Longtime Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones often finds himself in front of a microphone. The billionaire typically does not shy away from sharing his thoughts on the football team he owns, but at times he will delve into other subjects.

Jones’ latest routine appearance on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan turned out to be rather unusual. At one point during the discussion, Jones revealed he enjoys consuming raccoons and squirrels.

Carolina Panthers rookie Xavier Legette’s name seemed to be used as the launching point for the conversation about cuisine preferences. Jones then brought up his past experiences with the aforementioned raccoons and squirrels.

Legette previously mentioned that he’s consumed raccoons in the past during an appearance earlier this month on the “St. Brown Podcast.”

BROWNS SWITCH FROM TURNOVER-PRONE JAMEIS WINSTON TO DORIAN THOMPSON-ROBINSON AT QB

“I’ve eaten a lot of raccoon,” Jones said seemingly in a nod to Legette’s dietary preferences. “Yes, the answer is yes. I’ve eaten it hunting, and I’ve actually had it served by my mom at the table away from hunting. … It’s not uncommon at all.”

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.  (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Jones also recalled times when squirrels would spark family conversations about who would be able to eat certain parts of the animal.

“One of my favorites is squirrel,” Jones continued. “It’s wonderful, and my mother could do a great job of [preparing] it. We all had our favorite pieces. … My mom and I would even ask for the brain in a squirrel. Delicious. Seriously.”

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks off the field after warmups prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField.  (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

The Cowboys enter Week 16 with a 6-8 record. Dallas hosts the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 22.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

It was the sort of game where the goals were fairly simple.

Escape the upset and avoid injuries while improving as much as possible against a severely overmatched opponent.

UCLA succeeded on most fronts Tuesday night.

The No. 18 Bruins’ 111-75 victory over Prairie View A&M was so comfortable that UCLA coach Mick Cronin could substitute freely and used just a sprinkling of his trademark quick hooks after mistakes.

There wasn’t much to complain about except some defensive slippage and a few sloppy stretches in a game with little intrigue. After reserve guard Dominick Harris entered the game with only a few minutes left and quickly committed a foul, Cronin roared, “What did I say?” so loudly that his words could be heard in the upper reaches of the arena.

There were also plenty of pleasing developments. UCLA’s Dylan Andrews scored 21 points on eight-for-12 shooting to go with six assists and forward Tyler Bilodeau had 18 points. Harris also redeemed himself with a nifty assist and only his second three-pointer of the season.

Next up is a far greater challenge. The Bruins (10-1) will take their nine-game winning streak to New York for a game Saturday at Madison Square Garden against fellow blue blood North Carolina.

UCLA’s offense will head into that showdown in high gear after registering a season high for points … with 10:16 left in the game. That can happen when you shoot 59%, make 47.6% of your three-point attempts and convert 29 of 37 free throws.

UCLA’s defense wasn’t as crisp, particularly on the perimeter. Reserve guard Jordan Tillmon made six of seven three-point shots on the way to 24 points for the Panthers (1-10), who shot 47.1% and 47.6% from long range in scoring the most points of any Bruins opponent this season.

Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. scored 14 points and center Aday Mara contributed nine points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and three assists in 16 minutes off the bench.

This was the 10th consecutive road game in a 12-game trip for Prairie View A&M, whose only victory came in its season opener on its home court over the College of Biblical Studies of Houston, an NCAA Division II school.

Beating UCLA would have been an upset of biblical proportions, with basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy giving the Bruins a 99.7% chance of winning. After falling into an early 18-point hole, the Panthers could dream when they rolled off a 10-0 run to cut their deficit to single digits midway through the first half.

But the Bruins were just too big, too physical, too tough. Prairie View A&M often had no choice but to foul, repeatedly sending UCLA to the free-throw line in the first half. The Bruins made 14 of 17 tries on the way to their 53-36 halftime advantage.

There was also no answer the Panthers could conjure for Mara, UCLA’s 7-foot-3 sophomore who showed the many ways he can affect the game in his five first-half minutes. Mara threw down a putback dunk, grabbed four rebounds and logged assists on passes to Skyy Clark and Andrews.

There was a moment to celebrate in the first half when Lazar Stefanovic made three free throws to surpass 1,000 points for his career, the milestone acknowledged with a graphic on the video board.

Houston Texans sensation C.J. Stroud had a chance to solidify himself this season among the NFL’s elite class of quarterbacks.

The No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft was an easy choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year. During training camp, The Athletic asked coaches and executives which three quarterbacks they’d take to start a franchise from scratch, with Stroud appearing on 16 of 27 ballots. Only Patrick Mahomes received more votes.

Instead, Stroud’s projected jump has been on hold. He hasn’t been bad this season, but his performance has dipped — and so has his standing in these rankings. This is the first time Stroud has found himself outside of the top 10. One executive said Stroud has been “not playing anywhere near (as well as) last year” when he was so dominant that he dramatically accelerated the Texans’ rebuild by leading them to their first AFC South title in four years.

Two statistics stand out. First, Stroud led the NFL in 2023 with 273.9 passing yards per game, but it has dropped to 232.0 this season, ranking 17th. He also led the league as a rookie by throwing interceptions on 1 percent of his passes, but that’s doubled to 2 percent (16th in the NFL) this season.

“I don’t expect C.J. to be a guy who dips and will continue to struggle,” a second executive said. “I think he’ll figure it out, and they’ll figure it out as a team. They have enough weapons. The way they’ve run the ball will take pressure off him.”

Stroud’s issues have stemmed from protection problems on the offensive line. He’s already taken more sacks this season than as a rookie (45 to 38), and he’s been sacked on nearly 9 percent of his dropbacks, an increase of about 2 percent.

There’s no escaping @zachsieler. 😈 #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/4Fd73A1k3f

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 15, 2024

“He’s getting the s— beat out of him,” the second executive said. “He’s been getting hit all year. When C.J. is under pressure, the play is going to drop off. When you’re not comfortable and don’t trust what’s around you, that’s not surprising as a young quarterback. I don’t think he’s regressed. I think he’s just sped up with the progressions and the throws, and that hurts accuracy.”

The hits can be impossible for even the best quarterbacks to overcome, let alone the younger signal callers who are still developing. When the Texans lost three of four earlier this season to the Lions, Jets, Colts (win) and Packers, Stroud took 18 sacks and was hit 17 more times.

Of course, it also hasn’t helped that top receiver Nico Collins missed five games with a hamstring injury, star wideout Stefon Diggs tore his ACL in Week 8 and running back Joe Mixon missed three early games with a high ankle sprain.

So no, Stroud hasn’t dazzled the way he did as a rookie, but it’s also understandable. Add in the defensive adjustments that young quarterbacks face, the lack of pass protection and the injuries around Stroud, and it’s been enough to rock his typically steady composure.

“People in the scouting community were interested to see how this offense and the player would adjust in Year 2 when teams had a year to study, adjust and learn what he does well and what he struggles with,” a third executive said. “Now it’s up to the offensive staff and the player to adjust if they can.”

It’s also fair to point out that Stroud isn’t the first quarterback to deal with protection and injury issues. But at this stage of his career, that’s a common confluence of factors that result in temporary quarterback regression.

“It’s learning how to deal with that,” the second executive said.

All the while, the Texans still wrapped up the AFC South division title with three games to play. They beat the Bills in Week 4 and lost to the Packers and Lions by a combined five points, so they’re not too far off. Their next two games, against the Chiefs and Ravens, could change the entire perception around the Texans’ playoff chances.

However the rest of the season plays out, no coach nor executive surveyed by The Athletic this season believes Stroud’s rookie year was a fluke. This season is viewed as growing pains for a quarterback who can still mature into one of the league’s best players.

Collision course

Jared Goff has been outstanding all season, but the Lions QB did something Sunday in the loss to the Bills that should create optimism during a frustrating stretch in Detroit.

Earlier in the year, executives wanted to see how Goff would perform when the Lions weren’t in command of the game — obvious passing situations in a deficit when he needed to go throw for throw with an upper-echelon quarterback on the opposing sideline.

GO DEEPER

Lions got a reality check against Bills. How they respond will determine how far they can go

Suffice it to say, Goff didn’t blink despite trailing by multiple scores for the majority of the Lions’ 48-42 loss. And given the state of the Lions’ injury-ravaged defense and the unenviable task of countering another superhuman performance from Josh Allen, there wasn’t any room for error after Detroit’s stagnant start.

Goff finished Sunday 38-of-59 passing for 494 yards and five touchdowns. He led four consecutive TD drives to close the game, nearly helping the Lions pull off a miracle comeback despite a rare Amon-Ra St. Brown lost fumble and a Jake Bates missed field goal.

GOFF TO AMON-RA. 66-YARD TD.

Not over in Detroit.

📺: #BUFvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/uHEKLWabzy

— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2024

Goff proved he can post points in a hurry if necessary. And with how many injuries the Lions have endured, it will probably be necessary.

Speaking of which, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts also silenced some doubters, internal or otherwise, with a brilliant performance in a 27-13 victory against the Steelers. He was 25 of 32 for 290 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 45 yards and a score, and Hurts did it while running back Saquon Barkley was largely limited.

The Lions and Eagles have been the NFC’s top-two seeds since the playoff picture began to take shape, so it would hardly be a surprise to see them square off with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. And with both quarterbacks answering pivotal questions against quality opponents, such a matchup could live up to the hype.

Pick 2

Two random thoughts. First, Packers wideout Romeo Doubs did indeed make an awesome catch on his game-sealing 22-yard touchdown against the Seahawks, but let’s not lose sight of Jordan Love’s throw. The Packers QB was at the 32-yard line when he made the throw to Doubs, who was at the 10-yard line and wrestling through tight coverage during the QB’s windup. Love picked a perfect spot and couldn’t have thrown it any better.

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE CATCH!#ProBowlVote + #RomeoDoubs pic.twitter.com/P8Zu0eEgoD

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 16, 2024

Second, and this might sound weird after a 12-6 rock fight in the rain, but Rams QB Matthew Stafford has been playing at a very high level for most of the past month. His performance two weeks ago against the Bills was as good as it gets in terms of making high-quality throw after high-quality throw. The Rams are shaping up to be a threat if they get into the playoffs, and Stafford’s play is a primary reason.

Bloody Sunday

It was a tough week to play quarterback. Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain; Geno Smith exited with a knee injury; and Justin Herbert aggravated his ankle injury.

Additionally, Jameis Winston, Jake Haener and Will Levis were benched, while Tommy DeVito suffered a concussion.

We kept Winston and Levis in the rankings while the Browns and Titans assess their situations. Haener was replaced in the rankings by Spencer Rattler, as we work under the assumption he’ll get a longer look after his impressive second half against the Commanders.

Showing the fragility of the backup/fringe starter dynamic across the league, just six teams have had the 32nd-ranked QB in 16 weeks this season — the Dolphins (five times), Giants (four), Raiders (two), Titans (two), Saints (two) and Packers (one). And in hindsight, if there was any way to predict how well Malik Willis would have played for the Packers, they wouldn’t be on this list.

Dropped out: Drew Lock (heel injury), No. 31 last week; Haener (benched), No. 32 last week.

(Photo of C.J. Stroud: Luke Hales / Getty Images)