Dallas, TX
Spagnola: Must wins along treacherous stretch
 
FRISCO, Texas – Needless to say, this has been a bumpy road for the Cowboys.
The blasted injuries, swiping away Pro Bowl players from them, at different times eight of them, the most recent cornerback Travon Diggs and Zack Martin for the remainder of the season.
There was that five-game losing streak, three of them to teams currently leading their divisions and another to a second-place team.
There was the unforgivable loss to the Saints in Week 2. The six-point loss to Atlanta when losing quarterback Dak Prescot for the season during the game.
There was the inability to stop QB Lamar Jackson on a third-and-6 with 2:36 left to play that would have given the Cowboys the ball back around the two-minute warning with one last gasp available in a 28-25 loss to Baltimore.
Add the gosh darn – as as strong as allowed to describe – blocked punt leading to the Cowboys then muffing the crazy oblong ball thus leading to the Bengals winning touchdown in the 27-20 loss to Cincinnati in the final two minutes.
Yet here the Cowboys are, three games left to play with a 6-8 record, and as one of those analytical sites points out with but a 1% chance to grab the seemingly final NFC wildcard playoff berth and knowing full well in order for that 1% to remain alive, they at least MUST win their final three games.
And after all they have been through this season, the injuries, the heartbreaking events, the crushing losses to the likes of New Orleans, Detroit, Philadelphia and Houston, now comes their football equivalent of the Burma Road. Look it up, a treacherous route during World War II during the China theater.
This three-game stretch is an arduous one.
First, the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first place in the NFC South, Sunday night at AT&T.
Then at the 12-2 Philadelphia Eagles, first place in the NFC East, and on their own late-season march to conquer the top seed in the NFC, currently tied for the best NFC record with Detroit and Minnesota, aside from any relevant tiebreakers.
Finally 9-5 Washington Commanders back at AT&T, second place in the NFC East, but leading the pack for the third wildcard berth at this stage of the battle. A team the Cowboys already have beaten, but all the Commanders must do is win one game, get to 10 wins and eliminate the Cowboys no matter what they do going forward since they can’t finish any better than 9-8.
But as like to say, can’t win three straight unless you win the first straight, and that mission starts 7:20 p.m. Sunday at AT&T with the Buccaneers, a big game for former Cowboys assistant Todd Bowles’ crew, since the Bucs just might need to win out in order to claim the South crown over Atlanta, which has already beaten the Bucs twice to snatch the head-to-head tiebreaker just in case.
So not just a team with a winning record and has won the past four straight, a highly motivated one at that having given up only an average of 15 points a game during this four-game winning streak.
As Cowboys head man Mike McCarthy says, “This is a big challenge.”
Sure as heck is. Meet that challenge and the challenge swells next week at Philadelphia, another highly motivated team.
And consider this the next week, if having to face a Washington team coming in on potentially a two-game losing streak, with potentially second place in the East and that third wildcard spot on the line since the Commanders first have to play Philly and Atlanta before arriving in Arlington.
Now all this could be a moot point before the Cowboys even meet the Bucs Sunday night. This perilous predicament for the Cowboys could be decided before they even dress for Game 15 since the Philadelphia-Washington game kicks off at Noon. By around 3 p.m. Sunday the Cowboys will know either Washington has extinguished their playoff hopes by beating the Eagles to get that 10th win the Cowboys can’t obtain or then again fueling those slim playoff hopes by losing to the Eagles, who with a win clinch the NFC East title, meaning once again the defending NFC East champs (Cowboys) will not repeat for the 20th consecutive season, though we already knew that part, just not the who.
Ah, but after all the setbacks the Cowboys have endured, what if there still is bait on the hook?
As Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says of the motivation when facing adversity, “Well, I’ve never met a competitor who doesn’t wear it inside and out, the disappointment. You have to wear it, and candidly it’s got to eat you up. It’s got to eat you up and eat you up enough so that when you’re getting ready to go again, anything you may need to call upon you got to remember how bad it hurts when you don’t win. That’s there.
“You say, ‘Well you can’t win every time.’ Well, you don’t know that when you are getting ready to play that game or make that effort. It’s important. Listen, your mind is so much of it here.”
So then, is it conceivable Washington, a team fortunate to defeat the New Orleans Saints this past game, 20-19, the Saints going for two points and the win after scoring a touchdown with no time remaining in the fourth quarter only to fail, could lose the next two? Who knows. Remember, after the Philly game comes Atlanta for the Commanders, now 7-7, with hopes of winning the South still alive and motivated.
Then come the Cowboys, providing they can somehow beat the Bucs and win on the road at Philly where they haven’t won since the 2021 season, and remember the Cowboys have yet to beat teams with winning records in back-to-back games. If they do, then would need a third against the Commanders.
And on top of all this, the Cowboys, if hope’s still alive, would need either the 8-6 Rams or Seahawks to win no more than one of their three remaining games, and the 7-7 Cardinals to win no more than two of their final three games. A 9-8 Cowboys team would win 9-8 tiebreakers with all three of those teams based on a better NFC record but lose any 9-8 tiebreaker with Atlanta since the Falcons own the head-to-head advantage.
That’s why all the Cowboys need to do is to now worry about Tampa Bay, especially if the Eagles beat the Commanders earlier in the day, giving further meaning to this upcoming game.
Crazier things in the NFL have taken place, in the Cowboys favor and against the Cowboys down these unpredictable stretches. Why numerous times in the final game of the season the Cowboys in their 65-year history have played win-or-go-home games. They’d love to face another meaningful one come Jan. 4/5.
Get this, too. As odds go, 1% is 1%. But a heckuva lot better than 0 percent. Just beware the pitfalls along this tenuous road.
 
																	
																															Dallas, TX
Dallas attorney Tony Box running for Texas attorney general
 
														Dallas attorney Tony Box is running to be the Democratic nominee for Texas attorney general, he announced this week, becoming the third member of his party vying to replace outgoing incumbent Ken Paxton.
Box, a first-time candidate, is an Army veteran, former FBI agent and former federal prosecutor who now works in private practice in Dallas. He will face former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas in the March 3 primary.
Paxton, who has led the office for a decade, is giving up his post to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
In a press release, Box said he was seeking to “bring decades of public service and law enforcement experience to an office plagued by corruption and political theater.”
“The AG should be protecting consumers, cracking down on fraud and partnering with law enforcement, but Ken Paxton has turned this office into a laughingstock,” Box said in a statement. “I’ve spent my entire career fighting corruption, prosecuting criminals and standing up to powerful people who abuse their positions. Texans deserve better.”
Box’s journey to running for attorney general began when he was 16 years old and got shot in the stomach while protecting a coworker from a robbery. The episode prompted him to “dedicate his life to the service of others,” he said in a press release.
After graduating from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Box entered the Army. He was deployed to Iraq as a judge advocate general, the military’s version of a lawyer, and served as an investigator for the Congressional Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he helped uncover $30 billion of waste and fraud, according to his campaign press release.
Box spent a decade as an FBI special agent, serving on the SWAT team and deploying as part of the agency’s September 11th response, he said. In the meantime, he went to law school at night.
In 2018, Box joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri handling tax investigations and prosecutions, according to his LinkedIn. In 2022, he joined the law firm Gray Reed in Dallas, where he represents businesses and “high net-worth individuals” in civil and criminal tax cases, white-collar defense and regulatory investigations.
“The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Texas and the people of this state deserve a leader who is looking out for them, not corrupt politicians and their cronies,” Box said in a statement.
Across the aisle, four Republicans are competing to succeed Paxton as the GOP nominee: state Sens. Joan Huffman of Houston and Mayes Middleton of Galveston, former Paxton deputy Aaron Reitz and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin.
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Dallas, TX
Mailbag: Why waste offensive talent?
 
(Editor’s Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in ‘Mailbag’ presented by Miller Lite.)
Is it more valuable for the Cowboys to hold their draft capital rather than use it to trade for a difference maker to create pressure and sacks? Why waist the offensive talent you have this year and hold on to the draft picks when it’s clear that Dallas has half a super bowl contending team? – Will Epler/Colorado Springs, CO
Patrik: I’ve made it no secret about where I stand on this topic: trade for one or two players to not waste this window of elite offensive play. You simply don’t know if Dak Prescott will equal or better this form in the years to come and, oh by the way, he’s already in his early 30s, and not in his mid-20s. Additionally, you can’t predict if George Pickens sticks around to keep the same level of weaponry surrounding Prescott, so forth and so on. Having shiny extra draft picks to use is fun, because of imagination. You get to imagine what might be and who they might select and, maybe, just maybe, that the pick turns out to be a Hall of Famer every … single … time. In reality, though, even for a team that drafts well, like the Cowboys, it’s still a crapshoot every … single … time. More picks are great fuel for draft show talks and mock drafts, but ask Dak Prescott if he gives an iota of a crap about any of that. Win now, while you have the quarterback and offense to do it, and stop pretending you have time to waste.
Dallas, TX
Cowboys-Cardinals announcer assignment draws Dallas legend in Week 9
 
														 
The Dallas Cowboys will be aiming to get back into the win column in Week 9 of the NFL season when the team welcomes the Arizona Cardinals to AT&T Stadium for a primetime showdown on Monday Night Football.
Dallas hopes to regain momentum entering its bye week and ahead of the NFL trade deadline, where the team is expected to be active players.
For Week 9, Dallas fans will be hearing a familiar voice on the broadcast with Cowboys legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman on the call, along with Joe Buck.
MORE: Dallas Cowboys vs Arizona Cardinals, Week 9 betting odds & preview
Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will provide updates from the sideline throughout the game.
If Aikman and Buck aren’t your cup of tea, the football gods are looking out for you because there will be a Manningcast simulcast for the game with Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and some high-profile guests sharing their thoughts throughout the night.
Entering Week 9, the Cowboys are slight 2.5-point favorites at home over the visiting Cardinals, while the over/under is set for a whopping 54.5 total points.
Let’s take a look at all of the information you need for Week 9 against Arizona can be seen below.
MORE: Cowboys warned against NFL trade deadline move on ‘already sinking ship’
Date: Monday, November 3, 2025
Start Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Arlington, Texas
Venue: AT&T Stadium
TV Channel: ABC/ESPN
Betting Odds: Cowboys -2.5 | O/U: 54.5
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Your best bet for watching the game via streaming is through Fubo TV. Fubo has a full slate of games every Sunday afternoon on FOX & CBS and has all the big primetime matchups for Sunday Night Football via NBC and Monday Night Football via ESPN.
Fubo includes the NFL Network in every plan, which offers access to exclusive coverage of the NFL all year round, plus select games from the NFL International Series. Fubo users can add NFL RedZone from NFL Network for an additional cost to go around the league every Sunday afternoon to catch every touchdown. Fubo also includes a lineup of the top sports networks like ESPN, FS1, CBS Sports Network & more to get big headlines and expert analysis from TV’s most popular sports talk shows.
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