MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — At various times this season, the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys looked like contenders or pretenders.Both teams are 10-4, have offenses and defenses near the top of the league and have created less competition, sometimes winning by eye-popping margins.But both fought against the best teams in the league.Yahoo News To record Research Search on the net Associated press The Cowboys and Dolphins are both looking to solidify their status as contenders with a win on SundayAlanis ThamesFri 22 December 2023 at 00:44 GMT+1·4 min reading timeMiami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) gestures before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, December 12. February 17, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel gestures during the first half of a New York Jets NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell )Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) passes the ball to Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orchard Park , New York (AP Photo/Jeffrey). T Barnes)Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy answers questions during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York. 1/4Jets Dolphins Football Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) gestures before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) ASSOCIATED PRESS More MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — At various times this season, the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys looked like contenders or pretenders. Both teams are 10-4, have offenses and defenses near the top of the league and have created less competition, sometimes winning by eye-popping margins.But both fought against the best teams in the league.Newsletter: De JodelReliable news and daily surprises, straight to your inboxSee for yourself: The Yodel is your source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Please enter your email addressTo recordBy signing up you agree to Yahoo’s terms and privacy policy.Three of Miami’s four losses came against teams with winning records, while all ten wins were against teams with a .500 or worse mark. The Cowboys’ only win against a team that currently has a winning record came in a 33-13 win over the declining Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he told his players not to think about playoff seeding – Miami currently holds second place in the AFC and can clinch a playoff berth with a win Sunday – or making up “history” that they can’t beat well.“Anything except worrying about the next opponent, which for us is the Dallas Cowboys, any other story that has to do with good teams or playoff seeds or the next three games, all that stuff,” McDaniel said Monday. he gave them permission to say to all members of the media – with all due respect – ‘F’, with all due respect.Whether they pay attention or not, the Dolphins can change that trend at home on Sunday, where they have won 18 of their last 21 games. Tua Tagovailoa has a home run winning percentage of .792, second-best among active quarterbacks with at least 20 home starts.The Cowboys are 3-4 on the road. Last week, they lost 31-10 at Buffalo, allowing 266 rushing yards for a total of just 195 yards.“As a .500 road team, you can’t get where you want to go,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “With that record, you’re not going to play playoff games at home. That’s definitely a priority for us.”Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is averaging 304 passing yards with two interceptions and a 74% completion rate at AT&T Stadium. On the road, he averaged 216 yards per game with five picks and a 63% completion rate. The Cowboys clinched a playoff berth before kickoff against Buffalo, but they still have a chance to win the NFC East and secure the top seed in the conference.McCarthy said his team will rely on a mix of veterans and youth the rest of the way.”That’s why we spend so much time with our younger players,” he said. “Because this is the time of year when young people play. And it’s the most important time of the year because we’re all fighting for playoff seeds and so on. I think the most important thing is to stay behind, stay consistent and lean on your leadership.COWBOY WOUNDS Dallas right guard Zack Martin is expected to play despite suffering a left quadriceps contusion in the first half against Buffalo. Left tackle Tyron Smith, an eight-time Pro Bowler, has a back injury.McCarthy said defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins would be “difficult to play” because of a sprained ankle. His absence was felt against the Bills, who gained more yards on the ground than any Cowboys opponent in Dan Quinn’s three seasons as defensive coordinator.ABOUT THAT DALLAS DEFENSEThe Cowboys had shown improvement in their weakest area for an opportunistic unit that excels with sacks and turnovers. But they regressed against Buffalo. James Cook had 179 rushing yards, the most for a Dallas opponent since Alfred Morris had 200 yards for Washington in the final game of 2012.“We weren’t physical,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “They were more physical than us. As long as you are physically fit, you give yourself a chance to win. We weren’t like that on Sunday.”CHILDREN’S TEAMTagovailoa will face the team he loved for the first time on Sunday. Even though his entire family cheered for the Cowboys, Tagovailoa said everyone is now a Dolphins fan. However, he is excited to meet the team he watched as a child in Hawaii.“For now it will be nice just to be able to see the star,” Tagovailoa said. “Being able to see those guys in their jerseys. I watched some guys play high school football when I was in school. And now I get to play against some of the guys on their team.Yahoo Newsregistersearch querySearch the webAssociated PressThe Cowboys and Dolphins will each look to solidify their status as contenders with a win on Sunday.Alanis ThamesFriday December 22, 2023 at 00:44 GMT+1·4 minutes of readingMiami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) gestures before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel gestures during the first half of a New York Jets NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) leaves the ball to Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard (20) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy answers questions during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)1/4Jets Dolphins Football Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) gestures before an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)ASSOCIATE PRESS More MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — At several points this season, the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys have looked like contenders or contenders.Both teams are 10-4, have league-leading offense and defense, and have triumphed over lesser competition – sometimes even winning by jaw-dropping margins.But both have struggled against the league’s best teams.Newsletter: The Yodeler Trusted news and daily delights straight to your inbox See for yourself – The Yodel is your destination for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Enter your e-mail address To log inBy signing up, you agree to Yahoo’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.Three of Miami’s four losses came against teams with a winning record, while all 10 of their wins came against teams that were competing at .500 or worse. The Cowboys’ only win against a team that currently has a winning record came two weeks ago with a 33-13 victory over the struggling Philadelphia Eagles.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he told his players not to think about playoff seeding — Miami is currently in second place in the AFC and can clinch a playoff spot — or higher – with a win on Sunday, the “narrative” they can’t beat. well the teams.“Anything other than worrying about the next opponent, which for us is the Dallas Cowboys, any other narrative that has to do with good teams or playoff seeds or the next three games, all that stuff ” McDaniel said Monday, “I gave them permission to tell everyone in the media – with all due respect – to be ‘Faust,’ with all due respect.”ADVERTISEMENTWhether they’re paying attention or not, the Dolphins can change that trend Sunday at home, where they’ve won 18 of their last 21 games. Tua Tagovailoa has a home run winning percentage of .792, second-best among active quarterbacks with at least 20 home starts.The Cowboys are 3-4 on the road. They lost 31-10 at Buffalo last week, giving up 266 yards and recording just 195 total yards.“You can’t get where you want to go when you’re on the road with a .500 team,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “With that record you won’t play in the play-offs at home. This is definitely a priority for us.Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is averaging 304 passing yards with two interceptions and a 74% completion rate at AT&T Stadium. On the road, he averaged 216 yards per game with five picks and a 63% completion rate.ADVERTISEMENT The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot before their season opener against Buffalo, but still have a chance to win the NFC East and clinch first place in the conference.McCarthy said his team will rely on a mix of veterans and young players until the end.“That’s why we spend so much time with our young players,” he said. “Because this is the time of year when young people play. And it’s the most important time of the year because we’re all fighting for playoff seeds and so on. I think the most important thing is to stay behind, stay consistent and lean on your leadership.COWBOY WOUNDS ANNOUNCEMENT Dallas right guard Zack Martin is expected to play despite suffering a left quadriceps contusion in the first half against Buffalo. Left tackle Tyron Smith, an eight-time Pro Bowler, has a back injury.McCarthy said defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins would be “difficult to play” because of a sprained ankle. His absence was felt against the Bills, who gained more yards on the ground than any Cowboys opponent in Dan Quinn’s three seasons as defensive coordinator.ABOUT THAT DALLAS DEFENSE The Cowboys had shown improvement in their weakest area for an opportunistic unit that excels with sacks and turnovers. But they regressed against Buffalo.ANNOUNCEMENT James Cook rushed for 179 yards, the most by a Dallas opponent since Alfred Morris had 200 for Washington in the final game of 2012.“We weren’t physical,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “They were more physical than us. As long as you’re physical, you give yourself a chance to win. We weren’t like that on Sunday.”CHILDREN’S TEAM On Sunday, Tagovailoa will face the team she loved for the first time. Even though his entire family cheered for the Cowboys, Tagovailoa said everyone is now a Dolphins fan. However, he is excited to meet the team he watched as a child in Hawaii. “For now it will be nice just to be able to see the star,” Tagovailoa said. “Being able to see those guys in their jerseys. Some of the guys who played I watched when I played football in high school. And now I get to play against some of the guys on their team.”ANNOUNCEMENT TRAINING CONNECTION McDaniel knows Quinn well enough to know that the Cowboys defense will be ready to improve on last week’s poor performance against the run. McDaniel said the performance was “more of a Buffalo performance than I’ve seen than this, that or the other with Dallas.”McDaniel was an offensive assistant for Atlanta in 2015-16 when Quinn was head coach, and he has spoken in the past about Quinn helping him begin his journey to sobriety. “He inspires kids to be their best,” McDaniel said. “I’ve been seeing it with my own eyes for a few years now.”___AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.
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