The Cowboys are exactly where they figured to be on the playoff bracket, but Cowboys Nation suddenly isn’t feeling too good about it after the 26-6 embarrassment in the Beltway. The team looks to move on quickly, and they got encouraging news about several injured players that should help. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has their own infirmary to worry about.
Previews of Monday night’s matchup start now, with things to like (and dislike) about both squads. We’ll get a peek at what Bucs coach Todd Bowles is telling his guys, and what he’s saying about facing Dallas. Mike McCarthy, meanwhile, may be back on the hot seat after turning in a 12-win season, as strange as that sounds. Dan Quinn is already fielding phone calls, we’ve got updated Super Bowl odds, and we share a finalized list of who the Cowboys will play in 2023. But the team continues to “suck on that” season-ending loss, according to Jerry Jones, hoping to wash out the sour taste with a postseason win in Tampa. News and Notes to kick off a busy week, coming right up.
Leighton Vander Esch, Johnathan Hankins, and Tyler Biadasz are all trending toward suiting up in the team’s first-round postseason game. Mike McCarthy told reporters he was “very optimistic” about the playing availability of all three. “They looked very positive today, so we’ll see where they are on Wednesday, but their arrow is pointing up.” Offensive lineman Matt Farniok may also be ready to go by the time Monday rolls around.
The team’s interception leader exited the game in the third quarter with a chest injury, but there is reportedly “no concern about his status moving forward.” Tyler Coyle stepped in for Bland and played well versus Washington.
Mike McCarthy ran out of adjectives to describe how bad the Cowboys were in their season finale. “I don’t know how to keep saying it: very disappointing, poor,” he told reporters. “You guys have got big vocabularies; go for it.” Dak Prescott had a career-worst completion percentage, but he didn’t expect to spend much time re-watching the game film; it’s on to Tampa Bay.
John Fassel’s unit has given up more big-time plays than they’ve produced. They’re actually turning in a -2.71 EPA on special teams plays, meaning they’ve literally done more harm than good. Although they’ve registered a negative EPA in 11 of 17 games, they…
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