Can we stop talking about the playoffs now? It was always going to be a long shot after starting the season 3-7. While the door was not completely shut, two consecutive wins gave some hope. But the loss Monday night should end any of that talk. At 5-8, with four games remaining, the Dallas Cowboys have less than a 1 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
However, that doesn’t mean the team will play like the season is over. One move that would signal that would be going with Trey Lance as their starting quarterback over Cooper Rush. Judging by Jerry Jones’ comments Tuesday morning on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, it doesn’t sound like that is currently being considered.
“I don’t think so,” Jones responded when asked about going with Lance. “I thought we did some good things out there (Monday night). I still believe (Rush) gives us our best chance.”
And then Jones said the most interesting part. “Wins are important for us,” he added. “This is a young team.”
Jones would rather see the team continue to compete and potentially grab another win or two rather than tank for a better draft pick. He clearly believes that winning games, even if it seems meaningless to some, is better for the future of the team’s mental state.
It’s also an example of how he’s not all that interested in seeing what Lance can do with more regular-season work. When the Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for Lance, they didn’t have Dak Prescott signed long term. He is now locked in for the next four years and Lance will be a free agent at the end of the season.
More help needed in the pass game
With the playoff knockout punch delivered by the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s really time to focus on the upcoming offseason, and the Cowboys have a lot of work to do.
Improving their playmakers in the passing game has to be near the top of the list.
CeeDee Lamb is a surefire No. 1 receiver. After that? It’s a bunch of question marks. That point was driven home once again Monday night.
No. 2 target Brandin Cooks had a 3-yard touchdown, which is great, except it was his only catch. Jalen Tolbert got three targets but didn’t catch a pass. Jonathan Mingo, who the Cowboys traded their 2025 fourth-round pick for earlier this season, had one target that was incomplete. KaVontae Turpin had one catch for 16 yards on four targets.
Rush to Cooks! @DallasCowboys tie it up.
📺: #CINvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/6WVOqqEzf8— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
Sure, some of this can be attributed to playing with the backup quarterback but these players weren’t exactly lighting it up with Dak Prescott, either.
At tight end, Jake Ferguson didn’t make the jump this year that many expected after his 2023 season. Luke Schoonmaker has finally been coming along as of late but hasn’t shown anything to say he’s more than a No. 2 tight end, at best, right now. The questions with the running back position have been well documented.
Whether it’s free agency or the draft, addressing the offensive skill positions should be a high priority.
Turpin neutralized
After his spectacular late-game kickoff return for a touchdown against the Washington Commanders a few weeks ago, Turpin said that may have been his last kickoff return.
So far, he’s been right.
On Thanksgiving, the New York Giants didn’t put a single kickoff in play. The Bengals copied that formula and Turpin did not have any kickoff returns.
Overshown update
Cowboys standout LB DeMarvion Overshown will need surgery on his right knee, Jones said Tuesday morning on The Fan. Although the MRI had not been completed by the time of Jones’ weekly radio appearance, the seriousness of the injury is obvious. Jones did not have a timeline for Overshown’s potential return when asked if the injury is so significant that he could miss all of next season.
(Top photo of Cooper Rush: Tim Heitman / Imagn Images)
