The Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention last week and they guaranteed they’ll finish the year with a losing record with Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, but those things haven’t changed quarterback Dak Prescott’s view on head coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy’s status has been a topic of conversation all season and Prescott’s season-ending injury didn’t help his chances of avoiding the negative developments of the last couple of weeks. A number of other key players missed big chunks of time with injuries and finishing around .500 with a depleted roster has been cited as a reason why the Cowboys would hold onto McCarthy.
Prescott has endorsed McCarthy in the past and he did so again on Sunday by saying “obviously I’m a promoter of bringing him back.”
“It’s tough to probably get your job done and do your job with all that hanging over your head,” Prescott said. via Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “But credit to him, credit to his professionalism and really his coach’s style of being able to get guys being ready to play and go out there and finish and take pride in what we finish and what we put on tape.”
Barring an unexpected announcement from the team this week, McCarthy’s future will remain up for discussion for at least a little while longer.
Not one can say Kenny Pickett isn’t tough.
Although most people associated with the Eagles are being tight lipped about the situation, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the Eagles backup quarterback indeed played Sunday’s game with broken ribs.
Cornerback Darius Slay is the only person connected to the team to let the cat out of the bag.
We’re told that Pickett received two painkilling injections today — one before the game and one at halftime.
Pickett left in the third quarter after being hit by Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons.
For Pickett’s part, he said after the game, “I’m good. I’ll be all right.”
It’s not as important for him to be ready to go next week, with the No. 2 seed clinched in the NFC. They’ll need him or Jalen Hurts in two weeks for the wild-card round.
Hurts remains in the concussion protocol. The team has declined to comment regarding Hurts’s progress, if any, through the five steps needed for clearance to play.
The Eagles dominated the Cowboys from start to finish, clinching the NFC East and the No. 2 seed in the conference with a 41-7 rout.
Philadelphia rebounded from last week’s loss to the Commanders that could have clinched the division, moving to 13-3, while Dallas fell to 7-9.
The Eagles got a pick-six from safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the seventh play of the game, as he went 69 yards for the score, and they ended the day with two touchdown passes from third quarterback Tanner McKee in his NFL debut.
The team did not miss Jalen Hurts, who remains in concussion protocol after leaving in the first half last week. Kenny Pickett, who entered with an injury to his ribs, ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown in the first half for a 24-7 halftime lead before leaving after aggravating his injury.
Pickett went 10-of-15 for 143 yards and a touchdown, and McKee finished 3-of-4 for 54 yards and two touchdowns.
DeVonta Smith caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and A.J. Brown had three receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Saquon Barkely topped 2,000 yards for the season, the ninth running back in history to achieve the feat. He rushed for 167 yards on 31 carries, giving him 2,003 for the season He needs 101 yards to pass Eric Dickerson for the NFL single-season record, though the Eagles have nothing to play for in the regular-season finale.
The Eagles outgained the Cowboys 376 to 268, with Dallas turning it over four times. Gardner-Johnson had two picks of Cooper Rush, and Jake Ferguson and Rico Dowdle each lost a fumble for the Cowboys.
Rush was 15-of-28 for 147 yards with a touchdown and two picks. Trey Lance completed his only attempt for 1 yard after replacing Rush.
Dowdle rushed for 104 yards on 23 carries in becoming the first undrafted running back to rush for 1,000 yards in team history, and Brandin Cooks caught four passes for 52 yards.
The Cowboys played without quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, right guard Zack Martin, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and cornerback Trevon Diggs among others.
Still, the Cowboys had played well the past five games in going 4-1.
Tempers boiled over with 2:24 remaining when the teams got into it following a Philadelphia punt. Officials ejected Cowboys cornerback Troy Pride and receiver Jalen Brooks and Eagles safety Sydney Brown in the scuffle. The three players face fines this week for the extracurriculars.
Packers wide receiver Christian Watson will not play today.
Watson is among the team’s inactives after being listed as questionable with a knee injury. He did not practice all week.
Watson played 30 plays in Monday night’s win over the Saints.
He has 29 catches for 620 yards and two touchdowns.
The Packers will have rookie safety Javon Bullard, who was questionable with an ankle injury.
Green Bay’s other inactives are linebacker Quay Walker (ankle), cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee), safety Evan Williams (quad), safety Omar Brown and offensive tackle Andre Dillard (concussion symptoms).
The Vikings’ inactives are cornerback Fabian Moreau (hip), defensive tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez, offensive lineman Dan Feeney, offensive tackle Walter Rouse and quarterback Brett Rypien. Rypien will serve as the emergency third quarterback.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 yards in a single season.
He has 31 carries for 167 yards against the Cowboys today, giving him 2,003 for the season.
Barkley joins Eric Dickerson (NFL-record 2,105 yards with the Rams in 1984), O.J. Simpson (2,003 for the Bills in 1973), Adrian Peterson (2,097 with Minnesota in 2012), Jamal Lewis (2,066 with Baltimore in 2003), Barry Sanders (2,053 with Detroit in 1997), Derrick Henry (2027 with Tennessee in 2020), Terrell Davis (2,008 with Denver in 1998) and Chris Johnson (2,006 with Tennessee in 2009) in the elite 2,000 club.
His 23-yard run 10:49 remaining put him over 2,000 rushing yards and prompted coach Nick Sirianni to call timeout to honor Barkley, who ran off the field to a standing ovation. It likely was Barkley’s final carry of the day.
Barkley now needs 101 yards to pass Dickerson, though the Eagles, with a 41-7 lead over the Cowboys today, will have nothing to play for next week.
