Savvy play No. 1: As CeeDee Lamb was reaching in for a second TD pass from Dak Prescott, just shy of the goal line a Detroit defender punched the ball loose, resulting in a Lamb fumble through the end zone … and a touchback.’
No TD. Loss of possession.
On the ensuing Detroit drive, Dallas’ D held .. But the Lions pulled off a fake out of fourth-down punt formation, a long completion on the trick keeping their drive alive.
But again … with Detroit in the red zone, Dallas’ D held, forcing an incompletion on fourth down and allowing the Cowboys to stay ahead, 7-3.
DEC 28 GOOD ON TYRON The Dallas vs. Lions FINAL Practice and Game Status Report offers good news at left tackle.
Moving up to “questionable” is Tyron Smith (back). He is expected to play on Saturday night against the visiting Lions.
Meanwhile. Johnathan Hankins and Rico Dowdle are OUT.
DEC 27 O-LINE CONCERNS Add all of this to the reasons why Matt Waletzko just got activated from IR to the 53-man roster.
As Dallas prepares for a Saturday night visit from the Detroit Lions, the Practice Injury Report is out. And a trio of Cowboys O-Linemen make the list.
Tyron Smith gets the DNP. No surprise there as he works through his back issue.
Zack Martin gets the DNP. Hopefully, even as he is dealing with quad soreness, that’s just about a rest day.
Ah, but Chuma Edoga popping up? He’s the utility lineman who took Tyron’s left tackle spot last week in Miami and he is dealing with a toe injury.
The 10-5 Cowboys feel good about their overall health as they prep for the playoffs. But as you scan the Wednesday injury report above, you see all of this merits monitoring.
DEC 26 TALENT ‘INJECTION’? Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith (back) missed Sunday’s loss at the Dolphins, and he was a DNP for the Tuesday workout here inside The Star.
But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is talking optimistically – and quite frankly – about Tyron finding a way to play on Saturday night when the Detroit Lions come to town.
“Hopefully Tyron will come on around,” Jones told @1053thefan. “We injected him last week, and that usually works. Hopefully we can have him. He’s a huge difference maker, Tyron Smith.”
Um … yes. Tyron would indeed be a huge “injection” of talent back into the Dallas lineup.
The full injury practice report for both playoff-bound teams is above.
DEC 24 PRESCOTT FINDS COOKS The Dallas Cowboys haven’t given fans much to cheer about as they’ve trailed the Dolphins since 17 seconds were left in the second-half.
However, the Cowboys managed to retake the lead late in the fourth quarter as Dak Prescott found Brandin Cooks in the back of the endzone for an eight-yard touchdown pass to give Dallas the 20-19 advantage.
DEC 24 DAK AS SANTA Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is obviously very much in the holiday mood – and in style – as he has just shown up at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami making a fashion statement … dressed in his very own Santa Claus outfit.
No, he’s not dressed as Santa for the game at the Miami Dolphins, but … well, take a look for yourself!
Lots of Christmas cheer will follow the 10-4 Cowboys if they are able to manage a win today against the 10-4 Dolphins.
DEC 22 TYREEK OK? NOT SO FAST? When we say, “Not so fast,” we are obviously not referring to the foot speed of MVP candidate Tyreek Hill.
Rather, we are referring to the assumption by many who upon learning the Thursday news that the Miami Dolphins All-Pro receiver is participating in practice … made the leap to think he and his ankle are OK for Sunday’s visit from the Dallas Cowboys.
But before assumptions are locked in, NFL watchers should check out the standout notebook from our colleagues at AllDolphins at SI, where veteran beat writer Omar Kelly is careful to note in great detail what Hill is actually doing int the workout.
A headline, “Tyreek Hill: Good News and Bad News” offers a hint.
“Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s status remains unclear despite his participation in Thursday’s practice,” the site writes. “His speed was present, but Hill did struggle shifting gears when trying to slow down during the portions of practice the media attended.
“The Dolphins planned to proceed with caution this week all along with the hope that Hill can return to the lineup against the Cowboys on Sunday.”
Hill is “expected to play,” per our man Ian Rapoport. And the 10-4 Cowboys are prepping for the 10-4 Dolphins as if Tyreek is a go. But Kelly notes, “Hill’s status for the Dallas game likely won’t be determined until very late in the week, if not game day.”
DEC 16 TWO MOVES The Dallas Cowboys have elevated Davis & Davis – defensive tackle Carl Davis and running back Malik Davis – from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
The D-line move was expected; vet Carl Davis will make his Cowboys debut in the injury absence of Johnathan Hankins (ankle).
Meanwhile, Rico Dowdle is also working through an ankle issue, so Malik Davis is moving up for a day in Buffalo that could demand more of the ground game in wet and windy conditions.
DEC 14 PRESCOTT AMONG ROONEY SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD CONTENDERS Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is among the eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award revealed on Thursday. Introduced in 2014, the honor is named after the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers and recognizes on-field sportsmanship.
Other nominees include Budda Baker (Arizona), Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas), Kyle Juszczyk (San Francisco), Khalil Mack (LA Chargers), C.J. Mosley (NY Jets), Bobby Wagner (Seattle), and Kevin Zeitler (Baltimore).
The Rooney Award is yet another honor where Prescott has attracted attention during his resurgent season under Dallas center. It’ll be one of the many titles bestowed at the NFL honors on Feb. 8 in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVIII.
DEC 13 NFL CONFIRMS BRAZIL GAME, NFC TEAM SET TO HOST The NFL announced on Wednesday that a 2024 regular season game will be held in São Paulo, Brazil. While the date and opponents have yet to be determined, an NFC team is set to host with the conference due an extra home game in the revamped schedule rotation.
Could that mean Dallas Cowboys involvement?
The game will be the first NFL contest held in South America and will be staged at Arena Corinthians, the home of Brazillian association football club Sport Club Corinthians Paulista. It also hosted the opening games of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well as numerous portions of the 2016 Summer Olympic soccer tournaments.
Moving to São Paulo, which reportedly beat out Madrid for hosting duties, is part of the NFL’s continued efforts to grow internationally. This year saw five games in the International Series spread out between London and Frankfurt. It’s also possible that the São Paulo game could feature the Miami Dolphins, who were assigned Brazil as an international home market.
So what about Dolphins at Cowboys? Two problems, despite the Dallas-related rumors …
One, Dallas is not scheduled to face Miami next season. So if the Dolphins are involved, the Cowboys won’t be.
Two, due to the revenue gained by home games at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys – who have been in just one international regular-season game, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in 2014 – are generally reluctant to give up games in Arlington.
The Cowboys do have the NFL’s biggest foothold south of the border, though … so the attraction on the part of some is natural.
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