Tag: Cowboys

Raiders clinch No. 1 pick as Giants knock off Cowboys

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jaxson Dart threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns as the New York Giants closed the season with a 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J.

Rookie kicker Ben Sauls added four field goals for New York (4-13), which could have earned the top overall choice in the next NFL draft with a loss and a Las Vegas win against Kansas City. Instead, the Raiders clinched the No. 1 pick before hitting the field for their season finale.

Dak Prescott played the first half for Dallas (7-9-1) and completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards to push his season total to 4,552 yards, tops in the NFL. Matthew Stafford can eclipse him with 105 yards in the Los Angeles Rams’ regular-season finale against Arizona.

Joe Milton III played the second half and hit 7 of 13 passes for 73 yards with an interception.

Dart, who hit on 22 of 32 passes, put the Giants ahead for good with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Bellinger with 20 seconds left in the first half. It capped a 96-yard drive and made it 16-10 at intermission.

Dart found Tyrone Tracy Jr. on a 13-yard strike at the 9:48 mark of the third quarter for a 24-10 advantage. After the score, Dallas defensive lineman Donovan Ezeiruaku was ejected for ripping the helmet off New York offensive lineman Greg Van Roten.

Phil Mafah pulled the Cowboys within 24-17 with a 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. But the Giants put the game away on Sauls’ 30-yard field goal with 9:23 remaining and Devin Singletary’s 6-yard scoring jaunt with 5:47 left.

Sauls initiated scoring with a 45-yard field goal at the 9:15 mark of the first quarter, four plays after Prescott fumbled when he slipped after taking the snap. Brandon Aubrey tied it at 3 with a 22-yarder with 5:21 left, followed by Sauls’ 35-yarder with 1:17 remaining.

Dallas took a 10-6 lead on Jaydon Blue’s 14-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds on the clock, but Sauls made a 23-yarder at the 9:45 mark to pull New York within a point.

–Field Level Media

Cowboys place RB Javonte Williams on IR

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Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams was placed on injured reserve Saturday, ending his career-best season.

Signed to a one-year, $3 million contract in March, Williams recorded personal bests in carries (252), rushing yards (1,201) and rushing touchdowns (11) in 16 games (all starts) this season.

Williams did not participate in practice this week for the Cowboys (7-8-1) after sustaining shoulder and neck injuries during the team’s 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day.

Williams, 25, has rushed for 3,595 yards and 22 touchdowns in 70 career games (45 starts) with the Denver Broncos and Cowboys. He was selected by the Broncos in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Also on Saturday, the Cowboys placed running back Malik Davis (calf, eye) and guard T.J. Bass (knee) on injured reserve and designated cornerback Josh Butler and running back Phil Mafah to return from IR.

They also signed linebacker Justin Barron from the practice squad and elevated offensive lineman Nick Leverett from the same place.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Packers claim former Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs

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The Green Bays bolstered an ailing defensive secondary on Wednesday by claiming cornerback Trevon Diggs off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys, according to multiple media reports.

The Cowboys released the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback on Tuesday. Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that Diggs was waived for multiple reasons, not just because he didn’t fly home with the team on Christmas after a win over the Washington Commanders. Diggs asked the coach if he could stay in his native Maryland to spend the holiday with family and was denied, then skipped the team flight.

The 27-year-old veteran would become a free agent if he went unclaimed, and any team claiming him would be on the hook for Diggs’ base salary of $472,000 for Week 18, plus $58,823 if he is active for this week’s game, per ESPN.

The playoff-bound Packers are short-handed after placing safety Zayne Anderson (ankle) and cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) on injured reserve on Wednesday. Safety Johnathan Baldwin was signed from the practice squad to the active roster, and cornerback Tyron Herring was signed to the practice squad. Kamal Hadden (ankle) was placed on IR on Tuesday, and wide receiver Bo Melton moved across the line for more depth at cornerback.

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that some starters won’t play on Sunday at Minnesota, which might mean resting starting cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine. The Packers (9-6-1) are seeded seventh in the NFC playoffs, and the Vikings (8-8) are out of the playoff race.

Diggs, a second-round pick by Dallas in the 2020 NFL Draft, signed a five-year, $97 million extension in July 2023 — with money guaranteed after this season. Since the signing, he has played in just 21 of a possible 50 games, dealing with multiple injuries.

He sustained a torn ACL in practice two games into the 2023 campaign and missed the rest of the season.

Diggs was activated from the physically unable to perform list in August after missing the final six games of the 2024 season with a left knee injury.

He then landed on injured reserve on Oct. 25, reportedly to address a right knee issue, although he also reportedly suffered a concussion in an “accident at his home” at some point after a Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones did not share details of the incident or explain how Diggs was injured.

Diggs returned to action for the Cowboys’ past two games, notching a combined seven tackles in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and a win over the Commanders.

Diggs has 25 tackles in eight games (six starts) this season for the Cowboys (7-8-1), whose season ends on the road Sunday against the New York Giants.

In 66 career games (63 starts), Diggs has 20 interceptions, 63 passes defensed and 240 tackles. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2021, when he led the league with 11 interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022.

–Field Level Media

Cowboys release veteran CB Trevon Diggs

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The Dallas Cowboys released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old veteran will be subject to the waiver process and if unclaimed, will become a free agent.

Diggs confirmed the news to NFL Network, telling a reporter that “he will miss his time in Dallas, he assures me he is healthy and motivated as he looks to join another team looking for another piece to add this postseason.”

Diggs, a second-round pick by Dallas in the 2020 NFL Draft, signed a five-year, $97 million extension in July 2023.

Any team claiming him would be on the hook for Diggs’ base salary of $472,000 for Week 18, plus $58,823 if he is active for this week’s game, per ESPN.

Since signing the extension ahead of the 2023 season, Diggs has played in just 21 of a possible 50 games, dealing with multiple injuries.

He sustained a torn ACL in practice two games into the 2023 campaign and missed the rest of the season.

He was activated from the physically unable to perform list in August after missing the final six games of the 2024 season with a left knee injury.

Diggs then landed on injured reserve on Oct. 25, reportedly to help strengthen a right knee problem, though he also reportedly suffered a concussion in an “accident at his home” at some point after a Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones did not share details of the incident or described how Diggs was injured.

He returned to action for the Cowboys’ past two games, notching a combined seven tackles in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and a win over the Washington Commanders.

Diggs has 25 tackles in eight games (six starts) this season for the Cowboys (7-8-1), whose season ends on the road on Sunday against the New York Giants.

In 66 career games (63 starts), Diggs has 20 interceptions, 63 passes defensed and 240 tackles. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2021, when he led the league with 11 interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022.

–Field Level Media

Dak Prescott helps Cowboys slide past Commanders

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Dak Prescott passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dallas Cowboys held off the Washington Commanders 30-23 on Thursday in Landover, Md.

Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes for Dallas (7-8-1), which snapped a three-game losing streak. Dallas rushed for 211 yards, including 103 by Malik Davis, and Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey made 3 of 4 field-goal attempts.

Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merrit rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries for Washington (4-12). Josh Johnson, 39, Washington’s third-string quarterback, completed 15 of 23 passes for 198 yards in his 10th NFL start.

Jake Moody’s 51-yard field goal to pull the Commanders within 30-23 with 2:09 left, but Dallas picked up two first downs and ran out the clock.

Washington trailed 24-10 at halftime but cut the deficit in half when Croskey-Merritt went through a big hole at right tackle and raced 72 yards for a touchdown with 9:34 left in the third quarter.

After a Dallas field goal, the Commanders drove to a first-and-goal at the six before settling for a field goal with 16 seconds left in the quarter.

Aubrey gave the Cowboys a 10-point cushion when he hit from 51 yards with 3:59 remaining in the game.

The Cowboys took the opening kickoff and went 78 yards in 13 plays. Javonte Williams ran for 4 yards on fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 44. Davis ran 21 yards to the Washington 31 and Prescott later found Jake Ferguson in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.

Washington wide receiver Deebo Samuel went 41 yards to the Dallas 6 with a screen pass, but Johnson was sacked on third-and-goal and Moody’s 29-yard field goal made it 7-3.

Dallas converted two fourth downs on its next possession before Williams capped a 17-play drive with a 4-yard run, and Dallas led 14-3 with 12:06 left in the second quarter.

After a Washington punt, Dallas started at its 3. On third-and-11 at the 14, Prescott hit KaVontae Turpin in stride at the Commanders 46 and he went all the way for an 86-yard touchdown to make it 21-3.

Samuel’s 29-yard run put the Commanders in Dallas territory and Croskey-Merritt’s 10-yard touchdown run pulled Washington within 21-10 before Aubrey added a 42-yard field goal for 24-10 halftime lead.

Williams left in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury, and Ferguson left in the third quarter with a calf injury.

–Field Level Media

Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. inactive vs. Cowboys

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Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. will not play in Thursday afternoon’s game against the Dallas Cowboys in Landover, Md.

His availability for the game became a talking point earlier Thursday morning after he was added to the injury report as questionable due to an illness.

Rodriguez, 25, has 96 carries for 435 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games this season for the Commanders (4-11), who have lost nine of their past 10 games.

In addition to Rodriguez, Washington listed the following players as inactive: quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, linebacker Nick Bellore, defensive tackle Daron Payne and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Sam Hartman was listed as the emergency third quarterback.

As for the Cowboys (6-8-1), they listed linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, cornerback Caelen Carson, running back Jaydon Blue, and defensive tackles Jay Toia and Perrion Winfrey as inactive.

–Field Level Media

Cowboys place LT Tyler Guyton (ankle) on injured reserve

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After they were eliminated from playoff contention with Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Dallas Cowboys now begin looking toward 2026.

That includes shutting down offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with an ankle injury.

Dallas’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Guyton started 10 of the team’s first 11 games at left tackle this season. However, he hasn’t played since Nov. 23 vs. Philadelphia, missing the last four games while nursing an ankle injury.

With nothing for which to play, he’ll miss the final two games of the season on IR.

As corresponding moves ahead of Thursday’s game at Washington, the Cowboys signed defensive back Corey Ballentine from the practice squad to the active roster and elevated linebacker Justin Barron from the practice squad for this game.

Ballentine has made two tackles in four games this season with the Cowboys (three games) and New England Patriots (one game). He’s appeared in 73 games (11 starts) over seven NFL seasons, recording 102 tackles, nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception.

Barron, an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, has not appeared in any games this season.

–Field Level Media

Veteran QB Josh Johnson to start for Commanders vs. Cowboys

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Journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson will start for the Washington Commanders in their Christmas Day home game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Washington coach Dan Quinn also confirmed Wednesday that Jeff Driskel, who signed with the team on Monday, will back up Johnson. The Commanders are signing practice squad QB Sam Hartman to the 53-man roster to serve as the emergency third quarterback.

The Commanders put starter Jayden Daniels on injured reserve on Dec. 15, deciding to shut him down for the season after a variety of injuries limited him to seven games this season.

Veteran Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup, suffered both hand and quad injuries during last Saturday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and will not play. Quinn said there is a chance Mariota could return in the Week 18 finale, also against the Eagles.

Johnson finished 5-of-9 passing for 43 yards and an interception in relief of Mariota last week. The 39-year-old, in his 10th NFL season dating back to his debut in 2009, has played in 48 games with a 1-8 record in nine career starts. That win came in 2018 with Washington.

The Commanders (4-11) and Cowboys (6-8-1) have both been eliminated from playoff contention.

–Field Level Media

Mediocre Cowboys, injury-ravaged Commanders aim for ‘some success’

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The Dallas Cowboys visit the Washington Commanders on Christmas Day wondering what might have been.

With a pair of winnable division road games remaining (Commanders and Giants), the 6-8-1 Cowboys could finish with a .500 record — but there’s no possible path to the playoffs thanks to their recent showings. Since upsetting the Chiefs in Week 13 to improve to 6-5-1, the Cowboys have dropped three straight to the Lions, Vikings and Chargers — the latter two at home.

“We’ve done some things that we’re proud of this year. Certainly not the success in the win-loss column, that’s very evident, we’re disappointed about that,” said first-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer. “But I’m fueled by the fact that we get to play an NFC East opponent this week and then next week, and we want to win to sustain some success. We have a chance to go potentially 5-1 in the division.”

Meanwhile, the Commanders (4-11) are probably wondering what else can go wrong.

After oft-injured starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) was ruled out for the season after appearing in just seven games, Marcus Mariota led the team to a win against the Giants on Dec. 14 that snapped an eight-game losing streak. Washington then built a 10-7 halftime lead versus the visiting Eagles last Saturday. Mariota left in the third quarter with quad and hand injuries while Philadelphia rolled to a 29-18 victory that clinched the NFC East title.

Backup Josh Johnson finished 5 of 9 for 43 yards and an interception. The 39-year-old Johnson, in his 10th NFL season dating back to his debut in 2009, has played in 48 games with a 1-8 record in nine career starts. That win came in 2018 with Washington.

Mariota did not practice Monday or Tuesday as Johnson got the majority of reps, though the team did not name a starter.

“When you’re coaching (Johnson) and you’re talking through different concepts, he has thoughts on it,” said Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. “He’s been in it before. It may have been called eight different names and different systems he’s played in, but he’s probably repped it in a game at a time or two.”

Jeff Driskel, signed off Arizona’s practice squad on Monday, knows the system and also could step in. The 32-year-old served as Washington’s third-string quarterback last season.

Whoever starts likely will find themselves in a track meet against Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense, which ranks second in the NFL with 393.1 yards per game.

Prescott already has passed for 4,175 yards and leads the NFL in attempts (552) and completions (378). Receiver George Pickens has 88 catches for 1,342 yards and nine touchdowns. Prescott and Pickens are among the five Cowboys named to the Pro Bowl.

Despite the playoffs being out of reach, Prescott has no desire to sit out the final two games.

“I wanna show that every chance I can get out there, I’m trying to play, and to my standard, expectations and, not only that — as we’re just talking about how important it is to stop this losing streak and finish this season off with two wins,” he said.

Prescott threw three touchdown passes in the Cowboys’ 44-22 win against the visiting Commanders on Oct. 19, a game Daniels left with a hamstring injury.

Washington’s defense has not improved since. They rank 31st as they allow 382.7 yards per game. Dallas sits just one notch ahead with 380.1 yards surrendered per game. The Cowboys are allowing 30.3 points per game compared to 26.9 for the Commanders.

In addition to Mariota, Washington linebacker Nick Bellore (concussion), defensive tackle Daron Payne (back) and tackle Laremy Tunsil (oblique) were held out of practice Tuesday. Veteran defensive lineman Eddie Goldman (concussion) and rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane (ankle) were placed on injured reserve.

For Dallas, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy (knee), starting left tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) and starting linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) did not practice Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Chargers blank Cowboys in second half to notch 11th win

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Justin Herbert passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns and added a scoring run as the Los Angeles Chargers delivered a 34-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon at Arlington, Texas.

Quentin Johnston had four catches for 104 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers (11-4), who won for the seventh time in the past eight games. Ladd McConkey had a scoring reception, Omarion Hampton rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and Herbert completed 23 of 29 passes.

Los Angeles can clinch an AFC playoff spot if it receives help from the Las Vegas Raiders (against the Houston Texans) on Sunday night or the San Francisco 49ers (vs. the Indianapolis Colts) on Monday night.

Dak Prescott completed 21 of 30 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (6-8-1), who were eliminated from the playoff chase Saturday when the Philadelphia Eagles knocked off the Washington Commanders.

George Pickens had seven receptions for 130 yards and one touchdown and Ryan Flournoy had a scoring catch for Dallas.

CeeDee Lamb had six catches for 51 yards to raise his season yardage total to 1,027. He joins legendary Michael Irvin (1991-95) as the only Cowboys with five consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Cameron Dicker kicked second-half field goals of 37 and 27 yards to give the Chargers a 27-17 lead. Hampton tacked on a 5-yard scoring run with 4:48 left.

Down 17, the Cowboys removed Prescott and Joe Milton finished up. Milton completed his two passes but lost a fumble while scrambling when hit by Derwin James Jr., and Tuli Tuipulotu recovered as the Chargers blanked Dallas in the second half.

Prescott hit Flournoy on a 5-yard scoring pass to cap the opening possession of the game. The Chargers answered back when Herbert threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Johnston with 6:43 left in the first quarter.

Dallas moved ahead 10-7 on Brandon Aubrey’s 33-yard field goal 56 seconds into the second quarter. Los Angeles moved back ahead four-plus minutes later when Herbert connected with McConkey on a 25-yard touchdown pass.

Four offensive plays later, the Cowboys took a 17-14 lead as Prescott hit Pickens on a 38-yard scoring play.

Herbert scored from the 1 to cap a 16-play, 81-yard drive to give Los Angeles a 21-17 lead with 19 seconds left in the first half.

–Field Level Media