Cowboys roundtable: Discussing the remaining schedule, Micah Parsons, and the Week 14 game
Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable.
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Brian Martin, Tom Ryle, David Howman and RJ Ochoa.
Dallas got their first home win and now has two consecutive wins. Looking at the remainder of the schedule, what record do you predict for the Cowboys?
Thanksgiving saw a thrilling game where Dallas battled the New York Giants and came away with a 27-20 victory. The game saw Rico Dowdle dominate, Brandin Cooks score his first touchdown since Week 1, and DeMarvion Overshown score a pick-six off his own batted pass. The Cowboys defense played with high effort and helped keep the game safe while the offense tried to find a rhythm. With the remaining schedule of Cincinnati, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Washington, there’s a chance the Cowboys could find momentum heading into the final quarter of the season.
Howman: This is tough, because the Cowboys have been so erratic throughout this season and their next three opponents have been similarly tough to nail down. That said, Mike McCarthy has a great track record in December and Mike Zimmer’s defense is hitting its stride, so I think they finish strong with an 8-9 record.
Tom: Eight wins with the Commanders and Eagles still to come is the ceiling for this team to me, and that assumes they don’t stumble against one or more of the other three remaining opponents. I’m also looking at just beating the Giants by a touchdown. As bad as the first NFC team to be eliminated is, that margin of victory isn’t reassuring. I think they do stub their toes in one game, and wind up 7-10, although it is not hard to imagine them only winning one more down the stretch..
RJ: My expectation is that they win around three more games if we are being conservatively optimistic. This would keep them in the mix, however faintly, for a playoff spot for the majority of the finish here but would also, to the frustration of many, put them outside of a significant first-round asset. The best of both worlds!
Brian: I can realistically see a scenario where the Cowboys surprise us by winning out the rest of the season, losing every game, or anything in between. This team has been so up and down this year there’s no way to accurately predict how things will play out the rest of the year. Having said that, I think they will win at least one more game, possibly two, and finish 7-10.
Since the return of Micah Parsons from injury this defense looks transformed and Parsons now has six sacks in his last four games. Does he deserve a contract extension or do you feel it’s too expensive?
In last week’s game, Micah Parsons once again proved his dominance and seemed to be involved in every play on defense. Players like Osa Odighizuwa, Mazi Smith, Donovan Wilson and Carl Lawson all registered sacks but it was thanks to Parsons demanding so much focus and asserting his will on the offensive line that allowed the rest of the Cowboys defense to make plays. Parsons will now look to keep up this level of production as he gets ready to face Cincinnati who have allowed the sixth-most pressures and in the last three games have allowed the fourth-most sacks.
Howman: As much frustration as I’ve had with Micah Parsons for his off-field activities and thoughtless comments in front of microphones, you don’t let a talent like that walk out the door. Hand him a blank check and let him cash it, I don’t care what the number is.
Tom: He deserves a huge deal. That isn’t really the question. The obstacle to getting a deal done is Steven Jones and his obsession with the salary cap. I just don’t think Jones will come up with the cap space to retain Parsons while he is on the hook for massive deals paid to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. I’m afraid Jones will be quite content with a high compensatory pick, unless he and his father decide to trade Parson away - probably for a fourth-round pick. (That last phrase is sarcasm - but just a little bit the way this team regularly get fleeced in trades.)
RJ: Parsons deserved a contract extension the moment that he was eligible for one last offseason. The Cowboys are already officially behind on this and need to have learned their lesson from last year or else the offseason has the potential to be even more toxic than the one we just lived.
Brian: Micah Parsons absolutely deserves whatever the going rate is for a player of his caliber. Even in a shortened season due to injuries, he will still likely finish with double-digit QB sacks, like he has every year since entering the league. If I were the Cowboys though, I would at least listen to trade offers from other teams. Who knows? Maybe someone offers a blockbuster trade package they can’t pass up. If not, pay him and build around him for the future.
Up next is the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. What’s your score prediction and the biggest threat to victory this week?
Week 14 sees the Dallas Cowboys take on the Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T stadium on Monday Night Football. Kickoff commences at 8:15 p.m. (ET) and currently sees the Bengals as -6 favorites to win this matchup. The Cowboys are currently third in the NFC East at 5-7 and Cincinnati are also third in the AFC North at 4-8. The Bengals are on a three-game losing streak and historically between these two teams Dallas has won the last five meetings in the series, Dallas leads 10-4 overall.
Howman: The Bengals have been so bad at winning games this year. Their offense has been lights out most of the year, except when they haven’t, and their defense has been dreadful, except when their offense has a bad day. They’ve been surprisingly good away from home this year, going 3-3 on the road, while the Cowboys just won their first home game all year. I’m not sure Dallas can contain Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, even with how good their defense is playing, so I’ll take the Bengals winning something like 38-28.
Tom: That’s an interesting pick, Howman, given that you predict them going 8-9. If they drop this one, I don’t see how they get there. I think this is not the game that trips them up, and that they will play just enough better than the Bengals to eke out a 24-23 win.
RJ: I can’t believe I am saying this, but I think that I am leaning with the Cowboys here. The Bengals are certainly a better team don’t get me wrong, but they appear to have mailed it in while the Cowboys look like they are clinging to some intensely long odds. I’ll take Dallas in the closest of margins, 23-22.
Brian: For me, this game sets up to be a shootout where the last team to have the ball likely walks away with the “W”. I don’t like Dallas’ banged up secondary against Ja’Marr Chase who leads the league in receiving yards and touchdowns and I also don’t like the matchup between DE Trey Hendrickson - the current NFL sack leader (11.5) - against whoever starts at LT for the Cowboys. Because of that, I think Dallas loses a close one 34-30.
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