Dallas, TX
Chiefs vs. Cowboys: Three Bold Predictions As K.C. and Dallas Fight for Playoff Lives
The NFL’s Thanksgiving Day slate of football will continue on Thursday afternoon in Dallas as the Cowboys host the Chiefs for a 4:00 p.m. ET kickoff from AT&T Stadium.
Kansas City enters Week 13 coming off a massive overtime win against the Colts last Sunday that brought them to 6–5 on the season and kept their playoff hopes alive. Despite still not playing his best football, Patrick Mahomes got back to delivering when it mattered most—leading the offense to 14 unanswered points to close out the comeback while logging just his second 300-yard performance of the season.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, are winners of their last two after retooling their defense at the trade deadline. The team is sitting at 5–5–1 and is just outside the NFC playoff picture. With a win over the Eagles in their pocket and a matchup against the Lions upcoming, Dallas suddenly has a realistic path to returning to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
With a lot on the line this Thanksgiving afternoon, here are three bold predictions for Cowboys vs. Chiefs.
CeeDee Lamb hasn’t been nearly as productive as Dallas would like him to be over the last several weeks, but it’s not for a lack of trying.
Despite failing to tally a 100-yard game in over a month, Lamb has been targeted double-digit times in three of the Cowboys’ last four games. Drops, however, have become an issue—as the 26-year-old recorded his second three-drop performance of the season last Sunday against the Eagles.
With George Pickens garnering some much-deserved attention from the Chiefs’ secondary, expect Dak Prescott to continue feeding Lamb on Thursday afternoon—only this time, it pays off. Look for Lamb to post a season-high in receiving yards (115-plus) while also pacing Dallas in receptions as the former All-Pro gets back on track. ––Mike Kadlick
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The 2025 season hasn’t been the most productive for Kelce, as he’s still yet to record more than 91 receiving yards and hasn’t caught more than nine passes in any game this season. A matchup against the Cowboys’ defense may be the perfect recipe for him to turn in his best game of the campaign.
Two weeks ago against the Broncos, Kelce had nine catches on 13 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown in what was a vintage performance for the future Hall of Famer. I’m expecting him to have a Thanksgiving feast in Dallas, with even bigger numbers than he had in Week 10.
The Cowboys’ secondary has surrendered the third-most passing yards per game this season. Opponents have averaged 2.2 passing touchdowns per game against Dallas, second-most in the league. That all bodes well for Kelce, who I’m predicting will have his first game of the season with double-digit receptions, 100-plus yards, and more than one touchdown. ––Karl Rasmussen
Despite the Chiefs playing on what feels like every holiday since Mahomes took over as quarterback, Kansas City hasn’t suited up on Thanksgiving since 2006—when they beat the Broncos 19–10 at Arrowhead.
Now headed on the road, and with their backs against the wall as they look to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 2014, look for the Chiefs to make it two in a row on Turkey Day—though it won’t be easy.
In what will be not only an all-time classic, but also potentially the highest-rated game in NFL history, I’m predicting that—behind a three-touchdown performance from Mahomes—Kansas City will win 30–27 to keep their hopes alive for at least one more week. ––Kadlick
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Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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