MICHAEL RICE
HUNTINGTON, IN
With a stretch of New York, Washington and Arizona at home, followed by Jacksonville and New York on the road, can Dallas reasonably get to 10-1 heading into a Thanksgiving day showdown with Philly?
Nick: I'm sure they will be favored in the next four games. That doesn't mean they will win but they should win. Obviously, they will be focused on the one-game-at-a-time approach. But realistically, this is setting up nicely. The toughest game will be Sunday against the Giants. Don't worry about what they did Sunday night. Eli coming in here will be tough – always has been.
David: I know what Jason Garrett would say, but that "one day at a time" rhetoric is for the players, not the writers. The Cowboys absolutely need to capitalize on this stretch. They're at home for most of the next month, and if we're being honest, they're going to play several teams that have failed to impress this season. When you consider how many tough opponents and tough venues are left on the schedule – during the cold part of the season, at that – they need to capitalize on this momentum. It would be a blown opportunity if the Cowboys are worse than 8-2 when Thanksgiving rolls around.
KYLE LAIRD
MELFA, VA
Exciting to see how well the defense is doing with the personnel. Think we will get better pass rush when DeMarcus Lawrence returns?
Nick:I think he will be better than Lavar Edwards, but [embedded_ad] probably not right away. I wouldn't expect him to step right in and be a difference-maker. He was a second-round pick. That's not a guarantee. Just look at the Cowboys' roster right now. Still, I think he will help at some point. Even if he doesn't help you much this year, having him learn on the run as a rookie will set him up nicely going into his second season.
David: Lawrence is eligible to practice starting this week, but he can't play in a game until Arizona comes to town in Week 9. Assuming he's completely healthy, though, he's bound to be a valuable part of this rotation. The Cowboys don't really have a speedy-type right end who can race around a tackle, and Lawrence could hopefully be that guy.
