Christmas Day is in the books and while many are still enjoying the slow time of the Holidays, Thursday is the day many Dallas Cowboys fans will fall back into the routine, including heading back to work.
Chances are the days off might've turned them away from NFL news and I wouldn't blame them. It's been a long season. But for those trying to catch up, here are five news stories on the Cowboys you might've missed during the break.
Let's dive in!
1. Jalen Hurts "missing practice" ahead of Cowboys matchup
Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion on Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders and was listed as a non-participant for practice on Wednesday. It should be noted that the Eagles didn't practice on Christmas Day, and the report was an estimation. The Cowboys also didn't practice.
However, it's noteworthy for Hurts, who is in a footrace against the concussion protocol to be ready for Sunday against Dallas. If Hurts can't go, it'll be Kenny Pickett making the start in Philly this weekend. Pickett was also listed on the report as limited with a ribs injury.
2. Mike McCarthy on quarterback decision between Cooper Rush, Trey Lance
There's a large portion of Cowboys Nation that wants to see Lance on the playing field and now that the team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, many will argue it's worth taking a look at Lance. They shouldn't expect that to happen on Sunday.
"The mindset is to win, we're going to Philadelphia to win the game," McCarthy told reporters on Monday when asked if the team's situation would factor into Lance's chances of playing. "It's a division game, a rival game, (...) We're going there to win, that's something I think is clear to everybody."
In other words, McCarthy is sticking with Cooper Rush as he's done all along since Prescott's injury. Rush has done enough to fend off the efforts of Lance going back to the offseason and based on the head coach's response, things aren't changing despite the situation. They're aiming to win.
Rush is the top backup and the Cowboys aren't changing their approach. Keep in mind, Lance is set to hit free agency in 2025 so it wouldn't make a lot of sense to play him "just to get a look at him," anyways.
3. CeeDee Lamb to decide if he'll play or not on Sunday
As anyone who's watched a Cowboys game since Week 9 can tell, Lamb is banged up. And he's playing through the pain. Earlier in the week he admitted he was seriously injured and that he was playing for the love of the game.
Now that there's "nothing" to win for, Lamb appears to have the choice of not suiting up after taking another big hit to his injured shoulder last weekend.
"We will leave it up to the player," Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "Obviously, we will also listen to the medical staff, but we will leave that up to [Lamb]."
4. DeMarcus Lawrence remains on Injured Reserve
Time is running out for DeMarcus Lawrence to make his return to the playing field after suffering a foot injury back in Week 4. On Wednesday, he was not activated to return to practice. Considering Asim Richards was activated despite the lack of an actual practice, everything points toward D-Law's return waiting yet another week.
Having been eliminated from the playoffs and with an intriguing free agency ahead for the veteran, one could assume a return is highly unlikely for the star defender.
5. New time slot for Week 17 game vs Eagles
Originally scheduled for 3:25 p.m. CT, the Cowboys-Eagles game was moved to 12:00 p.m. CT. The news is unsurprising considering how much is at stake across the league while Dallas and Philly have little to fight for at this point. The Cowboys are done and the Eagles are projected end with the No. 2 seed (92.5% likelihood per DVOA).
Add to that there's a chance of this game being Kenny Pickett vs Cooper Rush and well... It is what it is.
