Cowboys news: Top seed still in sight as Cowboys start December prep for Colts

‘We control our own destiny’: McCarthy, Cowboys still in hunt for top NFC seed - Todd Brock, The Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys can’t afford a letdown before their week 16 meeting vs. the Eagles.

“I really don’t count numbers,” McCarthy told media members last week. “You guys laughed when I first said it, but until you get to 11 wins, it’s [just] great reading for the paper.”

Before the league moved to a 17-game season, that number used to be ten wins, a traditional mile marker of success McCarthy reached in eight of his 12 full seasons in Green Bay (and not coincidentally, reached the postseason each time).

So while 11 wins would be great, let’s carry the hypotheticals a bit further. Let’s say either the Titans or Giants knock off the Eagles over the next two Sundays, certainly not out of the realm of possibility. (Figure the Bears won’t pose a real threat in Week 15.)

That would make the Christmas Eve showdown at AT&T Stadium a game of massive consequence, with the 11-3 Cowboys looking to gift Philly with their third loss of the season.

Should both Dallas and Philadelphia then go on to end 2022 with identical 14-3 marks, the Cowboys would hold the tiebreaker for the divisional crown. That’s because while they would have split the season head-to-head series, Philadelphia’s previous loss to Washington would give them a worse divisional record than Dallas.

Cowboys ‘Full Steam Ahead’ in Pursuit of Odell Beckham Jr., Says Mike McCarthy - Harrison Reno, CowboysSI.com

The list of teams Odell Beckham Jr. will visit with is growing, but the Cowboys are still firmly in the race.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday that the Cowboys have not changed their high level of interest in Beckham - that despite his incident in the Miami airport, the Cowboys are “full steam ahead’’ in their recruitment of OBJ.

On Sunday, Beckham was seen being escorted by police officers through an airport after allegedly being kicked off his flight from Miami to Los Angeles.

As we now are being told through a police report from police, Beckham was either “unconscious’’ or “asleep on the plane,’’ with a blanket over his head, as flight attendants tried to tell him to fasten his seatbelt before takeoff. Finally, the report says, in worry for the health and safety of Beckham, they called for the police and fire rescue team to assist.

After refusing to exit the plane “several times,” everyone on board got off, including Beckham, who was then escorted to the “non-secure area of the terminal.”

The free agent will begin visiting the Giants, Buffalo Bills, and the Dallas Cowboys over the next few days as he gets closer to deciding where his next home will be.

Cowboys penalty problem might cut their season short again - Shane Taylor, Inside The Star

The Cowboys have been able to overcome penalties, but still have work to do cleaning them up down the stretch.

One of the main reasons they lost at home in the playoffs last season. The team had 14 of them for 89 yards.

Dak Prescott responded a few times in the second half after committing some bad penalties that could have stalled the drive, but he delivered, including a touchdown to Dalton Schultz that put them up 21-13 in a game they would win 28-20.

Us fans can harp on this every day like we have since it cost them games last season.

The Cowboys have the third most pre-snap penalties and are the most penalized team at home. At what point does this get hammered down and made the NUMBER one issue in meetings, practice, etc.?

We all laughed and said, “It’s only the preseason,” when they had 17 in the first preseason game. Yet here we are, 11 weeks into the season, and the problem still needs to be FIXED.

“This is preseason, and I don’t think this has anything to do with last year, obviously you guys can write whatever you want, but it’s a starting point,” McCarthy said back in April.

Hypothetical NFL Trades We Wish Could Happen Before the Playoffs - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

Could missing out on Brandin Cooks at the trade deadline be the motivation Dallas needs to sign Odell Beckham?

Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Get: WR Brandin Cooks

Texans Get: 2023 second-round pick

The Dallas Cowboys are sitting at 8-3 and are in a good position to make a run in the NFC postseason. They’re also clearly interested in adding to their receiving corps ahead of the playoffs.

According to The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Dallas has been in constant contact with free-agent wideout Odell Beckham Jr.

If the trade window were still open, the Cowboys could target a healthy and productive receiver instead of one coming off of a torn ACL suffered in February. Houston Texans receiver Brandin Cooks would be an ideal candidate.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Dallas and Houston discussed a Cooks deal at the deadline, but Cooks’ $18 million guaranteed 2023 salary was a sticking point.

In this hypothetical scenario, the Texans agree to pay a large chunk of Cooks’ 2023 salary in exchange for a premium draft pick.

The Texans add to their 2023 arsenal of draft picks—that may well include the first overall selection—while Cooks gets to go to a contender. Dallas, meanwhile, adds a savvy veteran receiver who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns before this season.

Everybody would win in this trade, and who wouldn’t love to see that?

3 Colts players to watch out for against the Cowboys on SNF - Lauren Barash, The Landry Hat

The Colts have found new life under Jeff Saturday, and will be another big test for both the Cowboys run defense and two-headed ground game.

2. Grover Stewart, DT

Grover Stewart may have six seasons under his belt with the Colts, but this has arguably been his best one yet.

As one of the best defensive tackles, he makes the running game hard for opponents, which will be a big deal for the Cowboys. He is a massive presence for Indy, and even had 12 tackles in a game against the Tennessee Titans.

In fact, stellar RB Derrick Henry even told the nose tackle that “people need to start talking about” him after that game.

As a nose tackle, he may not get Pro Bowl or All-Pro nods, but he is certainly playing that way. For a team that relies on the 1-2 punch of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, Stewart could be a serious threat.

Right now, Stewart is playing his best football. The DT has a career-best eight TFL, has already tied his career-high with 3.0 sacks, and has 53 tackles, which ties his career-best for a season in which he played 16 games.

Just because the Colts aren’t dominating as a team does not mean that this DT isn’t having one of the best possible seasons for a defensive lineman.

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