As the Dallas Cowboys enter their yearly Thursday-to-Thursday mid-season swing, there is plenty to clean up after dropping three of their last four games.
Dallas (7-4) aims to rebound following their 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders as they travel to face the Saints (5-6). New Orleans also enters off a tough loss on Thanksgiving at the hands of the Bills but are expecting some of their key pieces to return from injury.
Here are 10 additional 'big facts' to note ahead of Thursday's matchup with New Orleans at 7:20 CT on FOX and NFL Network.
Here are 10 additional 'big facts' to note ahead of Thursday's matchup with New Orleans at 7:20 CT on FOX and NFL Network.
Streaking on Thanksgiving
For the first time since Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989, Dallas has lost three straight Thanksgiving Day games after losing to the Raiders in overtime. The Cowboys also lost to Washington (2020) and Buffalo (2019) in the previous two games. The only other three-game losing streak for the Cowboys on Thanksgiving occurred from 1986-89 when they lost four straight Turkey Day games.
Double Triple
In basketball, players are always seeking the triple double but the Cowboys have had some double triples – with two receivers getting triple figures in yards. Both CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper have surpassed 100 yards receiving in the same game this year on two occasions (Tampa Bay, Minnesota) but with both of them sitting out of the Thanksgiving Day game, the Cowboys had not one but two players step up. Cedrick Wilson had a career-high 104 yards and Michael Gallup posted 106, marking the third time the Cowboys have had double 100-yard efforts in the same game.
Tight Ends are People Too
With Sean McKeon's touchdown grab in Thursday's game against the Raiders, he became the third Cowboys tight end to snag a touchdown pass. The last time that three Dallas tight ends all caught a touchdown pass in the same season was 2007 with Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, and Jason Witten. It was the first touchdown of McKeon's career in his 18th career game.
Not So Thankful for Overtime
After falling to the Raiders last Thursday, Dallas is now 0-3 in overtime games on Thanksgiving. The last time it took extra time to decide a game on the holiday was against the Denver Broncos in 2005, where the Cowboys fell 24-21. The first Thanksgiving game for the Cowboys to need overtime didn't come until their 20th Turkey Day bout with Minnesota in 1987 (44-38 loss).
Surpassing 35
Prior to Thursday, the last time Dallas allowed at least 35-points in a game was in Week 12 of 2020, last Thanksgiving, against the Washington Football Team. This halted a 15-game streak where the Dallas defense had not allowed an opponent to reach the point total. Last season, opponents hit 35 points five times total after not hitting the mark a single time all of 2019.
Newbie November
Micah Parsons' November sack total was the second-most by a player during a single-month in Cowboys history. The rookie finished with 6.5 sacks in November over the course of four games. Only DeMarcus Ware in October of 2011 (7.0) had more in a calendar month and Parsons tied DeMarcus Lawrence's performance in September 2017.
Rodgers, Romo ... Dak
As Dak Prescott gets ready to start his 80th career game this week in New Orleans, he's in some elite company when it comes to QB rating. Through 79 starts, Dak has 41 games of a 100+ rating, including Thursday's loss to the Raiders. Only Aaron Rodgers (47) and Tony Romo (43) produced more 100+ games in their first 79 starts than Dak.
Let's Turn The Calendar
Entering this season, the only month where head coach Mike McCarthy had a winning record in every month except for November. And that didn't change at all this year as the Cowboys were 1-3 in their four November games, dropping his record to 27-35-1 in his head coaching career. The good news for the Cowboys perhaps is that McCarthy's teams are 38-19 in December, 13-11 in January and 1-0 in February, which was the Super Bowl, played in Arlington after the 2010 season.
Gone For A While
For just the fourth time in the last 30 years, the Cowboys will be on the road for three straight games, starting this Thursday in New Orleans. However, in all three occasions, the Cowboys were able to make the playoffs in those years. In 1991, the Cowboys went 1-2, only beating Washington in an epic victory that turned the tide of that season. In 1992, the Cowboys were 2-1, only losing at Washington, their last loss of the eventual Super Bowl winning season. In 2006, the Cowboys switched to Tony Romo as the starter and went 2-1 in three road games, only losing at Washington. Here we are, three games on the road, at New Orleans, at Washington and at the Giants.
Zero To 100
Tony Pollard recorded the third-longest kickoff return on Thanksgiving Day in any NFL game when he popped the big return in the third quarter. It marked the longest kickoff return in Cowboys history since 2002 (Reggie Swinton vs. Philadelphia) and the first special teams score of his career.
