Dallas did not do a good job in either area when they lost to the Chargers, but with a few extra days to find this motivation for their first Christmas Day game since 2010, the Cowboys did something they hadn't done since their last Super Bowl-winning season and earned a season-sweep of the Commanders in the process. The Cowboys won 30-23 at the Commanders on Christmas, their first regular season Christmas Day win since the season finale in 1995 against the Cardinals.
Santa Claus is coming to town and before we know it we will be ushering in a new year. And for teams like the Dallas Cowboys who have already been eliminated from the playoffs, the off-season preparation is starting earlier than many of us would like. Then again, maybe the timing isn't that bad after all. With the Cowboys early elimination from the postseason already confirmed, we still have time to get in our wish list for the organization to Santa. A little Christmas magic could be exactly what the Cowboys need after yet another disappointing season, which is why we decided to put our wish list out there for you to enjoy.
Tyler Guyton's second NFL season has come to an end. He has been placed on injured reserve, the Cowboys announced on Wednesday. Guyton last played in Week 12 and has been dealing with an ankle injury since. Having been eliminated from the playoffs, the Cowboys have only two games remaining in their season. IR stints at least four weeks, so today's move ensures Guyton will now turn his attention to 2026.
In case you were unaware the in-season version of Hard Knocks has been covering the NFC East (yes the entire division) for the last few weeks which means that the Cowboys have gotten some air time on HBO and HBO Max. It has been interesting to see some behind-the-scenes footage over the past few games, but obviously it would have been more fun had the team kept on winning.
Shemar James was the second rookie the Cowboys selected in the fifth round back in April. He's outplaying Kenneth Murray, who has started all but one of the Cowboys' 15 games this year. One could even argue that James looks a little better than Logan Wilson as well. In Sunday's loss to the Chargers, James had the most defensive snaps (50) out of all the linebackers. He was fifth out of all the defensive players in defensive snaps.
So, normally not winning your division would set you up for a decent path the following year, but, of course, in the Cowboys' case for next season, the NFC is loaded this year, and the second place teams are better than them. Just looking on the surface, the Cowboys will play the teams that finish second in their division, and after this weekend it looks as if they will play teams such as the Packers, Ravens, and Buccaneers.
We've got a team that I think has got a top future, as far as next year's concerned. Starting with the offense, starting with that as we stand here tonight. And I think we've got the bones of a heck of a defense out there as well. And so, I think that as we do things that are directed toward making us better, period, no matter who we do it with, as we do those things, we're starting [from a] real good spot.
For Philadelphia, they've also struggled in recent weeks; if not for the Dallas Cowboys' failure to win, this division could have actually been a close race. Instead, they are a win away from both clinching their ticket to the postseason and from becoming the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles in two decades. As seven-point favorites, they are pretty clearly poised to do just tha
Over the season's final three weeks, it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys approach their rookies. Dallas seems set with Booker, and second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku, as both players have been steady contributors. Third round pick Shavon Revel remains an enigma. The Cowboys say they like what they've seen from him so far. However, Revel has been getting burned in coverage far too often.
As a unit, the defensive line is at 39% in Pass Rush Win Rate (12th) and 32% Run Stop Win Rate (6th), so the plan is to push the middle of the pocket and make every Justin Herbert dropback feel crowded. Individually, the star power inside has been Quinnen Williams, who is number one in Run Stop Win Rate (46%) among inside defensive linemen, while Osa Odighizuwa is also top-10 (39%).
There are some definite positives from the 2025 season for the Cowboys. Brian Schottenheimer proved he is a capable head coach, navigating some really rough waters to a point where he still seems to be in command of his club, and still has the respect of the roster. His side of the ball, the offense, has been one of the better units in the league in 2025 and will return most of the key players, pending a resolution of George Pickens' situation.
