This season will be the last of the existing agreement between the league and the NFL Referees Association. It is set to expire at the end of May. A memo was set out yesterday by NFL vice president of football operations Troy Vincent and general counsel Larry Ferazani. They said that they have been in talks to extend the current agreement since the Summer of 2024, but they have been unsuccessful.
Entering Week 15 of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys are firmly on the outside looking in when it comes to the NFC playoff picture. But despite a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions last Thursday that dropped the team to 6-6-1, the path for the Cowboys to make the playoffs is not as unrealistic as you may think. Simply put, the Philadelphia Eagles' 22-19 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night was huge.
There may be some vacancies in the Cowboys coaching staff after the season. Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has been on a hot seat practically the whole season and even special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen is coming under increased scrutiny. The Cowboys have not been averse to bringing back coaches that have coached in Dallas before. Matt Eberflus (DAL 2011-17) is just the most recent example, but before him Mike Zimmer
Let's be clear, the Cowboys record as of today has very little to do with the lack of Cowboys offense, but one glaring issue has continued to crop up over the last four games. In those games, the Cowboys offense has put up a combined total of 118 points (29.5 PPG). But one area of concern is how often this Cowboys offense is starting off very slow during their scripted play sequence.
I'm not someone who believes in curses, ghosts, witchcraft, or supernatural forces deciding football games. After watching the Dallas Cowboys for the last 30 years, the highs, the heartbreaks, the collapses that always seem to arrive right on schedule. I can't lie: sometimes it feels like this team is fighting more than X's and O's. I'm not saying the Cowboys are literally cursed, but I am saying this franchise plays like a team that's been trying to break one since 1996.
After the bye week additions of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, along with the return of DeMarvion Overshown, the Cowboys' run defense looked impenetrable. They shut down Ashton Jeanty and the Raiders. Las Vegas had 12 carries for 27 yards in a 33-16 Dallas' win. Saquon Barkley and the Eagles fared little better the following week. Philadelphia only gained 63 yards on 18 carries, with Barkley throttled for 22 yards on 10 carries in the 24-21 Cowboys' win.
Lastly, we have Terence Steele, the Cowboys' starting right tackle since essentially the 2020 NFL season. In December 2022, he tore his ACL and MCL in a major knee injury; not even a year later, Dallas gave him a five-year, $86M extension. It was a huge gamble that banked on Steele returning to form. They tied themselves to him until 2028 without seeing him on the field after the injury.
If you haven't been paying attention to how much of a hit the Dallas Cowboys special teams unit has taken this year, maybe you should. When John Fassel left to take the job with the Tennessee Titans, many thought it might be an easy fix, wrong. With how brutal the Cowboys special teams play has been this year, Brian Schottenheimer said today on 103 The Fan that personnel changes may be on the way. The current special teams coordinator is Nick Sorensen.
Logan Wilson came in with the reputation of being the better coverage linebacker, but his season numbers, from Cincinnati and Dallas, aren't adding up. He's allowed 202 yards, and has surrendered a 125.8 passer rating. His coverage grade is 43.2, which ranks near the bottom of the league. Don't get me wrong, Murray is not perfect, but he's been steadier in this area.
Believe it or not, Week 14 of the NFL season is already upon us, and the playoff picture has started to take shape. The NFC is by far the most competitive conference. In the NFC North and NFC West, three teams each conference are tied or nearly tied at the top of the division, making the playoff race an exciting one to watch.
A few fans kept repeating the same idea: Trade the second first-round pick, move out of 25 and pick up a 2nd and 3rd. It didn't matter whether they liked the players I mocked at 14 or 25. It didn't matter how the board fell. The loudest reaction was that Dallas should automatically turn pick 25 into more draft capital. When I pulled up the draft value chart, the numbers told a very different story.
Just when you thought the Dallas Cowboys might go on an improbable run toward the postseason, they were undone on the road against the Detroit Lions. The offense put themselves in a deep hole early and were playing catch-up against one of the league's most potent offenses. The Cowboys put themselves in a high-octane race against Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions, and unfortunately, they got lapped. With the loss, Dallas' chances of making the playoffs plummeted.
The Seahawks moved on from Quinton Bohanna today. After getting into a single game with the franchise in 2024, the defensive lineman has appeared in five games this year, collecting three tackles in 32 snaps. As Michael-Shawn Dugar points out, the Seahawks now have two open roster spots, an indication that any of , , and/or could be ready to return to the active roster.