Dallas has a shot to win four of its last five games as the Cowboys host the division-leading Bucs in front of a national audience.
DALLAS — The Cowboys rode a dominating defensive performance against QB Bryce Young and the Panthers to a blowout 30-14 win.
Now, Dallas has a shot to win four of its last five games as the Cowboys host the division-leading Bucs in front of a national audience.
Here are 5 Things to Watch in the Cowboys Sunday Night Football game against Tampa Bay:
1. Baker’s cookin’: Mayfield sizzles ahead of Texas Homecoming
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is playing the best football of his NFL career. The former Heisman Trophy winner and Oklahoma standout has thrown a career-high 32 touchdown passes this season, ranking third in the league behind Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (36) and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (34).
The former Sooner and Heisman winner is coming off wildly productive outing against the Chargers when he complete 81% of his passes for 288 yards and four TD passes.
I’ll be watching to see how Mayfield plays in this Texas homecoming. He played high school football at Lake Travis in Austin and won a state title at AT&T Stadium in also played in a Big 12 Championship there. He’s only played one professional game there so far. He led the Browns to a 49-38 four years ago during the pandemic.
2. Can Zimmer turn of the heat on Baker?
The chess match between Mayfield and Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer promises to be one of the game’s most compelling storylines. Zimmer has been dialing up creative pressure schemes in recent weeks, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.
Since Micah Parsons returned in Week 10, the Cowboys have notched 24 sacks, most int he NFL over the last six weeks, and generated 13 takeaways, which ranks third in the NFL over that span. Parsons is leading the way with 7.5 sacks since his return. He’s got 8.5 on the season, despite missing four games.
3. Rico and the Cowboys surging offensive line
Rico Dowdle continues to thrive as the Cowboys’ lead running back. Against the Panthers, he set a career high with 149 rushing yards, marking his third straight game surpassing the 100-yard mark. Dowdle’s bruising running style has drawn praise from Mike MCarthy. And because of it, Dowdle ranks second in the NFL with 230 yards after contact since taking over the starting role in Week 9.
Can Dowdle keep it up behind a Cowboys offensive line that’s battling nagging injuries?
4. Rush under the lights
Cooper Rush will be making his seventh start this season, coming off a career-high three TD passes in Carolina. He will have at least a shot to keep a good thing going against a Tampa defense that ranks third worst in the league, allowing 254 yards passing a game.
Rush should also have at least some comfort level under the lights in prime time. Of his 13 total starts, six have been in prime time.
5. Cowboys improbable and razor thin path to the postseason … squandered
The Cowboys entered the week with less than 1% chance. The Cowboys were still mathematically alive at the start of the day, but the math eventually worked itself out and the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoff picture.
For the record, though, here was the razor thin path in the final three weeks of the season for the Cowboys to make the playoffs. All of these things needed happen:
- Dallas wins out
- Commanders lose out (Dallas and Washington play the final week of the season)
- Two losses from either the Chargers or Seahawks
- At least one loss apiece from both the 49ers and Cardinals.
That meant a total of nine losses from five different teams in contention down the stretch, not to mention the Cowboys upsetting the Bucs, Eagles, and Commanders; all game Dallas figures to be the underdog. Washington put this one to bed quickly.
Jayden Daniels led a game-winning drive with five seconds remaining to beat the Eagles and ended the Cowboys’ playoff hopes before they even kicked off Sunday Night Football.
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