Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys surely weren't happy with blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to the Green Bay Packers last week, and they took out their anger on the Minnesota Vikings.

Dallas steamrolled the Vikings in a potential playoff preview with a 40-3 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. Dallas looked every bit the part of a Super Bowl contender and improved to 7-3 with a statement performance.

It was dominant in every phase of the game with Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott each scoring two touchdowns, Micah Parsons tallying two of his team's seven sacks, and Dak Prescott directing it all from the pocket.

The result was nothing but praise on social media, especially for the backfield:

It was clear from the start who was going to win this game. The Cowboys scored on all five of their possessions during a first half that included a strip-sack from Parsons, Elliott scoring at the goal line in his return after missing two games with a knee injury and even a 60-yard field goal from Brett Maher.

Halftime did nothing to cool off the visitors.

Prescott dropped a perfect pass into Pollard's hands on the first possession of the second half, and the running back who also sprinted past Minnesota's defense on a screen-pass touchdown earlier in the game did the rest for a 68-yard score.

Each running back proved his value, as Pollard is more explosive in the open field and Elliott was the reliable option near the goal line and in short-yardage situations. It made life easier for the entire offense, and Kirk Cousins never had a chance with Parsons and Co. knowing the Vikings had to be one-dimensional on the other side.

The Cowboys will look to replicate the formula when they host the New York Giants in a monster NFC East clash on Thanksgiving.

Odell Beckham Jr. reportedly intends to visit with both the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants before deciding which team to sign with, and Jerry Jones revealed Sunday when he intends to meet with the veteran wide receiver.

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones said Beckham will visit with the Cowboys after their matchup with the Giants on Nov. 24.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that Beckham intended to meet with both teams after Thanksgiving. Those are the only known scheduled visits for the veteran, they added.

The Cowboys have been heavily recruiting Beckham and have been vocal in their interest in the former Los Angeles Rams receiver. Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb recently endorsed the idea of the team signing Beckham.

Dallas desperately needs another receiver alongside Lamb, who entered Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings leading the team with 53 catches for 706 yards and five touchdowns.

The next closest receiver is Noah Brown, who has caught 26 passes for 342 yards and one score.

The Giants are in a similar situation after failing to acquire a wide receiver at the trade deadline. Entering Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions, Darius Slayton led the team with 19 catches for 327 yards and two scores.

No other wide receiver had cracked 200 yards receiving. Richie James had caught 20 passes for 191 yards, and Sterling Shepard had caught 13 passes for 154 yards and one score.

The Giants selected Beckham 12th overall in the 2014 NFL draft, and he spent five seasons with the franchise. If he decides to rejoin his former team, that could give the Giants an edge over the Cowboys, their NFC East rival, moving forward.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this month:

"Beckham wants to play for a contender, and league sources are predicting that his eventual compensation package could be similar on a prorated basis to some of the free agent deals signed last offseason by fellow wide receivers such as Chris Godwin and Mike Williams, each of whom makes an average of $20 million per year."

Both Godwin and Williams signed three-year, $60 million deals with their respective teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers. It's unclear if the Cowboys or Giants would be willing to commit to Beckham on those terms.

That said, there's no denying his impact.

When fully healthy, Beckham has the capability to be a difference-maker and key down-field threat. In 14 games split between the Browns and Rams last season, he caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five scores. In addition, he had 21 catches for 288 yards and two scores in four playoff games.

When he was fully healthy as a member of the Cleveland Browns in 2019, he caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy isn't interested in blaming the officials for his team's Week 10 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.

"We can't control the officials and never have tried to," he said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan's Shan and RJ. "We go through every penalty and really use it as a learning experience … We've never lost a game because of officiating."

However, he did point out it is "normal" to make comments out of frustration when it comes to the officials, especially in the immediate aftermath of a game when emotions are high.

The 31-28 defeat, which came in overtime, was a rather shocking one from the Cowboys' perspective.

After all, they seemed to be in full control with a 28-14 lead in the fourth quarter just for Aaron Rodgers to throw two touchdown passes to Christian Watson to force the extra time. Dallas then turned it over on downs in overtime, and Green Bay won it with a field goal.

The Packers are just 4-7 on the season following Thursday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, so it may end up being an ugly defeat for 6-3 Dallas if it is unable to make up ground on the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles or 7-2 New York Giants in the NFC East.

That overtime could have unfolded much differently, though, if it wasn't for the officials, as Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram pointed out.

Malik Davis' 16-yard run to the Packers' 26-yard line was called back for a questionable holding, and Green Bay cornerback Jaire Alexander seemed to commit obvious pass interference or defensive holding on Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb just two plays later.

There was no flag, and the visitors turned it over on downs on the next play.

"Very, very, very frustrating," McCarthy told reporters in his postgame press conference. "But you've got to overcome those things."

Dallas did not, and the result is a difficult loss ahead of a daunting contest against the 8-1 Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence told reporters he plans to play in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings but is dealing with injuries to his right knee and both feet.

"It's all about trying to maintain what I have but also taking care of me throughout the week so I can be fresh (on Sunday)," he said while also revealing he believes there could be a fracture where he underwent foot surgery.

Lawrence missed time when he suffered a broken foot last season on his way to playing just seven games. It was a setback after he appeared in all 16 contests in each of the previous four years.

When healthy, the Boise State product is one of the better pass-rushers on the Cowboys. He was a Pro Bowler in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018 when he combined for 25 sacks.

While his production has dropped off since that stretch, he still tallied 58 tackles, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two passes defended and one fumble recovery in his last full season in 2020 and has five sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown in 2022.

If Lawrence is sidelined, look for the combination of Dorance Armstrong, Sam Williams and Chauncey Golston to see more time.

The Dallas Cowboys fell to 6-3 on the season following a 31-28 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Dallas couldn't seal the deal after carrying a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

The fact the Cowboys got dragged into overtime in the first place was enough to leave fans frustrated. Head coach Mike McCarthy didn't help his cause by turning down the opportunity to kick a go-ahead field goal in the extra frame.

The Cowboys went for it on 4th-and-3 at Green Bay's 35-yard line, and Dak Prescott's pass to Tony Pollard fell incomplete. That allowed Mason Crosby to win the game with a 28-yard field goal after the Packers got the ball and drove it down the field.

Many thought McCarthy was unnecessarily aggressive and cost his team the game.

CeeDee Lamb at least gave Dallas something to take away from this loss. He may have been reading all of those rumors linking the Cowboys with free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Lamb hasn't taken the step up many were expecting after the team traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. On Sunday, though, he eclipsed 100 receiving yards—11 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns—for the first time this season, and he may have turned the corner.

The Cowboys stay in the NFC North in Week 11 with the 8-1 Minnesota Vikings on tap. It's a game that could generate extreme reactions.

Beating Minnesota would be the perfect palate cleanser for the Cowboys, and it would allow McCarthy to assert all is well. A defeat, on the other hand, would send the fanbase into a state of panic as all of the excitement created by the team's 6-2 start would go out the window.

The Dallas Cowboys have already made their interest in free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. clear, and that trend continued Friday.

Executive vice president and COO Stephen Jones discussed the team's interest in Beckham with SiriusXM Radio (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk):

"But, certainly, we’re always open to making our team better. To have a guy like Odell Beckham if he’s recovered from his knee, which it sounds like he has, is a great way to make your team better. So it’s natural that we would have interest in that. And certainly, like any free agent, he can go anywhere he wants in terms of all 32. But we want to make our compelling case. And certainly at the end of the day it’s about business as well. So we’ll just roll up our sleeves and see if there’s an opportunity for us to put a star on Odell’s helmet."

Multiple Cowboys players have expressed their desire to be teammates with Beckham, including linebacker Micah Parsons, running back Ezekiel Elliott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott.

Team owner Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday (h/t ESPN's Todd Archer) that OBJ "is someone we have all the appreciation in the world for what he is as a competitor and know that the Cowboys star on the helmet when he puts it on could look pretty good."

Head coach Mike McCarthy raved about Beckham as well.

Dallas is a good landing spot for Beckham, who would help form a deep wide receiver quartet with Lamb, Michael Gallup and Noah Brown.

The Cowboys are also Super Bowl contenders after getting off to a hot start at 6-2, matching the NFL's third-best record thus far.

The problem is that Beckham has plenty of suitors and potential teammates vying for his services, including Von Miller with the Buffalo Bills and Saquon Barkley with the New York Giants. The Kansas City Chiefs also appear to be in the mix.

Beckham has been working his way back from a torn ACL suffered in last year's Super Bowl when he played for the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported Sunday that Beckham would be cleared this week.

The 30-year-old Beckham is a three-time Pro Bowler with five 1,000-yard seasons under his belt.

Fantasy managers hunting for help at running back before the Nov. 30 trade deadline could do well to look at the Dallas Cowboys' situation with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.

The Cowboys have done a good job of finding a balance between their top two running backs since the start of last season. Elliott remained the No. 1 option in 2021 and played well with 1,289 yards from scrimmage (1,002 rushing yards) and 12 touchdowns on 284 touches.

Pollard has been the more productive player on a per-touch basis. He cracked 1,000 yards from scrimmage (1,056) on just 169 touches. He only found the end zone twice, but that's likely because Dallas kept feeding Elliott in the red zone.

Elliott entered this season at a crossroads, both in real and fantasy football. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks the offense should work around the three-time Pro Bowler, but Pollard's upside makes him a valuable asset.

Through seven games in 2022, Elliott has been fine with 475 yards from scrimmage on 115 touches.

Pollard showcased his skills as an every-down back in Week 8 when Elliott was out with an injury. The 25-year-old had 147 yards from scrimmage and three rushing touchdowns on 15 touches in a 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears.

In eight games, Pollard leads the Cowboys with 627 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 93 touches.

ESPN's Mina Kimes noted after the Bears game that Pollard ranks second among running backs with 5.47 yards per carry on runs between the tackles since the start of 2021. Elliott ranks 38th in the same category.

Despite how well Pollard played against Chicago, Jones reiterated after the game that Elliott will remain the No. 1 running back in Dallas.

Pollard is the more valuable fantasy back, though, which makes his trade value for interested suitors difficult to gauge. He ranks 21st in point-per-reception scoring on a per-game basis among running backs, per ESPN.

Elliott ranks 27th despite having 22 more touches. He's been such a non-factor in the passing game that his value is dependent on rushing yards and touchdowns.

Even when Pollard isn't scoring, he's more likely to get targets in the passing game. Elliott will continue to get touches like he's an RB1, but Pollard is the more valuable fantasy player for the rest of the season among Cowboys running backs.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is happy the team's players are pushing free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to join the organization.

Jones told a story Friday on 105.3 The Fan about the Cowboys' free-agent pursuit of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders in 1995:

Several Dallas players have talked about the potential of adding Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who's nearing the end of his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in February's Super Bowl, for the stretch run of the regular season.

• QB Dak Prescott said: "Anytime you have a chance to add a talent like that and knowing Odell and knowing his resume, it's exciting. But also understand it's a business, and I’m sure there's 31 other teams that would like to add him as well."
• RB Ezekiel Elliott said: "We want him. We want OBJ."
• WR CeeDee Lamb said: "That's my boy. I'm a fan of Odell. Why wouldn't you want to add more firepower to the offense?"
• LB Micah Parsons said: "S--t we can use him. I think he's a great player. He'll expand this offense. He's a guy you want on the team beside all the other critics stuff that people make up and s--t about him. He can add real value to the team and help us do what we want to do."

Jones didn't rule out the potential of signing Beckham during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.

"Odell is someone that we have all the appreciation in the world for what he is as a competitor," Jones said. "I know the Cowboys star on that helmet, when he puts it on, could look pretty good."

Dallas' passing game could use a boost with Michael Gallup making a limited impact following his return from a torn ACL and James Washington yet to play this season because of a foot injury.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Sunday that Beckham would be medically cleared this week and is likely to sign with a Super Bowl contender.

The Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are the teams most frequently linked to the 30-year-old LSU product. A possible return to the New York Giants, where he played from 2014 through 2018, has also been mentioned.

Even if he signs in the coming days, it'll likely take a couple weeks of conditioning before OBJ is ready to make his season debut. The hope would be gradually getting him involved so he's back up to full speed in time for the playoffs.

As the free-agent pursuit continues, Dallas (6-2) will look to continue its winning ways Sunday when it travels to Lambeau Field to face off with the Green Bay Packers (3-6).