The Dallas Cowboys will attempt to continue their late-season turnaround and unlikely push for the playoffs when they host the underachieving Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
Fresh from their first home win of the season, over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys (5-7) are suddenly riding a two-game win streak and play their next two games against teams with losing records.
The Bengals (4-8) are in the midst of their second three-game skid of the season after dropping a 44-38 shootout to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday.
Both teams have been deeply disappointing in 2024. The biggest reason in each case is leaky defense. The Bengals and Cowboys are tied for 29th in most points allowed, each averaging 28.3 points per game to the opposition. The Bengals scored 99 points in their past three games but gave up 113 and dropped all three contests.
Injuries have been another key factor for both, but the Cowboys are getting healthier while the Bengals are not.
Dallas lost star quarterback Dak Prescott for the season to hamstring surgery, while Pro Bowlers Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland, Trevon Diggs and Zack Martin have all missed time over the first 12 games.
Receiver Brandin Cooks returned last week, and coach Mike McCarthy was hopeful that Diggs and Martin could be back in time for the Monday game. Diggs (knee) was limited in practice on Thursday, while Martin (ankle/shoulder) sat out. McCarthy said Thursday that Martin will have season-ending surgery on his injured ankle.
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) sat out the Thursday practice, but he was considered likely to play on Monday.
Prescott this week gave McCarthy, in the final year of his contract, a vote of confidence in an interview with Yahoo Sports.
McCarthy reacted, “I’m not sure what exactly he said, but it’s just like anything. We are in Year 5 of a program. We have a lot of excellent things in place. I think we have some things we can do better, and I think it’s all part of growing. It’s no different the way I felt in Year 5 or 6 in my last opportunity.”
Lawrence remains on injured reserve with a foot injury and is unlikely to return in time to play Monday night, but he’s getting closer to rejoining the team.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush has won his last two games against the Washington Commanders and the Giants while playing turnover-free football. Rush is 2-2 in his four starts since Prescott went down. He is set to start against the Bengals for the second time, having led the Cowboys to a 20-17 win in 2022 when Prescott was injured.
Since Parsons returned from a high ankle sprain, the star pass rusher has 5.5 sacks in four games, including three multi-sack games. Parsons has a team-leading 6.5 sacks in eight games this season and is on pace to lead the team in sacks for the fourth straight year.
The Bengals lost two key players this week as kicker Evan McPherson was placed on IR with a groin injury and linebacker Logan Wilson underwent knee surgery that likely will end his season.
The Bengals have been without defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins due to a viral illness while cornerbacks Dax Hill (knee) and DJ Turner (clavicle) are out for the season. Left tackle Orlando Brown (fibula) sat out practice on Thursday.
The Bengals have the NFL’s top touchdown passer, Joe Burrow with 30, the top receiver, Ja’Marr Chase with 1,142 yards, and the top sacker, Trey Hendrickson with 11.5, yet they have won just four games.
“This is a tough season,” Burrow said. “The cornerstones of this organization are going to be remembered by more than just this season. We will be remembered by how we handled this. It’s still an exciting opportunity to go out and play for this city and this team every week. That’s something that I don’t take for granted.”
