Dallas, TX
Here are our thoughts about Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys game, one day later
They are more common in the NFL than anyone cares to admit. You have to win some games that you are not supposed to. This is true because, another thing we try to avoid in reality, you will inevitably lose some games that you should win.
No one is going to act like the Super Bowl was won on an early October night in Pittsburgh. This is especially the case when you are fighting a shadow the size of your worldwide brand the way that the Dallas Cowboys are.
Ultimately the Cowboys won on Sunday night and did so against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that refused to take advantage of the opportunities they were being given. Consider that Dallas, thanks to Dak Prescott, turned the ball over three total times. In the Mike McCarthy era it was only the fourth time that they have done so and gone home as the winners.
As we always do we have put together some thoughts about it all now that we have had a day to reflect on it (with not much sleep given the delay nonsense).
These are difference-making wins
As noted, these wins are massive. They are difference-makers. Quite literally, they turn a 10-7 season into an 11-6 one. You have to find a way to grind these out.
Being capable of doing this is the mark of a great team. This isn’t to say that the Cowboys are a great team, but if they want any chance of being regarded as one when we have fallen back and are wearing hoodies on a regular basis, then they have to stack together wins like this.
What’s more is that things have obviously been rather bad for Dallas on the injury front. Consider that Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland and Brandin Cooks were all absent from this game. Toss in Caelen Carson if you’d like. Recall then that Marshawn Kneeland left early and that Tyler Guyton also exited before tension fully rose. Finally, remember how little the front office did to the roster (the one we just acknowledged the several weaknesses to) over the course of the offseason. It was a tough scene to say the least.
Yet somehow, some way, the Cowboys won. What’s more is that they won on a night when their quarterback was probably rather upset with the way he played individually for all but the game’s most critical moments. I’ve seen many equate it, in general spirit, to the infamous win against the Buffalo Bills in 2007 when we were far less jaded than we are these days. You don’t need a reminder that the 2007 squad won 13 games and a big reason for that was stacking together the ones that they were not supposed to have.
This was a massive deal and a huge piece of evidence that the Cowboys can say enough is enough and go out and get a win. We did not know if they had that in them. Clearly, they do.
The defensive performance was incredibly surprising and impressive
Prior to Sunday night you did not need to look far to find disparaging information or statistics about the defense. It is or was not hyperbolic to call them one of the worst defenses in the NFL.
A lot of this could have been (and was) diluted down to effort. Dallas was among the worst tackling teams in the NFL through the first four weeks of the season which suggested that they were fine watching opposing players run past them into the arms of congratulations while they were left feeling sorry for themselves. Enter Mike Zimmer.
Let the record show that I remain skeptical of this overall hire and situation, but you cannot deny that Zim had the ‘boys ready to rock in Pittsburgh. Was there a single missed tackle? If so it was inconsequential. And even if the Cowboys did have an oopsie or two we can be forgiving enough of that given the number of toys that Mike Zimmer did not have to play with that he was originally promised.
It was a masterclass at making lemonade with the proverbial lemons.
Ensuring a .500 record at the bye week is a very underrated thing
The Cowboys have a winning streak going for the first time this season, but if we are honest with ourselves it is unlikely to grow as they have a date with the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon. Consider that the Cowboys are home underdogs to Detroit as far as opening odds are concerned.
While the Cowboys are undefeated on the road this year, they are looking for their first win in their building since they beat these very Lions in the penultimate game of the regular season last year. Anything is possible and “any given Sunday” and all of that jazz, but it would not be shocking for Dallas to lose.
This is why getting this win, stealing it to our earlier point, was so critical. With the bye (a very necessary one) following the Lions game the Cowboys are assured of entering it with at worst a .500 record. The San Francisco 49ers will wait for Dallas coming out of that which as we know is a test among tests for this group, but all of that and what lies beyond it would look and feel and honestly be a lot more treacherous if the Cowboys came out of their off week with a 2-4 record.
FC Dallas returns home this weekend looking to build off last week’s road result as Real Salt lake comes to town for another important Western Conference matchup. With the schedule beginning to pile up before the summer World Cup break in June, grabbing points at Toyota Stadium feels more important than ever right now.
RSL arrives with one of the more balanced attacks in the conference and enough pace to punish mistakes in transition. For Dallas, this one is about staying organized defensively, controlling the midfield battle, and continuing to find consistency in the final third. If those three items can be checked off this weekend, there’s a real opportunity to keep the momentum moving in the right direction before a long summer road trip.
Let’s dive into some notes, predictions, and more.
TL;DR: Match Preview
Quick hits before kickoff.
- Score prediction: FC Dallas 2 – 1 Real Salt Lake
- Key player to watch: Petar Musa – To make the World Cup roster later this month for Croatia, Musa has to continue scoring here and guide the team to a big home win.
- Why this game matters: The next two are at home and after that there are nine straight road games. Dallas has to bank some points at home while they can before the long summer road trip.
FC Dallas Notes:
All-time vs RSL: FC Dallas holds a 24-15-13 all-time regular-season record against RSL. Dallas has scored 79 goals against Salt Lake. RSL has scored 63.
Home record vs RSL: Dallas has a solid 14-2-8 at home against RSL in regular season meetings. Dallas has scored 44 home goals against RSL. Salt Lake has scored 23 goals at Toyota Stadium versus Dallas. Dallas last won at home versus RSL on April 16, 2023. Jesús Ferreira and Bernanrd Kamungo scored for Dallas that night.
Homegrown clock: Homegrown keeper Michael Collodi was the only HGP earning minutes this season until Nolan Norris joined him on the field. Collodi has played the full 90 in each match, while Norris has been in and out of the lineup. Norris also has one goal on the season. Caleb Swann also made his debut off the bench in New York. Together, they have played 1595 minutes. To add more perspective here, Dallas HGPs only accounted for 1683 minutes in 2025.
What to Watch For: FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake FC Dallas returns to Toyota Stadium riding momentum from a historic road win in New York, but RSL arrives with one of the most dangerous young attacks in MLS. Here’s what to watch when the Burn host the Claret-and-Cobalt on Saturday.
Notable season stats:
- FCD is 7th in crosses in MLS with 144.
- The Burn are 6th in total distance covered in MLS with 286.24 km (800 miles).
- FCD is third in MLS in aerial challenges won with 171.
- FC Dallas is 9th in MLS in xG with 18.81.
- FCD is 8th in MLS in shot efficiency with 1.19.
- Musa is 4th in MLS in xG with 7.77. He also ranks tied for 4th in MLS in shots with 40.
Potential FC Dallas Lineup:
With another three-games in seven days stretch coming up, Eric Quill will likely go with as strong of a lineup as possible in these next two home games.
Formation: 3-4-3
Projected Starting XI
Availability & Disciplinary Report
⚽
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended with next yellow card: none
Suspended with next two yellow cards: Osaze Urhoghide, Nolan Norris
🗒️
Availability Report
Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin
Out: Anderson Julio (Lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg)
Questionable: none
On Loan: Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Enes Sali (Al-Riyadh), Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC)
Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras
International duty: none
Real Salt Lake Notes:
Key player for RSL: Diego Luna
Scouting Real Salt Lake: What FC Dallas Needs to Know 🔎 A detailed scouting report on RSL ahead of FC Dallas’ 2026 showdown, breaking down formations, key players, tendencies, and tactical edges.
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended on next yellow card: none
Availability Report
Out: Jesus Barea (knee), Emeka Eneli (knee), Ari Piol (Achilles)
Questionable: Juan Jose Arias (groin), Justen Glad (groin), Lukas Engel (hip)
International duty: none
Big game this week for FC Dallas. Before we get into it, members have the full scouting report, projected lineups, and injury report. If you want to go into Matchday actually knowing what to watch for, now’s the time.
→ Join Big D Soccer
A mystery trust bought one of the most expensive homes in Texas this week — just months after buying another multimillion dollar property nearby.
The Lost River Trust bought the mansion at 4815 Saint Johns Drive in Highland Park from Dallas entrepreneurs Melbourne and Jamie O’Banion on May 5, according to county records. The final sale price is undisclosed, but the sellers had the home listed for $24.9 million at the time.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home spans 11,433 square feet on a 0.6-acre lot, according to the listing. It was built by Mark Molthan and designed by Tom Weber. They listed the home on March 23 for about $2,200 per square foot.
Allie Beth Allman, founder of the eponymous brokerage, represented the sellers. Damon Williamson with The Agency represented the buyer, according to Redfin.
Just two Dallas homes last year sold with listing prices higher than $25 million, though both sold for well below what they asked. The trust of the late Fortress Investment Group CEO Josh Pack sold his former home at 6601 Hunters Glen Road for $30.5 million after asking $35 million, and manufacturer Guinn Crousen sold his home at 4000 Euclid Avenue for $25.5 million after asking $33 million.
Only six homes in Texas are asking a higher price, according to Zillow. Two effectively tie with the home on Saint Johns Drive: a spec mansion on Strait Lane that’s asking $25 million, and another new construction at 4 Lana Lane in Houston that’s asking $25.5 million.
The Lost River Trust bought another luxury home just six months ago. On Nov. 14, the trust purchased the home at 3709 Euclid Avenue, a four-bedroom, six-bathroom, 5,845-square-foot house that was asking $14 million when it withdrew from the market in September. It’s about half a mile south of the home on Saint Johns Drive.
Melbourne O’Banion is the CEO of Dallas-based tech startup Bestow, which produces software for life insurance companies. His wife Jamie O’Banion is the founder of Dallas-based cosmetics company BeautyBio.
The Crespi Estate at 5619 Walnut Hill Lane, listed by the Cox Family for $64 million, remains the most expensive home on the market in Texas.
Read more
Dallas entrepreneurs Jamie and Melbourne O’Banion list Highland Park mansion for $25M
Estate of late Dallas plastic surgeon Sam Hamra sells historic Highland Park teardown to mystery buyer
Robert Vaughn buys University Park spec mansion that asked $26M
DALLAS – Thunderstorms will roll through parts of North Texas on Friday. Thankfully, none should be severe. Mother’s Day could be a different story.
Friday Forecast
According to FOX 4 Weather Meteorologist Berkeley Taylor, a cluster of thunderstorms will work their way east across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on Friday morning.
Everything is well below severe limits, just with lots of lightning!
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will move in and out through the day on Friday. Coverage is about 20%.
An isolated strong storm or two can’t be ruled out, but the overall threat is low.
Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for the morning, before climbing into the 80s by the afternoon.
Weekend Forecast
Saturday will look similar, with even lower coverage expected.
Sunday presents the best chance to find rain and storms – about 50% as a cold front moves through North Texas.
North Texas is under a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe weather. The biggest concerns will be with wind and hail.
Timing-wise, the front looks to move through in the afternoon/evening.
7-Day Forecast
Once the front is south of North Texas on Mother’s Day, the rain should come to an end, and it will stay dry into next week.
Temperatures will start to warm into the upper 80s and low 90s by midweek next week.
The Source: The information in this story is from the FOX 4 Weather team and National Weather Service.
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