Talkin' Cowboys: Turnaround Game?

Talking Cowboys. We're backing better than ever. After the bye week and after a shuffle of shows, we're now back with some say it with your chest as we've got plenty to talk about whenever it comes to us in Minnesota, the travel to take on the Vikings, the quest I should say to take on the Vikings up north coming

up on Sunday. We'll break that game down, kind of lead you into that, and then of course we'll say it with your chest like we do every single Friday, and we'll give some predictions at the end of the show. If you have any fan questions, send them in on the periscope stream or tag us on Twitter, Kyle Yeoman's alongside Isaiah stand back. We've got the great Rob Phillips as always, and then the incredible heck Ma Harrison up

in the top right hand corner. Guys, it's Friday. Are you feeling better about this Friday than you have in the past? You feel rested, you feel a certain sort of relief, the fact that you finally get to see some more Cowboys football coming up this week. Rob, I'm always ready. I'm always ready. I think we're all refreshed. I think we all feel better about this team than we did two weeks ago. That's fair. I don't know.

I'm gonna throw that to the panel. There was such a question on better there there was a huge question mark it's better, but no. The octave, the octave that his voice went up is what shocked me. I look, I want to feel better, I want to feel better about it. But it's Robin Field going through puberty is what I think that was. That was That's a very similar to Ron Bergland little anchor, man, do we feel better about this team two weeks ago when we last

had to say it? With your chess Friday? Though? Heckma, look, man, I will not admit that. I know it's saying with your chest Friday, but you're not gonna corner me in on that with Man, we're on a we're on a four game slide, so I wouldn't. I'm like a lot of fans that were like in doing the bye week. Oh God, thank you. We can take a deep breath. Yeah, that's my rob impersonation. Uh, you can take it. We can take a deep because the team is to play, and you know, I want to see him in action.

I thought the bye week was timely for these guys and hopefully they've gotten gotten an opportunity to self evaluate. Uh, and they're much better. Yeah, I feel good about it. I feel good about these guys right now. I think I don't. I'm probably the only person that I've heard all week that says that I don't like the location of the bye week. I wish it would have been a little bit later or earlier, simply because of the momentum, obviously, and we've spoken extensively on that. But I feel better

about these guys. Man. I feel like they they're gaining confidence. I think that they're starting to remember who they are as individuals, and I think they're starting to play better collectively as teams. So number one, you can't be a good team if you're not if you don't have confidence in yourself and your play. And then number two, you can't be a good team if you don't have any continuity with the guys that you play next to. So I think that all those teams are starting to come together.

You know, this team that's coming in here is tough and it's going to be a challenge, but you know, let's talk about it. Well, yeah, you're right, let's talk about it. You mentioned two words there. One of them was confidence and the other one was continuity, And I feel like neither one of those were available early in the season, or at least apparent early in the season whenever it came to the Cowboys, especially on the defensive side of the football. I could argue that the confidence

continuity there was there offensively all along. But Isaiah, it seems like those two things also equal a little bit of swagger. But who is to be rewarded for that or who is to be praised for the turnaround whenever it comes to finally figuring out a little bit of swagger on that side of the football. Is that the coaching staff is that the players. Where do we go and point the finger to in a positive manner to say, hey, we do feel better about this team. And here's why.

I don't think we're not one person gets all the credit. I think it starts at the top, obviously, with Jerry and his crew recognizing that their their project and their investments that they made this offseason just wouldn't work. So they cut their ties. He took the ail on the end. They got rid of poll and they got rid of Griffin.

That so number one, that was a win. They don't I don't think that they understood the and maybe they did, but I from my outside looking in, I don't think that they understood the effect that would that would have internally in the organization. Inside the locker room, they freed up these guys go out there and play, you know, free on the defensive line. They gave these guys free reign. They didn't feel like they had to live up anybody's expectations.

They didn't feel like they had to be underneath somebody else's umbrella, Like I can go out there, I could play like I played in college. And we saw that resurrect itself last week or the week before last when we played Pittsburgh. So um, you saw a little bit of that, and now just a continuity side of things that's coming together simply because these guys are starting to

get more familiar with their coaches. We've talked premitted extensive amount about, you know, their lack their ability to work together this off season, to be able to work with this brand new coaching staff. Let's not forget the fact that these you know, no excuses, they got to figure it out. But you know, they didn't have the whole

off season. So if you think about it, around this time, this is about the time we would expect them to start trying to figure things out, because around this would have been the amount of time they had during the offseas and program. So they're figuring that aspect out, and they're starting to realize what their responsibilities are. They're starting to understand how well they play together. Communication, all those things come together, and that's when the continuity comes together.

So all in all, everybody gets a little bit of credit. Bars that was good. Yes, spitting he said that. Yeah, he said that. Nah, he don't have to do I mean, there it is no I mean he said at all. I mean, I feel like this team along the more time they get together, the more you start to see all of the things that would have been developing had they had an offseason, just the defensive continuity, being able

to understand the scheme. Offensively, we shouldn't expect for any continuity at this point because of the amount of injuries that we've had on the offensive line and also a quarterback. So we're just trying to find our footing and and hopefully this is the game where you start to see a lot of those things start to to happen. So I'm like everybody else, man, I want to see this team that is on a four game losing streak take that next step to start against some quality victories. Let

me clear my throat real quick. One two one two, probably alrighty, uh yeah, no, what you guys said. Absolutely. I think I think Mike McCarthy spoke about this on the fan this morning that they're not and I think we're talking mostly about the defense. I think special teams wise, yeah, they're as consistent as anybody on the team right now. I think they're just John Fossil's concepts and everything is his system. Is coming into place, I think with the defense.

Mike McCarthy spoke to it, they're just cutting it loose. They're they're playing more freed I think, and you know, DeMarcus Lawrence kind of called things out a couple of games ago. They're playing with pride. I think they like they just have a better understanding of what they're supposed to do, and it's allowing them to play faster. And if you make a mistake, fine, keep going. Don't let it affect the next play, in the next play. I think that's the biggest thing. But we talked about it

earlier in the week. This is a test. This is an absolute test this week for the defense, a bigger test arguably than even Pittsburgh's offense a couple of weeks ago, just of of what Dalvin Cook brings to the table, and really just the way Minnesota is playing right now. There's an ugly game against Chicago, but three wins in a row. They're really playing well right now and doing what they need to do to win games. So I'm very I'm fascinated to see how they how they handle

this matchup. I like that question, and I'm I'm gonna steal that from you, Rob, Is this a bigger test this week from a defensive standpoint? I think offensively you might take a step back from Pittsburgh to Minnesota. But I would agree with Rob and saying that Dalvin Cook and the matchups that are on the outside with Adam Feelin and with Justin Jefferson, those two are more likely to have success against this defense. But do you think that's the same way, Isaiah? Do you think that's a

different and more impressive test with Minnesota this week? I do believe that Minnesota provides presents a larger the word I'm trying to find, I think. I think definitely this week is a bigger task for our defense in the previous week. The reason why Pittsburg is a better team overall, let's not even get this confused. Pittsburghs are a really

good team, which is why they're doing what they're doing. However, you know they don't have their running game figured out right now right and we had to you know, take care of that. Obviously, still had to defend the run, but primarily we had to worry about Roethlisberger and all his weapons in the receiving corps. That's the easier task than trying to stop the run. And the reason why I feel like this is a tougher task for us

is because of the scheme that these guys run. These guys run a zone running scheme, a zone running scheme.

Zone teams are very very very very patient, like very patient like they will literally run the ball for two quarters, three quarters in a row, not getting much, just for that big opportunity down when you're not being as discipline And that's where I question, that's where I'm a little bit hesitant in terms of my confidence and our ability to be effective in this game, because I don't know if we're confident enough to trust our techniques, if we're

confident enough to trust our schemes, if we're confident enough to trust our teammates to be where they're going to be and do what they're supposed to do. And when you're not confident in those things is when you get outside of your scheme and that's when things open up and the big plays are allowed for Yeah, totally. Yeah. Time of possession. Yeah, time of possession is going to

be a big part of this game. And that's what Minnesota does really well because they are so overly committed to running the ball, and so every possession for the Dallas Cowboys is going to be very important because again, if you get behind the eight ball and they can run the ball for a quarter and a half and next thing you know, you're down fourteen points and you hadn't had but one possession. So that's the big part

about this. But I also believe that when you talk about Minnesota, I think you are starting to look at the fact that they started so poorly, but you have to give credit to the way that these guys have kind of circled the wagons and started to play together over the last three games. This three game winning streak for them has been huge. You talk about confidence as a team, that's what it's given them, knowing that they've

had some injuries that some key positions. So it's almost like the Cowboys should look at what Minnesota it has done and mirror that because that is what has been their success, just getting some quality wins, getting some victories one after another, and no matter how ugly it is, a dove is a dove and they got it. So that's important in this game. When you when you talk about Minnesota, for sure, it's I think they struggle early too, he because they had those they had a lot of

young guys. Man, they got a ton of young guys playing, So it makes sense that that they struggle early, but it may also make sense while they're starting to play so much better now because those guys have that experience under their belt. And I think we'll absolutely, absolutely go

for it. Heck, no, I agree with you. But at the same time, you know, when we were talking yesterday about the names on defense, not having those first rounders, like a lot of the teams like the Washington football team, Arizona, other teams that we have played. But still, man, they collectively they play really good, to play really well together as a defense, even with those young guys on the outside,

they're really solid in the center of their defense. So it's gonna be a test for us no matter how you look at it. But on the offensive side of the ball, four Minnesota Kirk Cousins, if you just allow him to give Dalvin Cook the ball and get yards there, then kirk Cousins starts to look a lot better than what he is because he can just dink and dunk down the field with Christoff Rudolf. For all those who didn't catch yesterday show. That was really funny, so you

should go back and watch it. They kill me now. Heck, you mentioned the defense a little bit. I know we're mostly talking about the offensive matchups at this point, but I would kind of want to shift over to the defense as well. And you and I had a conversation last night about Zimmer, and of course he's a defensive minded guy. He's a defensive guru, and a lot of people respect him across the league, and for good reason. He's put together some of the best defenses that really

we've seen, even with minimal talent. But he's, like you said, had to deal with a thinner roster whenever it comes to injuries. This season, the second area is about as depleted as they come. But they're still giving up their worst scoring and total defense and the entire Zimmer era. Looking at some of these numbers, twenty seven and a half points allowed per game, that's the worst since twenty

thirteen Zimmer was hired in twenty fourteen. Over three hundred and eighty three yards per game, worse since twenty thirteen. Completion percentage, passer rating those are both higher than ever. Is this the worst defense we've seen from Zimmer as a head coach in Minnesota. Heckmu And is that makes you feel a little bit better about the offensive matchup

heading into the week? Yeah, and I think again, there are a lot of coaches in the NFL that you look at their numbers and historically where they've been, and you have to give some credit to the fact that they are coaching in a pandemic. We've never seen a defense get off to this kind of start, and so you're seeing them, like Isaiah said, at this point in the season, certain things are starting to click, even with

their youth movement. So what you know that they're going to present for us is that two deep, two safeties high. They're going to play that zone. They're gonna play really well together. But my worry is is what they do with Harrison Smith. His ability to blitz from the outside and also bring their linebackers on the inside gaps to us as well. So the Cowboys are offensively are gonna

have to play really well together. And if this word continuity means anything, it's gonna have to apply this week because you know that Viking defense is going to give Andy Dalton Fitz. Yeah. I was just gonna say that Harrison Smith, Kendricks, They've still got veteran guys that can kind of hold this thing together with around some of the young players they're having to play. I can't recall. I can't imagine Mike Zimmer ever starting two rookie corners

in the same season in his career. I mean, he's used to having Terrence Newman and vet guys that have been around forever. But I think they're getting better. You know, you look at these last three games. You know, Chicago struggled offensively, but you know, thirteen points, Detroit twenty points, Green Bay twenty two points. Even though that game was kind of weird. It was really windy, it was hard probably for Aaron Rodgers to get the ball down the field.

But they're I think they're ascending, just kind of like the Cowboys are ascending, and a lot of it's just attribute to attributed to youth on their side of the ball. Isaiah, Yeah, I mean, I mean, I think we've said it all. I mean, I'm looking forward to seeing I like Kendricks a lot. Smith is really good as well. Something about having a solid middle linebacker man, something about having a middle linebacker that that just controls everything on that side

of the ball. Is always a threat, whether he has his boy bar on the side or not. Kendricks is a problem. He's a brick wall. He's smart, he's fast. Yeah, we got we gotta bring our a game. So I'm gonna going forward to the challenge. Though I should be good match up, it's gonna be different. It's gonna be something that the Cowboys are gonna try and take advantage of on the outside. Whenever you've got two rookies out there, try and exploit it. With Cameron Danzler, who should be

back from a concussion. He's back in practice for Minnesota, and then Jeff Gladdeny and TCU product. I think these wide receivers might have a chance here. And we're gonna talk about Andy Dalton a little bit more. We've talked about the debate. It's at nauseum about Andy Dalton or Garrett Gilbert. We're gonna talk about what Andy Dalton has to do better this time around when we come back on the other side of the break stick with us. It's say it with your chess Friday here, I'm talking Cowboys.

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Say it with your chest as all the way. We got predictions coming up here and about maybe ten fifteen minutes or so on wed I have the upright updated records as well. I don't think you're gonna like them very much, Isaiah. So are they legitimate? Are you cooking the books. No, I'm not cooking anything. I'm not cooking anything. You can go back and checking. You can go back and check it. Don't worry. It's been Yes, you're right, it has been a little bit, but we are. I'm

not cooking. I'm staying staying firm in the records. Don't worry anyway, discretion, I'll open it up for you. Uh. Mention this going into the break and kind of want to talk about this specifically because we've debated Gilbert Dalton and whether or not you think that they could get wins in the NFL and lead this team to victories and maybe even a playoff push in the NFC East. That's what you gotta work with, is Gilbert or Dalton.

And so Dalton has been named the starter. We heard from him yesterday, Rob and he actually went into quite a bit on COVID nineteen and actually how he had COVID nineteen still dealing with a loss of a loss of sense of taste and smell is what he talked about. And then also he just kind of mentioned the frustrations of that coming on the back heels of his concussion. How ready do you think Andy Dalton is after what has been, in his words, a crazy three weeks, he

says he's had a good, good week of practice. Mike McCarthy said that too. I think, yeah, I think his conditioning has to be something. You know, he's got to get that back up, and he's also just got to get his rhythm back and his timing back. But I think a full week of practice can help with that. As much of a veteran as he is, You're You're right. It was just crazy for him because he still had to pass concussion protocol but he couldn't do it until he got cleared from COVID and got to be back

in the building to do that. So, you know, it's just been something and constantly his wife got COVID as well, he said, as well as one of his sons. Everybody's okay now, So I think now he can just kind of focus in on what he needs to do. And I think more than anything, for him, like he said, it's probably just I'm just happy to be out of the house, you know, because he had to quarrantine, you know, for a couple of weeks to get this thing right. Isam now, I felt I felt really bad. I felt

really bad. For Andy Man and just everything that he's had to go through the last couple of weeks. Obviously, like you said, the concussion and then coming down with COVID, all of this is serious. Man. So many families and so many people have been dealing with this. In my heart and prayers go out to everyone that's dealing with this. But at the same time, you know, in a football sense, you know, I start to ask myself, where's the time

in coming? Is just the couple of days that he's gonna get to be through, go through practice gonna be sufficient for him. He knows the task that he has at hand, and he's gonna have to be sharp, sharp on Sunday. So just hearing him talk about just developing our getting better through all of the adversity was really important. Uh. And for me personally, man, I'm just obviously I've accepted the fact that he's gonna start on Sunday, and I

want the best for him. But I want to see some of those qualities that we've talked about about his ability to read and react and get the ball out of his hand pretty quickly. But man, it has to go back to Zeke. Zeke hasn't had one hundred yard rush game this season, and this is the one game where it is you know, teed up for him to have it. So it's very important man for this offense to get rolled in and he's going to have success

as Zeke has success. I agree, I agree. I'm first of all, I'm glad that Andy and his famier are healthy for everybody. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to make it out of that the way that he did, So I'm glad he's he's healthy, and I'm glad that he didn't and you know, can get anybody else sick on within

the organization either. But you know, he, yeah, he has he has business to take care of this week, and you know, whether it's enough time or not an enough time, regardless, he's a guy, he's the guy coming into this game. He's got to figure it out. I'm one of those guys who who thinks things happened for a reason. So I think that, you know, obviously the concussions was a bad situation, but then you backdoor with with with the

COVID situation. Who knows, maybe he needed those two weeks, right, Maybe he needed those a couple of weeks to really get his mind wrapped around the fact that guess what you are playing this year. We talked a lot this off season about how about how he came here really with the expectation of, Hey, I'm backing up a guy who's playing for a contract, you know, who's a franchise, franchise quarterback and he's never missed a game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

I'll compete behind that guy. I told you guys a long time ago, he had zero intentions on playing this year. He thought it was going to be a straight, you know, relaxation trip um. But you know, and he got hit in the mouth right with it with this situation where he had to step in and mentally, you have to get back in that mode of I'm playing right here. Here's there's times where you're it's like the off season.

Just imagine the middle of the off season. Somebody hit you up was like, hey, we got a game tomorrow. You'd be like, well, wait a minute, I'm not I'm not ready yet. I think that might have been his mindset at the time. I mean, that's probably not the right thing to say. Nor am I play with putting it on him to say that. I've heard that, But I can foresee that being a situation where he was behind that just chilling. Hey, I'm practicing every week, you know,

I'm preparing, you know, but I'm not really. I don't really don't have to work, nothing to worry about, right, and then all of a sudden, crap, I'm the guy. It takes a little bit get you get you get your motors running, right, takes a little bit get your motors run. He had to put a little w D forty on there. So I think that he's had that opportunity now and I look forward to see him play, you know, a ball that we expect to come from him. Yeah, the guy, the guy in front of me has never

missed an entire series. Yeah, that's the game up until this season. Yeah, that's another reason that it's been a strange year. Well, and Rob whenever he kind of going off of what Isaiah just said, I mean, it kind

of looked like he was caught off guard. I see exactly what you're talking about, Isaiah, because whenever we whenever we were talking about Andy Dalton taking over, one of the things we praised was his mobility and how it's kind of an unsung part of his game is the fact that he can move around and he can maneuver through the pocket, and then all of a sudden, he goes up against Washington and he goes up against Arizona and it looks like he doesn't know how to run

in the pocket anymore, and he doesn't know how to get out and move around. And I think he might have found himself getting a little bit more comfortable before the concussion actually hit. But Rob, is that something that we might see a little bit more this week, kind of like what we saw from Jarret Gilbert against Pittsburgh being able to maneuver around the pocket, or is he

going to be more conservative? Yeah? I was just thinking about that too, because because Gilbert flashed that mobility and and he's I think he's been kind of underrated in that aspect throughout his career. He can move around, he did it, he avoided the rush in that Giant's game, filling in for Dak after the injury, after the ankle injury, and we saw a little bit of it. But yeah, I just think more than anything, it's got to be the help around him that the protection. We've talked about it.

Washington Arizona wasn't very good. It didn't seem like he was comfortable back there. It didn't seem like he was trusting it. That's my words. And so you know, if they can shore that up and again, like Heck said, established the running game, maybe there's gonna be some favorable boxes this week for Zeke, for Tony Pollard. Then I think they've got a chance to be I think we've got a chance to see more of what Andy Dalton can do than what we saw in two starts where

they really struggled offensively. Ema. Yeah, just to be fair to to Andy Dalton, and we're judging our making evaluation based off of the Arizona game and the Washington game. He was completely surrounded. I mean the Arizona game, Arizona looked like they were playing with fourteen men versus our offensive line, and Andy couldn't get anything going in Buddha Baker is probably still dancing around in his head because

he was everywhere. So, you know, I hope that over the last couple of weeks our offensive line has is learning to play a lot better than we've got Zack Martin back. So everyone is really hanging the hat on the fact that we got in number seventy back so fully. That makes the difference for Andy Dalton. But no matter what, he's still going to have to be able to get away from press. You know, the coverage, are the blitz,

get on the outside, look down the field. All of those things are going to lead to success for him because he's gonna be under pressure no matter what. I mean, we know what we have in our right tackle, we know what we have in our left guard, and so all of those are problem areas for us, and we realize that if we are going to have any success offensively on Sunday, it's gonna be with Andy Dalton obviously having to do something outside of the pocket, maybe on

the run. Also, one thing with Andy Dalton that I want to mention here is the fact that sure the offensive line wasn't there, But this is also this is a guy who's a veteran. I mean, this is a guy who came in to take over against New York and he looked like a veteran and he was able to drive down the field and was able to have success. He did not play well specifically against Arizona. He did

not play well against Washington. I know there were other turnovers in that game that pushed them back a little bit, and basically he was thrown into the fire there as well. But what does Andy Dalton have to do better, specifically in his role to find a way to get a win against another good team in Minnesota, at least a team that's been playing better in Minnesota, Isaiah, because Ady Dalton hasn't played like we expected Andy Dalton to play like,

no matter what the situation around him has looked like. No, No, absolutely right. I mean everybody knows I was one of Any Dalton's biggest supporters right when he came in the door, and I still I still am a big supporter of Any Daltons. I believe in his abilities, I believe in his resume, and he's in a new situation and I'm looking forward to seeing him show up in that way. We haven't seen that yet. We saw it, we saw a glimpse of it when he first touched the field.

Right when he first touched the field, nobody had any questions, nobody was complaining about Any Dalton. Everybody was praising any dalkan Olds the best acquisition we had. And I'm and I agreed, I'm like, that's right, that's what we expected. Out of that guy right there, and then obviously the

next two games didn't necessarily go that way for him. Um, and there's you know, we can say the officer line, we can say a bunch of things, but at the end of the day, he still has to find a way to be successful amongst all the adversity, amongst all the you know, the hiccups on the front line. You know, we went over in the film room and a guy's not doing their assignment. Simple blocking schemes, guys just missing quarterback takes a blunt of that, right, quarterbacks takes a

blunt of that. But it's also the quarterback's responsibility to grab that dude, take him over there, you know, grab the little tablets and show him, hey, this is what we saw, this is what you need to do. We got to figure this out instead of just letting frustration boil over and then everybody gets frustrated. You know, we don't we don't need a frustration corona on the field. We don't need that bouncing around for person to person.

So we you know, he has to figure it out and take accountability for how he's played and go out there and say, fellas, it's a brand New Week. You know, um, you know I got fresh legs now, I got a fresh mind. You know, my mind is now set as being a starter. I'm the leader of this team now, and guess what, go prove it, Rob, Yeah, absolutely, just I would say, just you know, trust your protection, go through your reads, and just get the ball into the

hands of your playmakers and let them go. Because I think we touched on it yesterday. I think there are some matchups for the Cowboys receivers that they can take advantage of, you know, so I think just get the ball to your playmakers. Benda Nucci did not play well against the Eagles, but his mindset going in the game was really good. You know, It's like, my job's easy. I just gotta get the ball to the top three receivers and let them go. And that's Sam's Randy Dalton

going forward. Like, hey, guys, like Mike Tyson says, everybody has a plan until they get hit in the mouth. True, So let's see, let's see how all of that looks. Was Andy takes his first hit right, because he's gonna be our depression and you know, there's no quarterback controversy and he's our guy and let's just see how he maneuvers in this offense. I'm sure that the players know who gives them the best chance to win, and the

coaches have chosen Andy to be that guy. So again that frustration spreading amongst the team, I hope that doesn't happen, and I want him to have some success. We need to have some success because if we get a victory Sunday, we know what we have coming up Thursday. Not to get ahead, but all of these things are relative as far as trying to make a push or having any hope of actually making this postseason. Thanks, you're gonna continue to get tougher for the Cowboys. They get tougher this week.

But Andy Dalton's gonna have to step up and have his best game of the season so far by quite a bit actually, if he's gonna even have a chance to beat the Vikings. Whether you're listening to music while you work out, watching highlights, or trading fantasy draft players, bows, quiet Comfort earbuds let you experience audio in a whole new way. Bose Quiet Comfort Earbuds are the official earbuds

of the Dallas Cowboys. When we come back, Heckma has closed the gap, we'll give you a standings update and it's prediction time on Talking Cowboys with your Chest Friday. Bring your predictions as well. We'll predict all the weekend's games. When we can return on the other side of the break, We're back in a tasty treat that's sweeping air waves and taste buds. It's new Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. Let's take a listen, Doctor Pepper and Cream Soda. Is

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introduce say it with your chest Friday once again. With that sultry voice, he lead us into prediction segment here on Talking Cowboys and now ladies and gentlemen, the moment that you've all been waiting for, Talking Cowboys say it with your chest. Oh it's so good, So bring me in. Man, I know, somebody give this man a phone call. He's on Twitter at hack my underscore Harrison. It's say it with your chest Friday here on Talking Cowboys's so good,

so good. Anyways, we've got some standings to update, and mister Heckma Harrison has closed the gap a little bit on our man leading away. Two weeks ago, when we last updated the standings, he was five games back. He is now four games back, but still in last place at sixteen and sixteen. So he has closed the gap on Rob Phillips, who leads the way. Rob is twenty and twelve, a very nice record for the Cowboys Insider,

the vella of the group just taking things out. Then, yeah, he did get that giant's pick and I hate him for it. Isaiah, Isaiah stand back nineteen and thirteen. He's a game back from Rob, and I am three games back from Rob at seventeen and fifteen. That's where we stand right now heading into week eleven. So we've got some games to predict this week in terms of the NFL across the board. We saw the Seahawks win last night and that was a pretty interesting game. But we're

gonna start things off in Baltimore. Titans on the road against the Ravens, both teams six and three. Baltimore is allowed just over eighteen points per game this season. That's the fewest in the NFL. Isaiah, start us off Ravens. Titans. Be more Baltimore for Isaiah, that's it. Heckma, I'm going Titans. Oh, he's trying to make up ground, He's trying to und thing. I think Baltimore has got a problem offensively, so definitely

going Titans. Okay, you're right, they do, they do, but I think they still get back on track at home this week. I'll go, sir. I'm gonna go with Baltimore too reluctantly because I think the Titans could very easily win this game because of the struggles of Baltimore. But I'm still gonna take the Ravens. Okay, here's a fun one because of how poor these teams have played the year,

and because I think it's unpredictable. Cincinnati and the Bengals on the road against the Washington football team, matchup between twenty twenty top two overall picks Joe Burrow and Chase Young playing against each other, Bengals on the road against the football team. I'll start it off. I'm gonna pick Cincinnati to take down our NFC East rival, and Washington's is gonna be two and eight heading into the Thanksgiving battle at AT and T Stadium, Rob who you got?

Give me the football team with their defensive front and they're playing better offensively too, I'll take them at home. Okay, heckma, this is another one of those toilet bowl games. Somewhere a toilet flushed. Jeez man, are we really talking about toilet boss? Are we really talking about too? This is great? Okay, I'm gonna go with the football team reluctantly. Okay. I can't pick a team that doesn't have a name. SIMPOSSI how you pick a team that doesn't have a name.

So I'm going with it with the guys that that are Cats. I'm going with the Cats this week. I like it. I like it. Okay, some point Burrows, at some point, Burrow is gonna have one of those Burrow games. Oh, this week, I think it will be this week. I think it's gonna be fun to watch. That's one game that, even though there's a combined four wins between the two teams, I'm gonna stop down and watch it because I feel like that's gonna be fun to see Chase Young chase

around Joe Burrow. Anyways, Packers against the Colts on the road. The Packers. Then you've got Indianapolis, who's allowed two hundred and ninety total yards per game this season. That is they fewest in the NFL defensively, Colts at six and three, Packers at seven and two. Heck must start us off, Packers. I'm gonna pack Pack attack for heckmon Isaiah yep, I can never go against my guy a Ryan. I'm gonna pick Green Bay's royal Rob. Oh. I wonder if we lost Rob? All right, I think we did. I think

we lost Rob. So we're gonna give Rob the Colts there and let him just be on an island. I'm just kidding. We'll get his pick. Care man, Uh, let's go. We'll move on a game and we'll go back and get Rob's picks here in a second, when he rejoins US Chiefs on the road against the Raiders. Kansas City won fourteen of their last fifteen games. They're only lost though, came to these Las Vegas Raiders, and now the Vegas

Raiders get him at home. I'm gonna take Chiefs by quite a bit because I think they want that revenge over that one loss in fifteen games. Heckma, man, this is a tough one. I mean because Vegas served him. So I'm gonna I'm going Chiefs m Isaiah. Yeah, I'm gonna Casey in the place to be if. If I'm not mistaken, I think that Oakland, I think they are not well. I can't say, oh jeez, Las Vegas. I think Las Vegas disrespected them. Didn't they dance on them

or something like that? Crazy? Ye? So yeah, yeah, when when you get disrespected like that, you best believe. And Andy Reid's gonna come bring that fire back. Rob, Are you back with us? I just saw you give a thumbs up. I am back. Sorry about okay, sos Vegas you know. Yeah, So we're doing Vegas Chiefs and yeah, let's do a Vegas show for for the talking cowboys. I like that Vegas road trip Chiefs and Raiders is the game. We were picking here and then we'll go

back and get one for you here. Pat Mahomes Chiefs Okay, so Chiefs in that one across the board. Packers Colts was the other one that we needed from me, Rob uh Aaron Rodgers, Packers. Okay, so Packers across the board there. So we're gonna give one more just because I think we've picked a lot of the same teams. Uh Rams on the road against the Buccaneers. Buccaneers coming off of that embarrassing loss to New Orleans. Both teams were just

three losses this season. The Rams allowed eighteen point seven points per game, second fewest in the NFL behind only Baltimore. Isaiah Rams Bucks who you got. I'm going on my ex teammate TB twelve. You do not expect for him to ever pick against Tom Rady, That's true. It's like him picking against Shrine in his house. Rady. So no, no, Tom, they just they're just they're playing they're playing well together, and they they lost thirty eight to three last week.

What do you mean they're playing well together? Well, that was they bounced back. TB twelve doesn't lose two games in a row like that. It just doesn't happen. So okay, oh well he doesn't lose you hecka who you got? Man? You know, I believe that the Rams, both of these defense this is a stout man. But something tells me that Aaron Donald is going to feast this game. And so I'm going Rams, Rob. Yeah, I'm going against what I normally do, and that's I don't pick against Tom Brady.

But I like the way the Rams have been playing, just all across the board, complete team defensively, They're, like you said, Kylie, are so strong. I'll take them in this game. I really do like the Rams here, but I'm gonna take I'm gonna take the Buccaneers to bounce back, even though I just made fun of Isaiah for making that pick. I think I think Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers figure it out and get back on track. Okay, got a couple of minutes left. Here we go, Cowboys

on the road against the Vikings. Who wants to go first in this one? And will anybody pick the Cowboys this week? Heck? How about you start us off? Yeah? Hey, I'm gonna start us off. The scope be a tough one, guys, and bye. Week by week I'll included in it. Yeah, but I gotta go with the Vikings. Man, I don't think that we've made that many strides and Andy Dalton's going to be under pressure, So yeah, I'm going Vikings

are Wow, that was probably the those plaza. So I guess those plaza all the emotions, take all the emotion out of it. I say, you see that you're learning, Daniel Sun Isaiah. I'm gonna go with them boys this week? Man, whoa with them boys? I feel good. I feel good about them and their ability to build upon their most recent momentum. I think their defense is playing better. I'm hoping that they can be disciplined on that side of the ball, and I think offensively, I think this is

the game they figure it out. I cannot believe that just happened. I mean, I'm just I'm shocked over here. I love it. I love it, and you say it with your chat. You gotta do what you gotta do, Okay, Rob what you got? I thought I was gonna be on rob Pie Island picking picking the Vikings, but I I'm going with Minnesota because I think the way they're playing right now is is just really good. Uh, But I think this is gonna be the best game of the season for the Cowboys in terms of best game

we've seen. It's gonna be competitive, it's not gonna be as sloppy as we've seen because because you guys are right like they're starting to figure it out. But I just I'll take Dalvin Cook and you know, in a close game like twenty six twenty four Minnesota, I like that. How is that the best game we played? If we're gonna play the best game we play in the loss, come on, well, I mean the last game was the

best last week. Yeah, exactly. So I'm right there with you. Now, I agree with you, and my head right here says to pick the Vikings. That my head says, let's pick the Vikings and let's go with Minnesota. But the great Michael Scott of the Office One said, no doubt about it. I'm ready to get hurt again, and I've got a gut feeling this week that the Cowboys are gonna pull it out and that they're gonna find a way to get a victory. Andy Dalton's gonna show what we expected.

Andy Dalton the show, and he's not gonna look like he did against Arizona. He's not gonna look like what he did against Washington. This offensive line is gonna play better, and we're all gonna be happy come Monday, and it's gonna be a victory Monday here at the Star in Frisco. Yes, Um, didn't you say you would never pick the Cowboys? I did? And like I said, I'm ready to get hurt again. I am. I am so ready. I am so ready

to get hurt that it's one more time. But I've got I've got to get and I'm saying with him with my chest as well. Virtual shower bubble cuts, No, no, this isn't bubblecuts. Don't worry. We're good without that right now, but we'll fist pump through. You're in the studio by

yourself today. Yeah, yeah, exactly right, exactly right. That's good to do it here for talking Cowboys here on week eleven, we'll be back to break it all down, win or lose come Monday at nine thirty in the x WBC Mortgage Studios want to thank everybody for being along for the ride throughout the week. Hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to subscribe, be sure to follow and keep up to date with everything Dallas Cowboys on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. For Chris Beam in the Back for heck My Harrison,

Isaiah stand Back and Rob Phillips. I'm Kyle Yoman saying so long, We'll see you next week on Talking Cowboys. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.