Cowboys

 

Bills vs. Cowboys score, takeaways: Buffalo bullies Dallas on the ground behind James Cook's career day

The Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday on a five-game winning streak and with a guaranteed playoff spot as they faced the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. However, that streak went down in flames as Buffalo punched Dallas over and over and over again with their running game en route to a 31-10 win. 

Buffalo outgained Dallas 351 to 195, a gap of 156 yards made up of mostly the Bills' 266 yards on the ground. Sunday marked the first time under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, since 2021, in which the Cowboys defense allowed over 250 rushing yards. The star of the show this week up in Orchard Park wasn't quarterback Josh Allen, who completed just 7 of his 15 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, as well as running for 24 yards and a score. 

No, the Bills' standout on Sunday was running back James Cook. The second-year, second-round pick totaled a career-high 179 rushing yards on 25 carries with a touchdown, a 24-yarder. That comes out to a 7.2 yards per carry average. Cook also tallied 42 yards receiving on two catches, including an 18-yard receiving score in the second quarter. That performance makes Cook the first Bills player with 200+ scrimmage yards (221), one or more rushing touchdown and one or more receiving touchdowns in a game since Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas did so back in the 1991 season.  

Lack of discipline, awareness lead Cowboys to embarrassing loss to Bills

Both of the Bills' first two touchdowns came following critical Cowboys personal foul penalties. Following a roughing the passer penalty committed by Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, the Bills cashed in on the second chance two plays later with a Latavius Murray 2-yard touchdown run to cap their opening drive. 

Two drives later, Dallas gifted the Bills another extra opportunity. Cowboys defensive lineman Sam Williams collided in mid-air with Bills punter Sam Martin on fourth-and-8, resulting in a roughing the kicker penalty to extend the Buffalo drive. 

That's two unnecessary roughness penalties by the Cowboys that extended drives, two touchdowns following those penalties by the Bills. Six plays later, Allen hit Cook, who was wide open in the right corner of the end zone, for an 18-yard touchdown. That put the Bills up 14-0 with 12:52 left in the half. 

Cowboys rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey connected on a 32-yard field goal after Dallas' third drive stalled out for their lone points of the half. Aubrey improved to an NFL record 31-for-31 on field goals to begin his career. 

Allen and the Bills clapped right back with an 11-play touchdown drive. Allen concluded the possession with a 1-yard rushing score on the quarterback sneak. That put Buffalo up 21-3 Buffalo with 1:36 left in the half. The Bills scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives. Buffalo put in the backups midway through the fourth quarter. 

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who entered Sunday near the top of the NFL MVP conversation, completed 21 of 34 passes for 134 yards and an interception. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy left his starters in late, and they eventually came through with a touchdown thanks to a CeeDee Lamb's three-yard rushing touchdown on a wide receiver reverse.

Dallas' 10 points scored matches their season-low that they first put up in a 42-10 Week 5 loss at the San Francisco 49ers. Key injuries up front to defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who was ruled out before the game with knee and ankle injuries, and to right guard Zack Martin, who suffered a thigh injury, played a major role in the Cowboys losing the battle along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Why the Bills won

Buffalo dominated Dallas on both sides of the line of scrimmage and in time of possession. The Bills had the football for over 10 minutes longer than the Cowboys (35:05 to 24:55) and doubled up Dallas in first downs (28 to 14).

James Cook also did his best Thurman Thomas impersonation. Winning in such a dominant fashion when Josh Allen only has seven completions speaks volumes about the job the Bills' run game and defense did on Sunday.

Why the Cowboys lost

Dallas allowed over 250 yards rushing for the first time under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and they allowed James Cook to be the first player since former Rams running back Todd Gurley in Week 4 of the 2017 season to rack up over 200 scrimmage yards on them.

Offensively, they struggled mightily to move the ball without six-time First-Team All-Pro right guard Zack Martin, who left the game with a thigh injury in the first half. The Cowboys are at their best when they get an early lead, which then allows Micah Parsons and their defense to tee off on opposing quarterbacks.

They allowed the Bills to score an opening drive touchdown, and they were never able to adjust to playing from behind. Some of that has to do with playing some defensive backs in linebacker spots thanks to injuries. It also is simply a style of defense they don't enjoy playing. This is a loss in which Quinn and the defensive staff will be forced to look inward and do plenty of soul-searching.

Turning point

Cowboys defensive lineman Sam Williams' roughing the punter penalty. Buffalo lead 7-0 late in the first quarter, and the Dallas defense just forced a punt after Williams' pressure on Allen led to an incompletion. However, he jumped and collided in the air with Bills punter Sam Martin in an attempt to block the kick.

Six plays after the penalty, Allen threw his 18-yard touchdown pass to Cook to put the Bills up 14-0. The game then continued to slip away from the Cowboys from that point on.

Play of the game

https://www.toprevenuegate.com/j0hn18fj37?key=f14d0f352a3a389f42cdf062022714eb Cook's 24-yard touchdown run. He was the best player on the field, and this was far and away his most impressive play. He swiftly wove through the initial wave of Dallas defenders after taking the shotgun handoff from Allen, made just one cut to avoid a final diving defender and flipped into the end zone. This play encapsulated everything that went right for Buffalo as well as everything that went wrong for Dallas.

Cowboys News: Illness benches three, team preps for weather, Aubrey's ROTY case

Yet another monumental game looms for Dallas in Week 15, with both the Cowboys and the Bills treating this Sunday’s matchup with the same importance as the postseason. To that end, the Cowboys ramped up a few elements of Thursday’s practice before they shuffle off to Buffalo. But there’s cause for concern on the day’s practice report: a trio of Cowboys were held out with an illness, and several others were still dealing with injuries suffered last week. We’ll also preview the Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII rematch with what to know about this year’s Bills and why winning this road game is so critical for the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, Micah Parsons has thoughts on getting held in every game, we look at where Dak Prescott ranks among the league’s passers heading into the weekend, and we wonder why in the world Brandon Aubrey isn’t being talked about for the Rookie of the Year Award… because the kicker has a better case than you might think. We’re also looking ahead to Prescott’s potentially-record-setting payday as well as a long list of free agents to decide on this offseason, all in this edition of News and Notes.

Cowboys 55-man roster for Week 15: Elevations reveal needs in run game, defense

The Cowboys are looking within their own ranks to fill the hole left by last week’s injury to Johnathan Hankins.

The team has elevated Carl Davis to the game-day roster for Sunday’s showdown with the Buffalo Bills. The 31-year old veteran defensive tackle was signed to the practice squad in mid-November.

The 335-pounder, a former third-round draft pick, has been with seven teams over five years; he is now poised to make his Cowboys debut in Orchard Park.

Running back Malik Davis has also been called up from the Dallas practice squad, given Rico Dowdle’s seemingly ongoing ankle issue. The 2022 undrafted free agent out of Florida saw action in 12 games last season; he’s played just 15 special teams this season, all in Week 6’s win over the Chargers.

Davis will help provide depth behind starter Tony Pollard on a day when game-time conditions in Buffalo are expected to be wet.

Quarterbacks (3)
Running Backs (4)
Wideouts (6)
Tight Ends (4)
Offensive Tackles (3)
Offensive Guards (4)
Centers (2)

Defensive Ends (4)
Defensive Tackles (5)
Linebacker (4)
Cornerbacks (6)
Safeties (6)

Special Teams (3)

Cowboys have 19 pending free agents in 2024 as cap rumored around $242.5M

The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of their third-straight double-digit win campaign. It’s the first time since the 1994 through 1996 seasons they’ve been able to claim that feat. Being that this is the most consistent the franchise has been since their Super Bowl days, it stands to reason the front office will look to do what it can to keep the roster in tact.

Of course, if the club doesn’t advance past the divisional round, the perception changes in a heartbeat. But if Dallas does make it to the championship rounds, they’ll want to do as much as they can to run it back. That includes looking at their 19 pending free agents.

The owners Winter meetings are taking place in Dallas this week, and among the myriad of topics discussed annually at this time of the year is the salary cap for next year. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is reporting that no announcement will be made, but several tuned-in entities are predicting the 2024 number to come in between $240 million and $245 million.

That would be a jump of at least $15 million over the 2023 cap, but Dallas has concerns even with that total. Right now, Dallas is projected to be around $16 million over the median of those two numbers based on the salaries already on the roster.

There are restructure triggers galore in their current deals and extensions which could also reduce some of the larger cap hits like Dak Prescott’s $59.5 million or Zack Martin’s $28.5 million. And it will be needed to create space to bring in outside help or re-sign these names.

 Cowboys dodging major bullet vs Bills in Week 15

When the Cowboys first learned they were slated to play the Bills in Buffalo this season, it was immediately clear the final details of the match-up would matter significantly. Playing in one of the northernmost outdoor stadiums in the league, a Buffalo game in September would look wildly different than a Buffalo game in December.

https://www.toprevenuegate.com/gxtaeegi9i?key=c38d3eb9aeb2ab08ccb90ba4481ade7b Buffalo just happens to be the snowiest city in the NFL and a late season meet-up with America’s Team might be too good for NFL schedule makers to pass up. So it was really no surprise when the 2023 schedule was released the Cowboys had a date with destiny, taking on one of the AFC’s most elite teams, in their snowiest month of the year.

For the first time in eight years the Cowboys will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. And wouldn’t you know it, eight years ago the Cowboys played the Bills in December as well. The temperatures that day were just above freezing, with rain in the morning but mostly clear skies throughout the contest. Schedule makers didn’t get their dream of seeing the Cowboys in the snow that day and according to forecasts, they won’t get that wish in 2023 either.While the likelihood of precipitation is now high, the temperatures all but guarantee there will be no meeting with Jack Frost in Week 15. Weather can be a nasty equalizer in football and when you’re the better team, the weather is something you want to avoid. Teams like Dallas who thrive on fast surfaces and neutral weather conditions usually don’t respond well to sub-zero weather and everything that comes with it (i.e. sleet, snow, frozen ground). It appears the Cowboys dodged a major bullet this go-around.

With now a high chance of rain throughout the day, with forecasts calling for 90% in the area and around a quarter of an inch total, Dak Prescott and his guys will still have to contend with poor weather.  Temperatures in the mid-40s mean the field will remain unfrozen. More importantly, it keeps both sleet and snow off the table. It’s a big win for a Buffalo game scheduled in the middle of December, even if the ball will be slicker than normal.