As they head into Week 12, the Dallas Cowboys are dealing with Dak Prescott’s minor injury. And former Cowboys standout Dez Bryant made an embarrassingly begging pitch for George Pickens to take less money to stay in Dallas in 2026. Looking ahead, here are the Cowboys’ bold predictions for their Week 12 clash against the Eagles.
The Cowboys (4-5-1) are the sudden darlings of some NFL “experts,” who believe they will dash into the playoffs as a Super Bowl contender. Meanwhile, the Eagles are 8-2, defending champs, and some NFL “experts” seem to think there’s something wrong with them. Go figure.
However, let’s take a look at what could happen in Sunday’s NFC East showdown.
Cowboys will hold Jalen Hurts to under 25 yards rushing
The Cowboys are equipped to handle Hurts with their new defensive look, led by Quinnen Williams. Head coach Brian Schottneheimer acknowledged the importance of keeping Hurts in check, according to CBS Sports.
“I think Jalen is an incredible player,” Schottenheimer said. “He can beat you throwing and can beat you running. We have to do a great job of keeping him in the pocket. We learned that in the last game that he can extend plays.”
Williams said he knows Hurts and will try to do what he can to stop him.
“I've played with him at Bama, probably one of the strongest quarterbacks in the NFL,” Williams said. “The main thing is just rushing the passer man. Being efficient, rushing with togetherness and chemistry, especially in the defensive line room. Just being effective.”
And if the Cowboys hold down Hurts, along with the way they played against the receivers in the first meeting, they’re in business.
“I think you could put their two receivers up there with DeVonta [Smith] and A.J. [Brown] against anybody in the league,” Schottenheimer said. “They're very, very talented. At any moment, they could strike. They're explosive. Again, I think everybody finds their flow at different times. This is a tough, tough league. At the end of the day, I'm not looking at the film and saying these guys are struggling. I'm looking at this film and saying these guys are dangerous.”
Cowboys will keep it close into the latter stages of the game
There is no blowout in store here. The Cowboys will score enough points to have a chance at the finish. They are taking this game as a chance to win, not so much an underdog role, according to ESPN.
“We'll find out a lot about ourselves,” Schottenheimer said. “But I'm the guy that wants to play the good teams. I want to play the good teams and find out where we truly are. And I do think it's fair, the question is fair. We'll know a little bit more in the next whatever it is — 12 days, 11 days — where we stack up in the league. I think we'll answer that question in a very positive way.”
Furthermore, the Cowboys haven’t counted themselves out of the playoff picture, no matter what the silly ESPN people like Stephen A. Smith are saying. Quarterback Dak Prescott said the team still believes and will keep fighting for the memory of Marshawn Kneeland.
“I'll probably keep saying that, ‘Why not?' “ Prescott said. “And it's more about we're in control, right? We're in control, and life's going to throw things at us, and it threw us a hell of a curveball this past week. And how are we going to respond? That's what I was telling the team. To have a testimony we've got to go through a test. And this is a big test to our brotherhood and who we are, and to this organization, to us individually.
“Let's have pride and let's honor our brother. And if we can continue to do that, move forward carrying that light and play the way that we did tonight, why not?”
CeeDee Lamb had a big drop in the first game, or the Cowboys might have won. How big a difference would it have made? Dallas would be 5-4-1 and the Eagles would be 7-3. Therefore, the Cowboys could have basically tied the Eagles with a win, and would have beaten them twice.
QB Dak Prescott will throw for less than 250 yards, but two TDs
As good as the Eagles' defense looked last week, this is a different animal. The Cowboys’ offense is mighty. The Eagles should slow them down and keep them below their 30-plus points standard. But Dak is still going to be the ball in the end zone a couple of times.
Furthermore, some believe this game will be the start of a big finish by Prescott, according to ESPN via Sports Illustrated.
“The next three games, this stretch, is a legacy-defining three weeks for one Dak Prescott,” Peter Schrager said. “And I believe there's a very good chance that the Cowboys run the table in these three weeks.
“Eagles. Chiefs. Lions. Eagles game, national audience. Chiefs game, Thanksgiving. Lions, national audience. This Cowboys team, with the additions of Quinnen [Wiliams] and Logan Wilson, and what they got back with [DeMarvion] Overshown.”
