At 6-5 on the season, the Cowboys are getting closer to the finish line, with playoff chances on the line. Jerry Jones has voiced his frustration, but Patriots talk was put to rest quickly on a short turnaround week: the Bills are a stout 8-3 coming to AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving. Here are a handful of interesting facts to know for Thursday's game at 3:30 CT on CBS.
Josh Allen has more rushing touchdowns than Lamar Jackson.
While he's certainly nowhere close to MVP candidate Lamar Jackson in rushing yards, Allen currently ranks third in rushing yards among all NFL quarterbacks. His 389 yards are behind only Jackson (876) and Arizona's No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray (418). Allen has seven rushing touchdowns through 11 games.
Cole Beasley is one touchdown away from tying his career high.
He has four touchdowns through 11 games with the Bills. He had five touchdowns with the Cowboys in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Beasley signed a 4-year contract with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Robert Quinn has set a Cowboys record for the most sacks in his first season with the team.
He needs just half a sack to register double digit sacks for the first time since 2014. He also leads the team in QB pressures, with 26. The Bills have allowed 24 sacks this season, 20th most in the NFL. Who has allowed the least sacks, you ask? That would be the Dallas Cowboys, with only 12.
Amari Cooper is a completely different player at home.
On the heels of being shut out last Sunday in New England, Cooper is certainly happy to get back to AT&T Stadium. In five home games this year, Cooper has caught 38 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns. In his six road games, Cooper has just 17 receptions for 213 yards and two scores. And if you're wondering about Thanksgiving, Cooper went off on the Redskins in last year's game, ripping off 180 yards and two scores, including a 90-yard touchdown.
Ezekiel Elliott hasn't had a 20-yard run in over two months.
Not since Week 2 against the Redskins has Zeke ripped off a run that long. In fact, it was a 27-yarder on the final carry of the game that proved to be his longest rush of the season. In the last three games, Zeke hasn't had a run longer than 12 yards.
Thursday could be a record day for Dak Prescott.
He needs two passing touchdowns to tie his single-season career-high (23) from his rookie 2016 season. And if he throws for 400 yards, he would establish a new franchise record with his fourth 400-yard game of 2019, breaking a tie with Tony Romo (3 in 2012) for the most in Cowboys' history.
Of Buffalo's eight wins this year, only one has occurred against a team with a current winning record.
The Bills defeated the 6-5 Titans as their best victory of the season so far. That's actually more than the Cowboys can say, as they haven't defeated any team with a winning record. Their best win is a 37-10 win over the 5-6 Eagles. However, don't forget the Eagles defeated the Bills on the road, 30-13.
The Cowboys are 0-3 against Top 10 defenses this year.
Buffalo is currently third in the NFL in total defense, allowing just 288.6 yards per game. The Cowboys scored just nine points in the rain last Sunday against the No. 1 ranked Patriots. But they've also lost on the road to both the Jets (tied for 8th) Saints (10th).
Amari Cooper will have another test on Thursday, very similar to what he saw against New England.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Buffalo's cornerback Tre'Davious White ranks second in the NFL in limiting opposing passers to a 43.1 QB rating (min. 60 targets). He is also tied for second in the NFL with 13 passes defensed.
Frank Gore passed Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk in one game.
Last week against the Broncos, Gore passed Sanders on the NFL's all-time rushing list and now ranks third with 15,289 yards behind only Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726). Gore also ranks fourth in all-purpose yards with 19,155, edging Marshall Faulk by a yard.
It's been 25 years since the Jason Garrett Game.
In undoubtedly his finest moment as a player, Garrett shocked the world and the Packers in a 1994 Thanksgiving Day game against Brett Favre and Green Bay. The third-string quarterback, playing because both Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete were hurt, rallied the Cowboys to 36 second-half points en route to a 42-31 win. Garrett passed for 311 yards and two touchdowns in one of his nine career starts.
Dallas has a 31-19-1 record in games on Thanksgiving Day.
For 23 seasons, the Jones family has dedicated the Cowboys annual Thanksgiving Day halftime performance as a national showcase to kick off The Salvation Army's iconic Red Kettle Campaign. Since the partnership began, the campaign has raised more than $2 billion dollars, reaching over 500 million people in need. Ezekiel Elliott joined in on the fun this week, donating $150,000 to kick off the giving spirit on Tuesday.
