before their 2024 season mercifully comes to an end. With seven wins on the season, the Cowboys have a shocking chance to finish above .500, in an attempt to salvage a season that’s been lost since October. Regardless one what their final win total is, they will not be making he 2024 playoffs and thus have offseason topics on the brain. That is, if the front office is wise. With 20 unrestricted free agents and seven more with partial rights, Dallas has plenty of decisions they’ll need to make between the final whistle next Sunday and the beginning of the 2025 league year. Chief amongst those will be whether or not they attempt and are successful at re-signing defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. The 2021 third-round pick doesn’t have a high number of career sacks, but he’s been a career disruptor and teams will more than likely be in pursuit of someone with his skillset. Odighizuwa has already matched his career high in sacks, with four, with two games to go. His strength has always been in disruption, consistently ranking among the best defensive tackles in advanced analytics. And as such, Odighizuwa ranks No. 30 on Pro Football Focus’ list of top pending free agents. Odighizuwa is another interior pass-rusher with very strong underlying metrics that haven’t quite translated to major sack production through nearly four seasons. While the Dallas Cowboys’ season has fallen off the rails as injuries have piled up, Odighizuwa has stayed the course and played some of the best ball of his career over the second half of the campaign. The 2021 third-round pick is quietly one of the more underrated defenders across the entire NFL. As part of their exercise, PFF finds a previous free agent to compare to. Odighizuwa’s comp is Nnamdi Madubuike, who signed with Baltimore last offseason on a four year, $98 million contract. Madubuike is a stronger run defender, but Odighizuwa has better pass rush metrics, which is normally an impetus for a bigger piece of the pie. Per PFF, Madubuike signed for 9.6% of the 2024 cap. With NFL teams preparing for a 2025 salary cap between $265 million and $275 million, that percentage would put Odighizuwa’s APY at $26.4 million. A four-year deal would total $105.6 million on the open market.

Mike Zimmer suggested he may not want to return to Cowboys in 2025 reidhanson Mike Zimmer was dealt a tough hand this season in Dallas. Not only did the new defensive coordinator only get offered a one-year deal to replace Dan Quinn as the Cowboys defensive coordinator, but he had a relatively undisciplined and undermanned roster to work with. Old habits die hard, and Zimmer had a lot of old habits he needed to break on the Cowboys defense. For as brilliant as his predecessor was, Quinn’s teams were consistently undisciplined in certain aspects of the game. Run fits in particular were an issue with Dallas defenses of the past. On numerous occasions players were seen freelancing and misreading plays on the field. It often created a snowball effect that resulted in landslide collapses. See also: Green Bay in the previous postseason. The Cowboys defense took on a fast and loose persona under Quinn, and most of the time, it worked to perfection. Unfortunately, when things went poorly, they went very poorly, and Zimmer was largely brought in to stop those bipolar moments. Things got off to a rocky start under Zimmer. Not only did the Cowboys fall to the bottom of the NFL in defensive ranking but they stopped producing those turnovers they’d been notorious for under Quinn. While much of that could be chalked up to a new system and significant injuries, the responsibility still fell on Zimmer, and he certainly felt that weight. “I’ve had fun,” Zimmer said to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “…But it’s been hard. I’m not going to lie about that. It’s been hard.” Going from the penthouse to the outhouse was not the fall from grace Cowboys fans expected under Zimmer, and for a while he looked like he’d be one-and-done as coordinator of the Cowboys. Then a funny thing started happening. The Cowboys defense, injuries and all, started to improve. Players started staying true to their assignments, run fits were getting filled and mental mistakes began to dissipate. Suddenly a future with Zimmer running the defense didn’t sound so crazy. After ranking 30th in overall defense through the first 11 weeks of the season, the Dallas defense has bounced up to seventh overall in the weeks following. It’s nothing short of amazing getting this defense up into top 10 status and to think he’s done so with three of the biggest stars, Trevon Diggs, DeMarvion Overshown and DeMarcus Lawrence, out for the year. It’s safe to say Zimmer has earned the right to be in the conversation going forward. If Zimmer could accomplish all this in 2024 under these terrible circumstances, imagine what he could accomplish next year with his system fully installed, his roster finally healthy, and his needs somewhat addressed? But now it seems the script has been flipped because Zimmer has suggested he may not want to return at all. When asked about coaching next season Zimmer expressed a rather unresolved mindset on the matter. “We’ll see,” Zimmer said. “Let’s wait and until the end of the year and see where we’re at.” At 68-years-old, Zimmer is past the average age of retirement in the US, so it’s perfectly possible the veteran coach decides the grind isn’t worth it and he’s ready to ride off into the sunset. It’s no longer just about if Dallas wants Zimmer, but also about if Zimmer wants Dallas. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Todd Brock Mr. Claus, if you’re reading this before your sleigh is fully loaded up for this year’s ride, you may want to grab a bigger trophy case to drop off for Brandon Aubrey. He’s quickly running out of space in his current one. The Cowboys kicker has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his four-field goal performance in Sunday night’s 26-24 win over the Tampa bay Buccaneers. Incredibly, all four boots came from 49 yards or beyond. Aubrey won the weekly award twice last season as a rookie. He won the monthly version of the award for September of this season, as well in both October and December of last year. The second-year phenom nailed kicks of 49 and 53 yards on Sunday night, as well as two from 58 yards in the Week 16 win. That gave him 14 so far in 2024 from 50-plus, the most in league history from that distance in a single season (although Texans specialist Ka’imi Fairbairn has 13 and could theoretically be the recordholder by season’s end). Per NFL.com, Sunday marked just the fourth time ever that a kicker has converted multiple field goals from 58 yards or longer, and Aubrey’s done it two of those times. The 29-year-old seems a strong contender to be named to his second Pro Bowl and could bring home a second straight All-Pro nod. He is a perfect 28-for-28 on PATs and has connected on 85.7% of his field goal tries this season, including a remarkable 87.5% on attempts from 50 or longer. Aubrey drilled a 66-yarder earlier in the season, the second-longest in NFL history. He tried one from 70 yards in Week 15 but sailed the attempt wide left. Coaches blamed windy conditions at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium for the miss and believe 70 yards is within Aubrey’s range. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Aubrey’s long-distance efforts Sunday gave him back-to-back seasons with 10 or more field goals from 50 yards or beyond, the first time that’s ever happened. Additionally, he has now attempted more field goals -42- in a single season than any kicker in Cowboys franchise history. And he still has two more games on the regular-season schedule. That’s plenty of time for Aubrey to rack up a few more trophies for the case. Maybe you’d better make it an extra large, Santa. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys’ UDFA projected as replacement for $100 million, former 1st-round pick with Vikings K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys may have a surprise bidding war on their hands come next spring. When the 2024 season started, everyone pointed to the pending free agency of players such as Zack Martin, Osa Odighizuwa and DeMarcus Lawrence. Brandin Cooks was identified as a potentially key exodus as well, and fans were hopeful Rico Dowdle would prove to be a commodity. Prior to the regular season, there were heart palpitations over the fact Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb were on the final year of their deals; the ordeals taking up most of the ink spilled over the summer. Because of that, Trey Lance’s pending free agency was a topic as well. But one name that didn’t much matter to most folks was the pending free agency of Cooper Rush. That may have all changed. After once again proving that, although not very dynamic, Rush has what it takes to drive a talented ship toward victory. He has a ton of faults, but Rush’s quick processing and release have allowed him to once again be a long-term replacement for an injured Prescott and keep the Cowboys afloat. After Sunday night’s 26-24 win that knocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the NFC South driver seat, despite his own club being eliminated from the playoff chase earlier in the day, Rush has secured the title of capable backup. Rush is now 4-3 on the season and 9-4 overall as an NFL starter. The seven-year vet has now become a quarterback teams can win with, and teams that are breeding young QBs of various expectations love QBs like Rush. So much so, Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department identified Rush as a replacement for soon-to-be Pro Bowler Sam Darnold in Minnesota. The big question facing Minnesota’s front office this offseason is what to do with Sam Darnold, who has played well enough to earn a new contract and be a starter in 2025. However, the organization also invested a first-round pick in J.J. McCarthy last spring. If the club lets Darnold walk to make way for McCarthy, signing Rush as a backup in free agency would be a smart move. That gives the young quarterback a good mentor, and the 31-year-old has plenty of starting experience to fill in when needed. Darnold has been balling this year, his first with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings. Through 15 games he’s shattered his career highs with 3,776 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to the tune of a 105.4 passer rating. Minnesota’s situation is very interesting in that they invested a premium draft pick and the head coach is a known QB guru. Darnold, according to Spotrac, is in line for an annual salary of $35.4 million on the free agent market. At just 27 years old, the former first-round pick of the New York Jets is likely going to command a solid QB contract on the open market. Unless he’s forced into a prove-it deal, he’ll land at least a three-year run which means a contract value of at least $100 million.

Studs, duds as Cowboys get it out the mud in win over Bucs Mike Crum The Dallas Cowboys knew they had been eliminated from the playoffs before they even kicked off. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were trying to stay on top of the NFC South and had everything to play for, but the Cowboys came out early and took control of the game. With their offensive performance led by Cooper Rush and CeeDee Lamb, Dallas got ahead by two scores on the first two drives and took that lead into the half. The defense took over in the second half, keeping the Buccaneers from making a comeback on the final drive to steal the victory from Dallas. Tampa Bay had six second-half possessions, and the Cowboys forced two turnovers and two punts while only allowing a high-powered Buccaneers offense to score 10 points. This was a complete victory for a team so injured it could’ve thrown in the towel weeks ago. Dallas had plenty of stud performances to choose from, with its offensive production in the first half and its big defensive plays in the second. There were enough bad performances to clean up though, so it doesn’t cost them a win in the final two contests. Studs: WR CeeDee Lamb Dec 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) runs after catching a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Lamb is stepping up in a big way, not just as one of the best receivers in the NFL but also as one of its toughest players. Players play hurt all the time, but they typically are trying to make the playoffs or attempting to sign a big-money contract. In Lamb’s case, he was paid before the season began, and the team was eliminated from playoff contention before kickoff. He also has hit his significant statistical milestones for the season, but he continues to play and take hits with a shoulder injury. Lamb hardly played in the second half due to his injury, but he put up great numbers despite not seeing the field much after halftime. He was targeted eight times and caught seven for over 100 yards. On the opening drive, Lamb converted a 3rd-and-2 which led to a field goal. Later, he caught a 52-yard reception on a 3rd-and-4, which ended in a touchdown. Lamb passed Jerry Rice for fourth place in yards from scrimmage in the first five seasons of their career; he only needs 158 yards in the final two games to move to second on that list. He also passed Drew Pearson for fourth on the Cowboys all-time receptions list. Lamb has shown leadership in Dak Prescott’s absence just by playing well when he could sit out anytime with a significant injury. Many other players are playing through the end of this season because they are young and proving themselves or on one-year deals, but Lamb is doing it for his teammates, his coach, the fans, and the love of the game Duds: Second half offense ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 22: Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) The Cowboys took control early with an excellent offensive performance in the first half. Dallas scored on five of their six drives, scoring 23 points without any involvement from the rushing attack. Tampa Bay has a bottom-five passing defense, allowing over 350 yards per game, but in the second half, they bounced back to shut down the Cowboys. Rush had minuscule numbers in the second half, throwing 8-for-11 for 66 yards, and the team put up only three second-half points. After an opening drive field goal, Dallas had a five-play-and-a-punt and three straight drives ending as three-and-outs. The defense had to create two fourth-quarter turnovers to keep the Buccaneers from making a comeback from down nine with less than three minutes left in the contest. It is one of the issues the Cowboys have had under head coach Mike McCarthy, even with Prescott being healthy at quarterback. The team cannot put games away relying on its offense this season, and it nearly cost them against Tampa Bay. Studs: QB Cooper Rush Dec 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (10) reacts after a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Rush played his best game this season and did almost all his damage in the first half. He went 26-for-35 for 292 yards and a touchdown, with zero turnovers. He had a QB rating of 108.3 and had his first game of the season with a positive completion percentage over expected. It was Rush’s fifth-highest passing total of his career. His first half was one of the best performances of his career. He led five scoring drives, throwing 18-for-24 for 226 yards and his sole TD. If that were his totals for the entire game, it still would’ve been his third-most passing yards this season behind only the 247 against the Washington Commanders and the 354 against the Houston Texans. While the second half wasn’t as successful, Rush’s first-half performance would be enough to be stud-worthy and help earn his team another victory. Duds: Rushing attack ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 22: Rico Dowdle #23 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) The Cowboys’ rushing attack stepped up last month. Rico Dowdle performed like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley over the past three games. He is the only back all year to eclipse 100 yards rushing in three straight games while maintaining an average of over five yards per attempt. Over the past four

Jerry Jones, NFL plotting on NBA’s turf, Christmas games just the beginning angeltorres Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is already in the Hall of Fame for turning millionaires into billionaires with his business acumen and branding, but it looks like he may add another achievement under his resume with his latest proposal. On his weekly radio interview on 105.3 The Fan, Jones hopes the NFL will make the NFL Christmas Day games a permanent fixture no matter the day of the week. The NBA has traditionally showcased its best slate of the year on Christmas with some anticipated matchups yet it looks like they might get Scrooge’d by the NFL on one of the year’s highest “households using television” or HUT-level days of the year. Jones and the NFL struck a deal with powerhouse streaming provider Netflix on a three-year deal that will show two Christmas games for the cool price of $150 million. The $75 million per game price tag must mean the Cowboys are on a short list of teams that would generate enough viewership to make it worthwhile. Christmas lands on a Thursday in the 2025. This may not be the finish line for Jones and his 31 colleagues. If the league plans to market the game globally, an 18-game season may provide the NFL a reason for adding two bye weeks, giving players enough time to rest after playing in a different country. The extra regular season game could hypothetically push the Super Bowl a week allowing it to land on President’s Day providing viewers the opportunity of a day off the following Monday. That’s more bad news for the NBA as that holiday had become the date they used to host their All-Star weekend and festivities. With the NFL eyeing a move towards a global product, Jones may have inadvertently revealed the NFL’s long-term plans. Follow all of your favorite Texas teams at Cowboys Wire, Longhorns Wire, Texans Wire, Rockets Wire and Aggies Wire!

All three Cowboys units put on a show Sunday night in their 26-24 win over Tampa Bay. For the offense, it was Cooper Rush’s red-hot start and CeeDee Lamb’s courageous battle through a painful injury. Defensively, a long list of standouts brought the lumber and delivered big hits throughout the game. And on special teams, kicker Brandon Aubrey continued his assault on both the NFL and Dallas Cowboys franchise record books. But with the good always comes at least little bit of bad and usually a smidgen of ugly. The Cowboys let Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers work their way back into the game on multiple occasions, usually at the end of a half when they could have just as easily kept their foot on the gas. And the recently-revived rushing attack suffered a serious setback that now makes the success of the past three weeks look more like a bad-opponent blip than a true turnaround. But a win is a win, and although the Week 16 victory is bittersweet in light of the team’s official ouster from playoff contention, there’s still plenty of good, bad, and ugly to be found once you look past the final score. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Good: Defense delivering the lumber Mathematically eliminated from postseason contention several hours before kickoff, the Cowboys could have been excused for simply going through the motions Sunday night. But the defense chose instead to take out their frustrations on anyone wearing pewter-colored pants. Marist Liufau, Micah Parsons, Donovan Wilson, C.J. Goodwin, and Amani Oruwariye were among the Cowboys who made sure they got in a few good swings of the hit stick during the Week 16 win, delivering dynamite blows and flying all over the field. Several supporting-cast defenders also stood out; Nick Vigil led the unit in tackles, while Chauncey Golston, Linval Joseph, and Carl Lawson all made significant contributions in shutting down the Tampa Bay attack. Bad: Letting Mayfield march downfield late in both halves The Dallas defense didn’t break Sunday night, but they sure got bent over a couple times, letting the Bucs sneak back into the game late in both halves. Up 20-7 with under two minutes to play before intermission, the Cowboys let Mayfield go 71 yards in less than 60 seconds for a key touchdown. (All but four of the yards on that drive came through the air.) Late in the fourth quarter, it happened again: the Cowboys couldn’t stop a nine-play, 87-yard TD march that never even reached third down. (Mayfield was a perfect 8-of-8 passing on that drive… and ran the other 12 yards himself.) If not for that crazy strip by DaRon Bland with 1:40 to play, the defense’s habit of collapsing when it mattered most would have been the story of the night. Ugly: Run game regressing ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 22: Rico Dowdle #23 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) Rico Dowdle came back to down earth in a big way against the Bucs defense. After three straight 100-yard games and back-to-back-to-back career highs versus weak defenses, the new workhorse managed just 23 rushing yards on 13 attempts, averaging a meager 1.8 yards per carry. Tampa Bay’s stingy run-stop unit kept the Cowboys bottled up for 31 total yards on the ground and one touchdown, a one-yard plunge scored by Ezekiel Elliott on his only tote of the contest. The next team on the docket, the Eagles, are statistically about the same this year (if not slightly better) against the run, so the sledding could be tough again in Week 17. Good: Cooper cooking early Some wondered if the Cowboys would turn to Trey Lance in an essentially meaningless game, but Cooper Rush had other plans. He went 6-of-6 passing on his first drive and finished the first half having completed 75% of his 24 throws for 226 yards and a score. (That half alone would have been an all-time top-five outing for him.) Rush and the Cowboys slowed in the second stanza, but the hot start proved enough for the team to just squeak by with a two-point win. The veteran finished with a 108.3 passer rating, tied with two other games for the fourth-best of his career. (And two of those higher-rated games have come in the last four weeks.) Bad: Instead of burning clock, Cowboys nearly blow game When Jourdan Lewis’s incredible goal-line interception gave Dallas the ball with 6:22 to play and a nine-point lead, the thoughts of Cowboys Nation had already turned to milking the clock. The offense’s first possession of the night had eaten up 5:54, and an early fourth-quarter drive killed another 3:53. That kind of time-consuming keep-away effort (i.e., “running the damn ball”) could have ended the drama early, but Dallas chose to come out passing instead. Rush’s surprising first-down attempt to Hunter Luepke instead went right into the bread basket of Tampa Bay linebacker J.J. Russell. What should have been an interception instead stopped the clock and set the tone for a failed drive that ended in a punt just three plays later, having chewed up just 1:39. It’s what- completely unnecessarily- gave Mayfield and the Buccaneers the opportunity to make things interesting at the end. Ugly: CeeDee’s shoulder saga Lamb showed himself to be a true warrior as he continues to play through the AC joint sprain he suffered back in Week 9. Explaining that it’s not the hits from defenders that aggravates the injury as much as hitting the ground, Lamb is putting on a week-to-week show that has become downright painful to watch. Even at less than full strength, he finished with seven catches on eight targets for 105 yards. Many fans were critical of Lamb during his training camp holdout over a new contract, but seeing him literally put his body on the line in games that now mean nothing