Links to stories, pods and pictures to help you keep up with NFC East and the NFL in general
NFC East links
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys injury report: Micah Parsons (illness) listed as questionable vs Buccaneers
The Cowboys injury report for Friday
The Dallas Cowboys play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the Sunday before Christmas. For both teams this week, the injury report has been as long as a list for Santa. After Friday, both teams appear to be better, but some questions linger. In the final injury report, here’s what we can expect regarding who might play this Sunday.
Micah Parsons was added to the report with an illness and did not practice Friday. He is questionable. T.J. Bass (thigh) was downgraded to a DNP today, leaving his status for Sunday ambiguous. He has been ruled as questionable. Linebackers Eric Kendricks (NIR-Rest, calf) and Nick Vigil (foot) did practice but in limited fashion. they are still listed as questionable. Jalen Brooks has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Blogging the Boys
Cowboys “best still ahead” may not be good enough on Sunday night vs Bucs
Sure, the offense next season can expect a lift from having Prescott back as their starting quarterback, but it will virtually be a reset on his first season as the highest paid in the NFL. Either under Jason Garrett previously, and currently under McCarthy, there isn’t much of anything to point to over Prescott’s career so far that says he can elevate a team himself at the level Dallas is preparing for. McCarthy’s offense does not consistently create easy throws or find ways for a receiver not named CeeDee Lamb to get involved. His decision to go to Rico Dowdle as the top option at running back came after an egregious amount of wasted time handing the ball to Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn, or Dalvin Cook in a failed committee approach. Jake Ferguson has returned to the lineup at tight end, and while backups Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford were able to make plays over the middle of the field in his absence, establishing the same for Ferguson has been a challenge despite his abilities. In multiple games this season, the Cowboys best “have to have it” call in a big spot besides a throw to Lamb was a route to kick/punt returner KaVontae Turpin.
Nothing the Cowboys have done on offense all season, or can do over the next three weeks, can make all of these concerns going into the offseason disappear. Both Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks having a receiving touchdown against the Panthers was encouraging, but it was still the first time since week 12 the Cowboys had a TD pass to a player other than Lamb or Brandin Cooks. For a team that has all but admitted the best supporting casts around Prescott are behind him, they must realize they do not have a play-caller in place that maximizes what they do have at the skill positions. Not all aspects of the game are weighted equally when it comes to how to win in today’s game, and constantly striving for the best possible efficiency in the passing game matters more than most. So much so, that the Cowboys struggles here are significant enough to dampen the positives that have come from just about every other unit on the team this second half of the season.
The Buccaneers are in great position to prove this to the Cowboys in their last primetime opportunity of the year at home. They have won four straight with Baker Mayfield playing some of the best football of his career, most recently putting up 40 points with a four-touchdown performance against the Chargers. The previous high in points allowed by the Chargers was 30 to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens much earlier this season, but Baker and the Bucs smashed this by completing 81.5% of their passes and converting nine of 15 third down attempts.
The Cowboys will also see a large disparity in red zone efficiency against the Buccaneers, who rank sixth in the NFL in finishing these drives with touchdowns. The Cowboys are the fifth worst team here.
Tampa Bay’s season was hanging in the balance when Chris Godwin was lost for the season at WR. The team lost four straight including getting swept by the Atlanta Falcons who positioned themselves to win the division. The Buccaneers have rallied at the receiver position and found a way to make enough big plays here to completely flip the NFC South, cover for a defense that’s had major struggles at other points this season, and transform into a real dark horse threat in the NFC.
Throughout their ongoing four-game win streak, Mayfield is second only to league MVP favorite Josh Allen in yards per attempt as the only two QBs over nine yards. The Buccaneers may not be the only team proving that having an efficient quarterback is a ticket to success, they’re just the one currently standing in front of the Cowboys.
Big Blue View
Is Evan Neal good now? Much-maligned New York Giants RT has been playing like it
Neal’s play since being back in the lineup makes his future with the Giants even more interesting
Evan Neal, the much-maligned No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is playing like a real, honest-to-goodness NFL right tackle.
Neal had a miserable, injury-plagued first two seasons with the Giants. Fans have labeled the former Alabama star a “bust,” when they haven’t been calling him far worse things.
The Giants, though, still planned to have Neal be the starting right tackle this season. That was derailed by the 6-foot-7, 350-pound Neal’s slow recovery from ankle surgery.
Neal did not play a single snap the first seven weeks, and played only two total snaps over the first nine weeks. When the Giants got tired of watching Josh Ezeudu and Chris Hubbard fail miserably at playing left tackle in place of the injured Andrew Thomas, they finally turned back to Neal.
Jermaine Eluemunor, against his wishes, went to left tackle. Neal moved back in at right tackle.
Overall, Pro Football Focus has Neal as the Giants’ third-highest graded offensive lineman. His 67.4 overall score is a career-best by 26 points and behind only Thomas (75.4) and Greg Van Roten (68.7) this season.
Neal’s 96.8 efficiency score over 244 pass-blocking snaps is also a career-best. That is 33rd out of 85 qualifying offensive tackles. His 86.8 run-blocking grade is a career-best by 35 points and fourth-best in the NFL out of those 85 qualifying offensive tackles. Neal’s pass-blocking grade is only a mediocre 52.9, but that is still far better than than the 42.3 and 38.5 pass-blocking scores he posted his first two seasons.
Big Blue View
Giants injury update: Banged-up Brian Burns will be ‘ready to go’ vs. Falcons
Burns not practicing on Thursday, but Giants confident he won’t miss Sunday’s game
New York Giants edge defender Brian Burns (ankle, neck and probably a few other unreported maladies) did not practice on Thursday. Burns has missed both practices this week as the Giants prep for the Atlanta Falcons, but head coach Brian Daboll believes his best remaining defensive player will be on the field Sunday.
“He should be ready to go for the game,” Daboll said.
Burns has 8.0 sacks on the season. Like wide receiver Malik Nabers, the 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowler has continued to work through a variety of ailments and regardless of the 2-12 team’s lack of on-field success.
Four other Giants also did not practice:
- G Aaron Stinnie (concussion)
- LB Bobby Okereke (back)
- Edge Patrick Johnson (knee)
- CB Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin)