The Cowboys’ season has felt long lost, but that hasn’t stopped them from ripping off wins in four of their last five games. The team is averaging 27.4 points per game over that span, and Jones had nothing but praise for his head coach after Week 16’s win, saying he was “real, real proud” of the team while adding that McCarthy “won’t let them not think they’re playing for the Super Bowl out there.” McCarthy entered 2024 on the final year of his deal and has long been considered a goner after the Cowboys opened the season with a 3-7 record. Injuries have played a role in the Cowboys’ struggles, but even in the eight games where they had Dak Prescott, the Cowboys went 3-5. The Cowboys have divisional games against the Eagles and Commanders to close out their season. How they fare in those two contests could go a long way in deciding McCarthy’s future with the franchise.

Ferguson saw his role increase in the second half after CeeDee Lamb landed hard again on his injured shoulder, which minimized the alpha receiver’s involvement in the offense after the break. It was significant enough to limit Lamb’s snaps in the second half, something fantasy managers of either player will want to track in the coming week of practice ahead of a Week 17 showdown with the Eagles.

Lamb caught six passes for 90 yards in the first half before falling hard on his injured shoulder, after which point he managed just two additional targets and one additional catch. His big first half still led to over 100 yards through the air even with the minimal work after the break, enough to return a usable fantasy score for managers banking on his production in the fantasy semi-finals. His status moving forward will require monitoring considering his limited usage in the second half ahead of a showdown with the Eagles in Week 17.

Dowdle struggled to find room against the vaunted Buccaneers run defense, notably bottled up by Vita Vea in the middle of the Tampa defensive line. It was the first game in the previous month of play in which Dowdle failed to surpass 100 yards on the ground. To make matters worse for Dowdle’s fantasy managers, Ezekiel Elliott vultured a touchdown from one yard out on his only touch of the game. Dowdle could find the sledding tough again in Week 17 when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.

The Cowboys started the game with a short-area approach, peppering CeeDee Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson with targets in the first quarter. They worked up a 10-0 lead before the start of the second, a lead they would not relinquish throughout. That allowed them to take a more conservative approach to the offensive game plan, continuing in a short-area focus while mixing in sporadic deep shots. Lamb came down with one of those deep shots but landed hard on his injured shoulder, which limited his snaps in the second half. Either way, Rush and the Cowboys escaped with a home victory for only the second time this season before traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in Week 17.

Evans was cooking in the first half, catching four passes for 59 yards before the break. He would then catch only one pass for 10 additional yards over the final two quarters, knocking him off pace for his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season. The veteran wide receiver now needs to average 91 yards in each of the team’s final two contests to extend his NFL record, with games against the Panthers and Saints left on the schedule.

Irving handily paced the team in backfield opportunities, seeing 16 carries and three targets to the three carries and eight targets for Rachaad White, with the bulk of White’s opportunities coming in the second half with the team in desperation mode. Even so, this backfield remains a strict timeshare between the two, with Irving the favorite to see the most carries and White the favorite to see the most usage through the air. Irving could see heavy usage in Week 17 when the Buccaneers host the Panthers.

Mayfield and the Buccaneers played from behind throughout as they fought to maintain their one-game lead over the Falcons in the NFC South, ultimately coming up just short in a wild fourth quarter. Down nine points with seven minutes remaining, Mayfield drove the team to midfield before Jourdan Lewis wrestled the ball away from Jalen McMillan in the end zone for an interception. The Bucs would force a three-and-out, getting the ball back with under five minutes to play. Mayfield drove the team down the field in two minutes to bring the game within two points following a touchdown pass to Ryan Miller. Another three-and-out gave the ball back to the Buccaneers with 1:40 remaining to play. On the first play of the possession, Mayfield avoided a sack and completed a shuttle pass to running back Rachaad White, who saw the football pried from his grasped on the way to the ground to effectively end the game with a narrow two-point loss. The loss now shifts the division lead back to the Falcons with two games to play after the Buccaneers dropped both games to Atlanta this season. Up next for Mayfield and the Bucs are the Panthers at home in Week 17.

Tolbert reportedly dislocated his finger prior to the half. He would depart the field of play early and receive x-rays during the break, ultimately ruled questionable to return in the third quarter. Tolbert managed to catch 2-of-3 targets for 20 yards and a touchdown prior to departing.

This marks Darnold’s fifth game of 2024 with at least three touchdown passes. He was erratic at times against the Seahawks and struggled under pressure — taking a couple big hits while standing strong in the pocket — but Darnold targeted Justin Jefferson early and often, connecting for two scores with J-Jeff, including the game winner. Darnold also hit Jordan Addison for a touchdown in the red zone. Darnold in Week 17 will go against a Green Bay defense that gave up 275 yards and three touchdowns to Darnold in Week 4. He’ll be a top-12 fantasy option.