3 Sunday Needs for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13

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Dallas Cowboys fans can sit back, relax, and enjoy the Sunday action in Week 13 after a massive win over the Chiefs on Thanksgiving. The team’s third consecutive win has revived their playoff hopes, but they’ll need some help to get there.

As it stands right now, Dallas is “in the hunt,” sitting in front of the Panthers, and behind next week’s opponent, the Lions, in that category.

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As far as the real bracket goes, the 49ers, Packers, and Seahawks hold the Wild Card spots, and the Eagles, of course, are in with their lead in the NFC East.

In short, a lot of work needs to be done for Dallas to pull off this miracle comeback. If they win out, they can get there, but that’s a tall task. As a result, you should still be rooting for and against certain outcomes.

Here, we’ll go over three Sunday needs for the Cowboys as they try to inch their way back to life.


1. Backup QB Revives Vikings, Takes Down Seahawks In Week 13

Earlier this season, Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy talked about his alter-ego “Nine.” Since that time, he’s thrown six interceptions to just two passing touchdowns, and now, he’s out with a concussion against the Seahawks.

Filling in for the Michigan legend is Max Brosmer, an undrafted free agent who won Vikings fans’ hearts after leading the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2024 and balling out in the lead-up to the 2025 season.

The young man has a big challenge ahead, as the Seahawks’ defense impresses, but Dallas is counting on the Iowa native to have a special moment today.

If the Vikings can pull off the upset in Seattle, Mike Macdonald’s squad will drop to 8-4; this could open up another lane for the Cowboys to sneak into the Wild Card picture this January.


2. Shedeur Beats Deion’s Old Team To Help Another From “Prime Time’s” Playing Days

Last week, Shedeur Sanders got his first career start for the Cleveland Browns. There were some ups and downs, but he came out with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

In Week 13, it is Sanders at the helm again for the Browns, but it is a much harder matchup in his second start.

Cleveland takes on the San Francisco 49ers; they are 8-4, in front of Dallas in the playoff race, and one of Deion’s old times. Today, I’m willing to bet Prime Time is pulling for his former squad to lose.

If Sanders can upset one of his dad’s old teams, it will really help another one of Deion’s squads, as the Cowboys directly benefit from a 49ers slump late in the season.


3. Red-Hot Rams Keep Rolling Past Bryce Young’s Panthers

If Dallas does sneak into the playoffs, they could very well run into the red-hot Los Angeles Rams; for now, however, we’re going to be rooting hard for them.

Matthew Stafford, the MVP favorite, is headed to Charlotte for a matchup with the Panthers today. Of course, this surprisingly successful Carolina team knocked off the Cowboys earlier in the year; this means they hold a tiebreaker over them if it comes down to it.

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They are big underdogs, given the Rams’ success, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to the matchup. Dallas needs this one to stay true to the projected scores.

If not, we will see a big boost in the Panthers’ playoff odds and another obstacle in the way of the Cowboys’ already slim chances.

All in all, these three games are huge for Dallas, and you can bet they’ll be watching as they get ready for the Lions on Thursday Night Football in Week 14.

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Mark Heaney is an NFL scout and sports journalist who has covered college football and the NFL since 2018. He has professionally evaluated over 1,000 NFL Draft prospects. At InsideTheStar.com, Mark has published 319 articles on ITS reaching over 1.1 million readers. His work has also appeared on FanSided, Whole Nine Sports, and Downtown Sports Network. Mark studied at UNC Charlotte and served as a media intern for the Charlotte 49ers football program.

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  1. Cowboys fan
    Well it's not looking good so far.... 2 out of the 3 teams you mentioned we needed to lose, ended up winning today!! Carolina some how beat the rams and Cleveland got smashed out by the 49ers!! There's only one team left to help us out today!! But I have to say.... I wouldn't rule out us winning out the rest of the way!! I know it's a lot to expect, but we already got past the hardest games, with one more to go!! Detroit mite be the hardest game left on the schedule, just because we're playing them in Detroit!! But we'll be playing them while they're gonna be without their top receiver!! So I think we have a good chance to win that game!! We only need to worry about Williams, and the RBs, and our defensive line has been really good at stopping the run lately, so I think Williams will be the biggest problem in that game!! But as long as our defense can keep pressure on Goff, we won't have to worry about much with the receivers, and since Goff don't run as much as hurts and Mahomes, we should get a lot more sacks in this game too, keeping the receivers limited in the game!! But I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens when the game comes on!! I think we have a good chance at winning the game though!!