The Dallas Cowboys‘ desperate playoff push will continue another week.
Dallas beat the reigning champion Kansas Chiefs 31-28 on Thanksgiving, extending its winning streak to three games. The No. 7 seed in the NFC is the 8-4 49ers, so the Cowboys are still 1 ½ games out of playoff position.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are now 6-6 and also enter the weekend 1 1/2 games behind the No. 7 seed in the AFC. They’re also 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Dak Prescott is playing at an elite level
Prescott threw an interception on the Cowboys’ opening drive and then was off to the races.
Prescott is playing some of his best football during Dallas’ three-game winning streak. He started it with four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Raiders two weeks ago, and he’s had two touchdowns and an interception in wins over the Eagles and Chiefs. In all three of those games, Prescott has averaged more than 8.0 yards per attempt.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb finished with seven receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown, while fellow receiver George Pickens was solid with five catches for 75 yards.
When Prescott is playing like this, the Cowboys’ offense will be tough to stop. No team will be excited to play a team like this down the stretch, one that can put up points with the best of them and knows it has little margin for error if it wants to make the playoffs.
2. The Chiefs’ defense didn’t hold up its end of the bargain
The Chiefs entered this game having split their last two games, allowing 22 and 20 points in a loss to the Broncos and a win over the Colts, respectively.
On Thanksgiving, they were exposed a bit more.
Prescott finished 27-of-39 for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He threw an interception on the Cowboys’ first drive of the game, which led to Rashee Rice’s first touchdown.
On the ground, the Cowboys averaged 5.3 yards per carry, totaling 137 rushing yards.
It was an uncharacteristic performance by the K.C. defense, although it might have just been a case of running into the wrong team at the wrong time. Dallas was desperate, and Prescott has played well of late with two elite receivers at his disposal.
3. KaVontae Turpin made the game’s biggest play
Lamb had a huge 51-yard reception to open a key drive in the fourth quarter that led to a field goal. Dallas was pinned back at its own 10-yard line, so that play got them in Chiefs territory – which means they were already in Aubrey’s range – with a seven-point lead.
With 6:11 left, Dallas was facing third-and-8 at the Chiefs’ 12-yard line. Prescott completed a pass to Pickens near the left sideline that left him short of the first down.
Pickens made a move toward the first down but was stripped of the ball by cornerback Trent McDuffie. Out of nowhere came wide receiver Turpin, who recovered the fumble to ensure the Cowboys could get at least three points out of the drive.
It was a massive play since that field goal made it a two-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Facing Mahomes down seven points would have been a very different proposition for the Cowboys’ defense.
4. The Cowboys need to keep Pickens, but it won’t be easy
Pickens continues to thrive this season, and he had another highlight-reel play early in the fourth quarter with a 39-yard reception that saw him leap over a defender. He is already over 1,000 receiving yards for the season.
The Cowboys are already $47 million over the salary cap for next season, so they’re going to have to work some salary-cap magic just to get in the green. Keeping Pickens, a pending free agent, might be difficult.
For now, Cowboys fans should enjoy the NFL’s best 1-2 punch at wide receiver.
4 ½. What’s next?
The path for the Chiefs doesn’t get any easier next week. They will host one of the NFL’s premier defenses in Week 14 when the Houston Texans come to town. It’s possible this will end up being a key matchup in the AFC playoff race since Houston enters the week 6-5 ahead of its trip to Indianapolis.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, will play next Thursday night in Detroit. A win over the Lions would put Dallas above them in the NFC standings, which makes this one a big game for both teams’ playoff chances. Detroit’s loss to the Packers to open the Thanksgiving tripleheader kept it out of an NFC playoff spot.
