The bye week is for getting healthy, and the Cowboys have plenty of guys trying to do just that for the back half of the season; Mike McCarthy offered clues as to who will be ready when. Also, the latest on Damontae Kazee’s arrest, La’el Collins’s return to the 53-man roster, and why Micah Parsons was downright gloomy after the team’s thrilling walk-off win over New England. And is it already time to talk about a contract extension for Dak Prescott?
Elsewhere, the Cowboys and Patriots put up monster numbers in the ratings, Dallas is sitting pretty in two sets of power rankings, and we’re still handing out gold stars to the guys in blue stars after Sunday’s game. All that, plus a brand new Sounds from the Sideline, Prescott brings his mental health message to the field, and how the Cowboys might be scoring their fans free furniture. That’s all up in this edition of News and Notes.
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The bye week is traditionally a point to get players healthy. McCarthy expressed hope that wide receiver Michael Gallup will return to individual drills after the team’s week off. Rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph and tight end Sean McKeon will also likely be ready to go soon, along with defensive linemen Trysten Hill and Dorance Armstrong. Defensive lineman Neville Gallimore should be next to return, while edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence looks to still be “a number of weeks away.”
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The safety was pulled over early Tuesday morning in a Dallas suburb; he told the officer he had been drinking. Having just been asked about the players’ bye week, head coach Mike McCarthy said only hours before, on Monday, “Be safe, be smart? Yeah, we talked about it last week when I told them what the schedule was going to be. Talked about the things- distractions- and what we don’t want… I have a lot of confidence and a lot of trust in those guys.”
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His team got the win, but the rookie linebacker had plenty to grumble about. “I’m definitely upset with myself,” Parsons said. “I want to play better. I want to make better plays and more impactful plays throughout the game. It just comes with the game. Some days you’re going to be on, and some days you’re not. Not going to say I had a bad game, but there are some things I want to fix that I know I can do better at, and I got to do it.”
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The Cowboys waived their undrafted free agent rookie fullback just three days after signing him to the active roster. The open spot Ralston leaves will presumably go to Collins, just off his five-game suspension. Ralston may end up back with the practice squad if he clears waivers.
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The “big-play” Cowboys remain locked in at No. 4 in this week’s power rankings from The Network. The three teams that had been ahead of them- Arizona, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay- all stayed there, but the Cardinals swapped places with the Bills to become the new top dog heading into Week 7. That Week 17 matchup between Dallas and Arizona is shaping up to be a monster.
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The Worldwide Leader’s list places the Cowboys at No. 5, up one spot from last week. In summarizing his confidence rating of how he feels about the club moving forward, Todd Archer gives them a 9.1 out of 10. That score is up from just 7.5 in Week 1. “If [Dak] is healthy,” he writes, “which opponent wouldn’t the Cowboys be favored to beat in their final 11 games? Maybe at Kansas City? Arizona? This team can put itself in a favorable playoff position and run away with the division.”
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With over two decades of NFL front office experience and the 2000 NFL Executive of the Year award on his mantel, Randy Mueller sees the game from a high level. And the former Saints and Dolphins GM says he’s already seen enough from Dak Prescott to break out his checkbook… again. He’s “throwing with accuracy and making decisions that are putting him on a pedestal, right now higher than Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Herbert, the three guys who everyone say are the future of the league,” Mueller writes. “What worries me (if I’m Jerry Jones) is that I only have him under contract for four more years.”
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Prescott overcame his own early miscues and placed the team squarely on his shoulders as the game wore on. He was at his best in the overtime frame, going five-for-five (his third perfect series of the afternoon) and firing the walk-off winner to CeeDee Lamb. Prescott, amazingly, has never thrown an incomplete pass in extra play, with the highest overtime passer rating in history.
Dak Prescott has been writing “Ask 4 Help” on his wrist tape as a reminder to those living with mental illness that their lives matter and they are not alone ❤️
Prescott has been open about his own experiences with anxiety and depression in the past.
(📸: @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/nDdf9j0Dgz
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 19, 2021
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The Cowboys have pounded 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) all season long, and they did it again in dominating fashion in New England. It forces defenses to go big up front against the run- which Dallas is doing exceptionally well- and as soon as the D overcommits, Prescott goes play-action… which they also do with deadly success. “In other words,” Bob Sturm writes, “Dallas makes you declare your choice of how you want to lose.”
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Randy Gregory recorded the league’s fifth-fastest sack of the 2021 season on Sunday and earned Pro Football Focus’s highest rating among defenders. Deservedly after hooking up for two touchdown strikes including the sudden-death dagger, Prescott and Lamb were named Cowboys Wire’s other two Stars of the Game.
How many people tuned in for the thrilling Cowboys OT win at Patriots?
23.2 million viewers, per CBS, with a peak at 29.7 million toward exciting end.
This was the most-watched @NFLonCBS national game since October 2015. pic.twitter.com/HnfRL4X48t
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 19, 2021
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Everybody wants on the Cowboys bandwagon when they’re cruising. The furniture retailer is offering a full rebate to customers on any items purchased this Thursday through Sunday if the Cowboys go on to make it to the Super Bowl LVI in February. Purchases must be made in-store at select locations.
