Five takeaways from Cowboys’ massive win: Dallas is back in the playoff picture
In one of the more memorable Thanksgiving Day games in franchise history, the Dallas Cowboys escaped AT&T Stadium with a 31-28 victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday in front of 93,739 fans.
In a back-and-forth affair, the Cowboys barely maintained control in the second half, but they finished it off with a time-draining drive to end the game.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott put together his NFL-best fourth 300-plus passing yard performance of the season on offense, while veteran addition Jadeveon Clowney had two sacks to help limit an explosive Chiefs offense.
The Cowboys move to 6-5-1 and over .500 for the first time this season.
There’s a lot to discuss. Let’s dive into it:
Dak Prescott should be back in the MVP conversation
Dak Prescott hasn’t been perfect, and he probably hasn’t been THE best player in the NFL this season, but to think that there have been five players better than the Cowboys’ signal-caller is tough to see.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has been unbelievable. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has turned back the clock with his efficiency. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has been a model of consistency. I’ll hear arguments for those players. Anyone else? Prescott has the edge.
“That’s the veteran quarterback,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “The savvy, the leadership, and this was just a great performance by him. ... His instinct, his feel in the pocket is exceptional. He’s just the ultimate competitor.”
After a five-day stretch that saw him throw for 354 yards against the Eagles and 320 yards against the Chiefs, he has regained the NFL lead in passing yards and is second in the league in passing touchdowns. And if the Cowboys find their way into the postseason somehow, Prescott deserves to be one of the five names called to San Francisco for the NFL Honors later this year.
Somehow, the postseason is in sight
The Cowboys knew where they were coming out of the bye week. After a demoralizing loss to the Cardinals at home to drop to 3-5-1, they knew that they needed to rattle off a special win streak to even have a shot at the playoffs.
Well, here you go.
After wins over the Raiders, Eagles and Chiefs, the Cowboys now find themselves 1.5 games out of the playoffs with a huge game against the Detroit Lions looming next Thursday.
Now, a win next week is crucial. But with a four-game stretch following the trip to Motor City that should have the Cowboys favored in each contest, the postseason is somehow, some way, not as much of a stretch as it was three weeks ago.
CeeDee Lamb answers criticism with big game
Over the past two games, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has received some rightful criticism. In the win over the Raiders, he dropped a point-blank touchdown grab that would have given Prescott a five-score day. Against the Eagles, three drops and inefficient route running muddied the Cowboys’ offensive effort despite a 21-point comeback win. In the five-game stretch coming into Thursday, Lamb had hauled in just 28 receptions on 48 targets.
On Thursday, Lamb answered by being a reliable target for Prescott early and often. On the team’s first scoring drive, Lamb converted three third-down chances, including a 15-yard touchdown grab to tie the game.
“Like I told you guys, a lot of balls were going to be going 88’s way,” Schottenheimer said. “At the end of the day, I’m so happy for him.”
Lamb finished with seven receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown, as his impact in the passing game was back on full display. In one-on-one situations against Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, the All-Pro defender allowed his most yards against one receiver in any game this season.
“No one can really guard me, it’s just me dropping the ball,” Lamb said. “And I don’t do that often. It was a great experience for me, I learned a lot. Now, we move forward.”
How about this defense?
Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus finally has some breathing room.
After a putrid start to the year on the defensive side of the ball — one that could have featured your uncle’s Turkey Bowl performance translating directly to a 300-yard day against the secondary — the unit has now put together three consecutive performances coming out of the bye week that should have everyone in Dallas excited about what’s in front of them in the month of December.
“I credit it to the guys in the room,” defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku said. “Guys doing their job and executing, especially on the back end, that makes our job a little bit easier. ... The guys in our room our relentless.”
The addition of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has been massive, but don’t look past the play of rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and the return of linebacker DeMarvion Overshown as massive improvements to a unit that can look forward to some optimism for their coordinator.
Now it wasn’t perfect, and there’s one last thing that needs to be addressed.
Slow defensive starts cannot continue
The Cowboys have gotten away with it in back-to-back games, but horrid starts can’t continue if they want to continue stacking wins.
In the win against Philadelphia on Sunday, the Cowboys allowed touchdowns on each of the Eagles’ first three drives that put them into a 21-0 hole. On Thursday, the defensive unit allowed touchdowns on the Chiefs’ first two drives.
Now, credit where credit is due. When this defense has settled into a groove, it has been dominant in the past two games — which would have been incomprehensible to believe just four weeks ago about Eberflus’ group. But if the Cowboys want to run the table like they appear to be set to do in the month of December, it will require better first quarters from the defensive group.
This story was originally published November 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM.
