Cowboys news: How the Cowboys can avoid a letdown after winning NFC East

The latest Cowboys news in one place.

How Cowboys can avoid a letdown – Joe Tansey, Bleacher Report

The Cowboys might have the division clenched but with two games left, they can’t afford to switch on the cruise control down the stretch. Here is a recipe for not having a letdown.

The Cowboys have two playoff-like contests remaining on their schedule against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 and Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18.

Those two matchups should allow the Cowboys to fine-tune their talents going into a loaded NFC playoff bracket.

The Cowboys are still alive for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC because of their fantastic record within the conference.

The NFC East champion is 9-1 in NFC play. That mark is much better than most of the top playoff contenders and one game above what the Green Bay Packers have done.

Dallas could finish the regular season with an 11-1 record inside the NFC if it beats Arizona and Philadelphia, two likely outcomes based off the current play of those franchises.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott named NFC Offensive Player of the Week – SportsDay Staff, Dallas Morning News

What does completing 28 of 39 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers get you? If your name is Dak Prescott, the NFC Player of the Week award. Nice.

On the same day the Cowboys clinched the NFC East, Prescott found nine different Cowboys receivers and helped set the franchise record in first-half points with 42.

In Week 16, Prescott had a touchdown pass to a running back, tight end, wide receiver and an offensive lineman, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to accomplish this feat in a regular season game.

Report: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn to decline Jaguars interview for now – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

Dan Quinn is, to the surprise of no one, a red-hot coaching candidate again thanks to the transformative impact of his play-calling on the Cowboys defense this year. For the time being, however, he’s not interested in anything but Dallas’s ultimate goal.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was up front this week when asked about the notion of him once again becoming a head coach in the NFL. The former Falcons coach said he wasn’t using the Dallas DC job as a stepping-stone or resume-builder after five-plus years with the Falcons, but he also admitted, “If those moments come, I’ll be ready for them if the right scenario came about.”

The Jaguars requested permission to interview Quinn during the new two-week in-season window, but according to a new report from NFL insider Adam Schefter, Quinn has decided Jacksonville is not the right scenario… at least right now.

OT Tyron Smith Returning to Practice Today – Jess Haynie, Inside the Star

With the Cowboys having clenched the NFC East, some would like to see the Cowboys rest Tyron Smith the next few weeks to not only continue rehabbing his right ankle but to limit his risk for potential re-aggrevation. Unfortunately, Chandler Jones awaits this week, making Smith’s presence a necessary one.

Offensive Tackle Tyron Smith is expected to return to practice today according to Head Coach Mike McCarthy. Barring any setbacks this week, this should put the Pro Bowler on track to play this Sunday in a critical NFC showdown with the Arizona Cardinals.

Smith has missed Dallas’ last two games with an ankle injury and three others earlier this season. When healthy he’s still one of the top left tackles in football, hence being named to another Pro Bowl, but game absences have become a major issue for Tyron for the last six years.

Since 2016, Smith has missed at least three games or more every season. A few have been for veteran rest but most have been due to nagging neck and shoulder problems, plus other issues like his ankle in 2021.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott says the NFC East title is nice but no one is satisfied – Clarence E. Hill Jr, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Cowboys offense has been stellar at home this season—particularly in the redzone. The same can not be said for the offense on the road. Sitting one game out of the one-seed with three to play, Dallas has every reason to push for the the NFC’s top seeding.

But the devil is in the details, especially for the Cowboys offense. Before the Washington game, the Cowboys were averaging 35.5 points per game at home, but that balloned to 38.4 after Sunday’s romp. Dallas is avergaging 23.5 points per game on the road. The 56 points the Cowboys put up Sunday was the most points scored by a team in the NFL this season, the most points scored by a Cowboys team since their 52-17 victory against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII in January of 1993 and the third-highest point total in franchise history.

For a Cowboys team looking to reach the Super Bowl for the first since the 1995 season, it’s even more of a reason the newly-crowned NFC East champs need to continue to strive to get the No. 1 seed to secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC title game.

Cowboys 2021 rookie report: Kelvin Joseph’s memorable first career start – David Howman, Blogging the Boys

Kelvin Joseph got his first career start Sunday against Washington. The results were 57 snaps and one reception yielded for a grand total of -2 yards. Yes, negative yardage. But just how good could the forgotten corner from the 2021 Draft be for the Cowboys?

Joseph didn’t have any one signature play – although he very nearly snagged an interception – but played extremely well. He finished with three tackles and two passes defensed, as well as a tackle for loss coming on a play where Joseph blew up a screen pass.

It was very promising for a rookie making his first career start, especially considering how little notice he had about this change to the starting lineup. Joseph probably didn’t do enough to permanently replace Lewis or Anthony Brown – who moved back to the slot in nickel formations Sunday – but it does offer a very positive glimpse into the future of the Cowboys’ second-round rookie.

Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel

We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network.

• Monday: CowboysCast with Bobby Belt
• Tuesday: The 75O with Tony Casillas and RJ Ochoa
• Wednesday: The NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Gowton
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Draft with Connor Livesay, Cole Patterson, and Dalton Miller
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin ‘Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Saturday: Cowboys Hoy with Mauricio Rodriguez
• Sunday: Jersey Boyz with Dave Sturchio, Bret Ernst, and Keith Ernst

We also offer daily episodes of Dallas Cowboys Roundup where we give you that day’s latest headlines so that you always stay caught up. Consider it an audio version of the links, and every episode is 10 minutes or less so you can catch up in a hurry.

The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.

Subscribe here on Apple devices.

Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.