NFL Sunday gameday guide: How ‘bout them Cowboys?

Dak Prescott is playing the best football of his career – can he lead Dallas to the Super Bowl?

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are primed for a 13 seconds rematch, the Dallas Cowboys have their sites on snatching the NFC East title from the Philadelphia Eagles. Week 14 is shaping up nicely; we guide you through the latest news, views and build-up ahead of Sunday in the NFL…

Editor’s note…

There might not be a quarterback playing better football in the NFL than Dak Prescott at this moment. He has entered the MVP conversation, and so too the Dallas Cowboys to-be-taken-seriously Super Bowl contention. Yes, you might have heard that before.

It can often be what goes unnoticed that can be so impressive and so defining to the way Dak plays. From the mastery of his rhythmic and hoodwinking pre-snap cadence, to the speed at which he can diagnose a field and slide protections, adjust assignments or alter play concepts accordingly at the line of scrimmage. “He plays the position” as Aaron Rodgers said recently on the Pat McAfee Show, igniting a ‘Texas Coast’ offense that has buried its early-season teething issues.

Only Brock Purdy owns a better EPA+CPOE composite (an advanced metric on quarterback play-by-play value and efficiency) than Prescott this season, the Dallas quarterback having put up a passer rating of at least 115.0 in five of six games since the Week Seven bye week. In that time he has completed 156 of 221 passes (70.59 per cent) for 1,901 yards and 20 touchdowns to two interceptions. He also happens to be the league’s best quarterback on third down this year, which tends to serve as a nice indication of how well a passer is faring in decisive moments of a game, which always comes with an added caveat of pressure as an expectation-burdened Cowboys play-caller.

McCarthy’s offense is purring as it empowers its quarterback to take command of games with more aggressive pass designs and opportunities to use his legs alongside an increased use of play-action, while dressing up the line of scrimmage with pre-snap motion and crowning CeeDee Lamb as their focal point by shifting him across multiple spots in the formation.

Lamb has taken a seat at the table alongside the league’s most dynamic receivers with 90 catches for 1,182 yards and seven touchdowns, Brandin Cooks has answered the Cowboys’ call for a legitimate No 2 receiver, Jake Ferguson is peppering the seam as his threat continues to increase as the team’s lead tight end. Tony Pollard’s multi-purpose production out of the backfield has meanwhile picked back up after a minor lull as a crucial sell for the Cowboys play-action game.

Dallas rank third in EPA/play and sit at the top of scoring rankings on offense, while Dan Quinn’s stunting, route-jumping defense continues to be among the NFL’s elite at third in EPA/play and third in total yards. ‘Our year’ sentiment has been long-exhausted and long-unfulfilled in Cowboys territory amid their pursuit of a first Super Bowl appearance since their victory at the end of the 1995 season.

The 49ers are nagging frontrunners to prolong that pain, and beckon as a potential ultimate test somewhere down the line in the playoffs. Before then, Dak and the Cowboys have the opportunity to force home their respective MVP and Championship credentials across a home stretch that sees them face the Philadelphia Eagles – who they could yet leapfrog in the NFC East – and Mike McDaniel’s Miami Dolphins.

How ‘bout them Cowboys? We are about to find out.

Around the league…

• Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was limited on his return to practice Thursday having appeared to swerve serious injury after suffering a high ankle sprain in Monday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals; Lawrence said he was hopeful of facing the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, with head coach Doug Pederson insisting he won’t sacrifice a player’s health for one game.
• New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Zach Wilson will start at quarterback against the Houston Texans having been demoted for Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian in the last two games.
• Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Von Miller remains available to play against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday following allegations of domestic violence against the edge rusher.

• Former Indianapolis Colts three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shaq Leonard signed a one-year deal with the Eagles this week.
• Miami Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson agreed a three-year, $36m extension on Thursday amid his impressive 2023 campaign.
• Justin Jefferson is set to make his return for the Minnesota Vikings against the Las Vegas Raiders after missing seven games due to a hamstring injury.
• Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Amnesia by an independent neurologist after suffering a concussion in the Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears, his father announced.
• Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is expected to coach at the weekend despite undergoing surgery on Wednesday after being diagnosed with an acute case of appendicitis.

What to watch…

Week 14 live on Sky!

Los Angeles Rams (6-6) @ Baltimore Ravens (9-3): The Ravens struck gold with Kyle Hamilton, who has arrived as advertised since entering the league as the No 14 pick at the 2022 Draft. He stands to be the quintessential modern NFL safety as Mike Macdonald’s disguised blitzer, hybrid box tackler, slot demon and sideline-to-sideline blockade. With Marcus Williams on hand to play deep, Hamilton has free rein to wreak havoc as Baltimore’s most dangerous disruptor at the line of scrimmage. And while attention has been on the Rams’ young offensive playmakers, the audition process for Aaron Donald’s supporting cast has been intriguing. Third-round rookie nose tackle Kobie Turner has quietly amassed a rookie-leading 5.5 sacks, while fellow third-rounder Byron Young is close behind on five sacks.

Buffalo Bills (6-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (8-4): Tight ends, assemble. For years the Bills have watched Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce torch the NFL as the league’s most dynamic quarterback-tight end tandem, shattering Buffalo’s Super Bowl hopes on a couple of occasions in the process. In a bid to add their own Kelce-esque dimension, the Bills went and drafted Dalton Kincaid in the first round earlier this year. The vision was tight splits in multiple tight end sets from which he and Dawson Knox could sell the run game, lure defenses downhill and open up shots for Josh Allen downfield, as well as leaking out into routes of their own. The production (56 catches, 474 yards) has been sporadic, not helped by the absence of Knox, with flashes of an integral supporting role behind Stefon Diggs, while Kelce, without lighting up the world, leads the Chiefs with 813 receiving yards and five scores.

Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (9-3): Do we call this the Shaq Leonard bowl? There was little surprise when the Eagles edged out the Cowboys to wrap up a deal for the former Indianapolis Colts man, not because Howie Roseman is one of the savviest operators in the market but because of the extent to which the 49ers exposed Philly’s linebackers in Week 13. Time and time again Kyle Shanahan disorientated the likes of Nicholas Morrow and Christian Ellis, standing in for the injured Zach Cunningham, with Deebo Samuel’s pre-snap reload motion to muddy the play direction, eventually disguising it to unleash the Niners receiver for his first-half catch-and-run touchdown out of the backfield. Morrow bit hard on a Christian McCaffrey out-route at the sideline before later being shrugged off by Samuel again on his 48-yard touchdown; it was a torrid day, Nick Sirianni’s safeties included as Shanahan toyed with the middle of the field. Can Leonard step in immediately? And will the Cowboys similarly plot to exploit the Eagles’ weakness at the second level?

Best quotes

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on his injury against the Bengals: “I’m thankful it’s not a worse injury than what I thought on the field.”

Taylor Swift, in her interview for 2023 Time magazine’s person of the year: “Football is awesome, it turns out. I’ve been missing out my whole life.”

Nick Bosa suggests the 49ers showed the NFL how to stop Jalen Hurts: “You see it on tape. Obviously, we put the blueprint out there. Hopefully, the Dallas Cowboys watch the tape. We made Jalen stay in the pocket and escape outside instead of those B-gaps. And it paid off.”

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on The Pat McAfee Show: “The most disappointing thing about the whole rehab process was December 24 was literally on my mind. It would have been like 14-and-a-half weeks, I thought that would be reasonable based on my progress.”

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on his team’s 9-3 record at the top of the AFC: “Call me when it’s a 13-game season. That’s all nice, but we have a job to do today. If we short-change and are worried about anything other than the Tennessee Titans when we’re game planning, then all those conversations and stories literally don’t matter at all.”

Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Rams receiver Puka Nacua: “I liked him (in the Draft). He was one of my highest-rated guys. You can ask anybody here, he was way up on my board. He’s playing exactly how I thought he would, for the record.”

Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on facing Houston’s CJ Stroud: “He’s a very unique young quarterback. He’s a guy I really wish we would’ve played Weeks One to Four when he was still trying to figure out this game.”

The stats

• Tyreek Hill’s 938 yards on vertical routes so far this season are the most of any receiver in a single campaign since 2018
• Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen currently has 898 catches in 138 games and has the chance to surpass Antonio Brown (143 games) as the fastest player in history to reach 900 career receptions
• Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson sits on 5,396 career receiving yards, leaving him needing just 117 more to overtake Michael Thomas for most by a player in his first four seasons in history
• Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons, who has 11.5 sacks on the year, is looking to become the second player since sack statistics began in 1982 to record at least 13 sacks in each of his first three seasons – Hall of Famer Reggie White having been the first
• CJ Stroud needs 253 passing yards to overtake Andrew Luck for the second-most by a player in his first 13 games
• Brock Purdy can become the fourth quarterback in NFL history to post a completion percentage of 70-or-higher in seven straight games this weekend

Essential reading:

NFL playoff contenders or pretenders: Can Packers make a charge?

Can Jordan Love guide Green Bay to the playoffs?

The NFL playoff race has reached the home stretch in one of the most wide-open seasons in recent memory, with surprise teams occupying postseason spots and expected contenders battling for their place.

Sky Sports NFL‘s Phoebe Schecter gives her verdict on some of those around whom there remain question marks when it comes to their playoff credentials…

The 13 seconds rivalry: Bills and Chiefs meet once again

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen meet again

All is not rosy in the land of the mighty. The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs have been marred by drops and deficiencies on a limping offense, behind which Patrick Mahomes and Steve Spagnuolo’s defensive subterfuge have between them retained some level of serious contention, with question marks over an 8-4 team speaking volumes as to the self-imposed expectations in Arrowhead.

And in western New York the Buffalo Bills are fighting for their playoff lives as they play catch-up having endured marquee injuries, suffered late heartbreak, fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and slipped behind the pack in what is still deemed a Championship window for under-pressure head coach Sean McDermott and his high-powered team.

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen know all about thrillers. The AFC rivals meet again in their latest high stakes clash on Sunday…

Her Huddle: Meet Nausicaa Dell’Orto.

Hannah Wilkes and Phoebe Schecter talk to Italy Women’s flag football captain Nausicaa Dell’Orto about the challenges she faced in forming a female team in Milan.

Inside the Huddle: 49ers-Dolphins Super Bowl?

Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold discuss the San Francisco 49ers’ emphatic win over the Philadelphia Eagles and the red-hot form of the Miami Dolphins…

Thursday night rewind…

Bailey Zappe threw three first-half touchdown passes as the New England Patriots snapped a five-game skid while damaging the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff hopes with a 21-18 victory on Thursday night.

Watch the Baltimore Ravens host the Los Angeles Rams from 5pm (kickoff at 6pm) live on Sky Sports NFL this Sunday, followed by the Buffalo Bills at the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles