Tag: 2022 Week 12

5 Week 12 games that could help Cowboys in their playoff push, and how

With a ranking of which teams Dallas would rather face in the playoffs, a look at Sunday’s games and how they can help Dallas most. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Cowboys have the weekend off to prepare for the stretch run. After taking down their division rivals, the New York Giants, on Thursday, Dallas gets a couple extra days of rest and relaxation to prepare for their final six games as they find themselves focusing on playoff seeding. Dallas controls their own destiny when it comes to making the playoffs, courtesy of their 8-3 record.

They do not control their own destiny when looking for seeding though, so they will always be looking at the results of the other matches. The real question is, which teams do the Cowboys want in the tournament with them? Which ones are the best matchups

Grading, Ranking every Cowboys player in 2022, how many can be called elite?

The Cowboys have a deep roster, but there is certainly a pecking order. See who currently ranks better and who have the best grades. | From @KDDrummondNFL

How does one define elite? Oxford says to be elite, one must be among a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society. The NFL is certainly the top group of American football (World Cup is popping, don’t want to get a yellow) so compared to college and football the 848 players on rosters and the couple hundred on IR are certainly elite.

Within that 1,000 or so, there’s certainly a handful of elite players at each given position. The 2022 Dallas Cowboys certainly have a handful of players who can be considered among the elite at their positions. Just how many, though? In our latest player power rankings, the first since Week 1, we’re attaching grades to the order. Who are the elite players? Who are the superstars, the stars, the solid contributors and those who need to step it up? Take a walk through the Cowboys’ Top 40 at the Week 12 mini-bye.

Top photos from Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day plucking of ruffled Giants

Kang the Conqueror. Sansa Stark. Jonas Brothers. Salvation Army kettle. Whack-a-Mole. Hurdling TEs. Helmet catches. Helmet guy. Turkey costumes. Yes. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys hadn’t won on Thanksgiving in their last three tries, and the game didn’t have the best starts. However talent overcame circumstance on this day as they rallied in the second half to cruise to a 28-20 victory that included a garbage-time TD by the New York Giants to make the game appear close. The win improved Dallas to 8-3 on the season and gives them a mini-bye to prepare for the stretch run.

As always, Thanksgiving in Dallas is a big deal and aside from all of the stars on the field, there were sights to be seen on the sideline and in the crowd. Here’s a collection of not just all of the great plays from the game, but also some of the things that may have caught one’s attention elsewhere.

Advanced Stats: DVOA suggests Cowboys defense may be in line for Turducken

A turkey day showdown of 7-3 teams but the analytics say this isn’t an even matchup at all. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

Thanksgiving in Dallas will look a bit different than previous years. The Dallas Cowboys will be wearing their traditional throwback uniforms for the first time in a decade as they take on the New York Giants. New threads are nice but what’s really important is the product on the field and it looks like we may be in line for a great matchup as both teams enter the week with a 7-3 record and in good shape for a playoff push.

The Cowboys are coming off of a dominating 40-3 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, in what many feel was a “statement game” that was won in all three phases of the game.The Giants are coming off of a surprising loss at home to the Detroit Lions. The defense struggled to slow down the Lions offense and their offense turned the ball over several times.

Dak Prescott has won more games over the Giants than any other team in his career and the team has won nine of the last 10.Each week we open up the Advanced Stat Notebook to analyze how each team ranks in EPA, DVOA, ANY/A and Toxic Differential. These four key metrics have a high correlation to win probability

Who they’ll turn to among 6 things to know about Cowboys’ opponent the Giants

The Dallas Cowboys host a slumping and beaten up New York Giants team on Thanksgiving. Here’s what else to know about the Week 12 opponent. | From @BenGrimaldi

It was a short week for the Dallas Cowboys as they prepare to host their annual Thanksgiving contest. This year, the opponent is the New York Giants, who are tied with the Cowboys in the NFC East standings with a 7-3 record. The teams seem to be heading in opposite directions after last week’s results, though.

Dallas went into Minnesota and thrashed the Vikings, while the Giants lost at home to the Detroit Lions. Both teams will have to have short memories and spend their time preparing their bodies for another game after playing just a few days ago. It’s been a rough go for Dallas on Thanksgiving recently, they have just three wins in their last 10 turkey day games and have lost three straight. The Cowboys and Giants have only met once on Thanksgiving, which the Cowboys won 30-3 in 1992.

Here are six more things to know about the Week 12 opponent for the Cowboys, the rival Giants.

Cowboys 55-man roster for Week 12 features new DE, is OL change coming?

The Cowboys have elevated two players to the roster, each with their own interesting story. Is one a sign of things arriving earlier than expected? | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys had to shrink their week of preparation, just they like always do for the Thanksgiving game. For years, only the Cowboys and Detroit Lions had annual short weeks, but for many years now the NFL has had each team in the Thursday rotation. That fact doesn’t make it any easier for them or their Turkey Day foes, the New York Giants. Both teams are in difficult circumstances with the limited prep time, as the Giants are exceptionally injured and Dallas has a bug going through their entire defense.

After Wednesday’s final injury report was released, the Cowboys went about their normal process of roster maneuvers, elevating players from their practice squad. Dallas brought up two players. One, an offensive lineman. Teams have to carry at least eight offensive linemen in order to have 48 players on their game-day roster. It’s simply an ability to have an extra backup in that group and now it’s tackle Aviante Collins’ turn. The other elevation is more interesting.

Dallas recently signed defense end Takk McKinley. McKinley was a 2017 draft prospect the team had heavy interest in. The sides met this offseason but didn’t initially work out an agreement. But with the defensive line suffering through illness, Thursday will be his chance to debut for the Cowboys.

Circling back to Collins, there’s an outside chance of something important here. With Tyron Smith coming back soon, it appears Dallas will shift Tyler Smith to guard to keep him in the starting lineup. Could there be an unexpected move this week that puts Jason Peters in and has Collins in a true backup capacity? Here’s a look at the full 55-man roster for the game.

Week 12 final injury report: Giants leave OL at home, Cowboys defense sick as dogs

The Giants are leaving half of their OL in New York. The Cowboys defensive line may be too sick to take advantage of it. Thursday football! | From @KDDrummondNFL

A war of attrition it is. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will square off for the second time this season, but the two teams will look totally different than how they were constructed in Week 3. In fact, they’ll both likely look much different than they did to start Week 11. The Giants suffered a slew of injuries in their loss to the Detroit Lions, and the short turnaround time isn’t doing them any favors. The Giants are leaving a ton of offensive linemen behind in New York, not even making the trip. On the opposite side, the Cowboys’ defense appears ravaged by a bug that has made it’s way through the locker room.

Two more defenders were added to the sick list on Wednesday, bringing the total to seven. Along with the actual injuries to linebackers Anthony Barr, Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa and DeMarcus Lawrence and there’s a question of just how much they’ll be able to take advantage. Here’s a look at the final injury report with game designations for Week 12.

3 Keys to victory for either Cowboys, Giants to have a happy Thanksgiving

It’s all about the feet in this rematch from Week 3. @cdpiglet identifies the three most important factors for the Cowboys and the Giants.

The Dallas Cowboys did a great job of bouncing back from a bad loss in Green Bay by taking apart an 8-1 Minnesota Vikings team in every way possible. They reminded themselves and the national viewing audience what they could achieve when the entire team is clicking on all cylinders.

While Dallas fans might be disappointed about not having much time to revel in the victory, the New York Giants are probably excited to get to the next game as quickly as possible. Soundly defeated by the Detroit Lions in their own stadium, the Thanksgiving matchup gives New York a speedy chance at a reprieve.

Both teams have to refocus quickly, hopefully with as much health as possible, before fighting it out to be in second place in the NFC East with a chance at still winning the division title. Here are the keys to victory for both teams.

Updated USA TODAY Sports bowl projections after Oklahoma’s win over Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma Sooners are bowl bound and headed for a reunion of sorts after their win over Oklahoma State. From @john9williams

Eight Big 12 teams are bowl bound after Oklahoma and Texas Tech picked up their sixth wins of the season on Saturday.

Though it hasn’t been the best season for the Sooners, they’ve gone 3-2 since their 0-3 start to Big 12 play and have a chance at an eight-win season if they’re able to win in Lubbock this Saturday and in their bowl matchup.

Only Iowa State and West Virginia failed to qualify for the postseason. TCU looks bound for the College Football Playoff, and Kansas State has a New Year’s Six bowl in their sites after a strong season.

Though a lot can still happen over the final two weeks of Big 12 play, here are the latest Big 12 bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports.

Cowboys sick and wounded, Week 12 injury report vs Giants released

22 players are listed between the NFC East rivals battling for 2nd place. One team is sick, the other is tired. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It’s always hard to gauge just how injured a team is ahead of a Thursday contest. The team doesn’t really do much practicing, they more so gather together and for those who are injured they go through rehab work. However there is certainly something going on with the Dallas Cowboys. What started as a bug that knocked corner Kelvin Joseph out of a Sunday domination that would make the cast of Billions blush, the illness has spread through the defense.

Five different defenders, half of Dallas’ injury report, are out with an illness designation. Hopefully they’ll recover in time for Thursday’s contest with the New York Giants. The Giants have a much different issue. Not only were they thoroughly defeated at home by the lowly Detroit Lions, but they suffered a ton of injuries as well. Rookie WR, maybe their best pass-catching weapon, was lost for the year with an ACL tear. The team has 12 other players listed on their report, but only one is designated do to sickness. Here’s a look at who was listed and what ails them, including CB Adoree Jackson who is already ruled out by head coach Brian Daboll.