The Dallas Cowboys have had a season that could be described as far from ideal. They’ve been rolling with a backup QB for the last few weeks, and they sit third in their division, behind a team starting a rookie QB. However, they stayed locked in during Week 16’s Sunday Night Football matchup, claiming a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which earned them the praise of Big Unc and Ochocinco.
Advertisement
On their live stream wrapping up Week 16’s Sunday action on Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson showed love to the Cowboys for not only winning the game, but doing so mere hours after learning that they had officially been eliminated from the 2024 playoff contention. They held on for an impressive 26-24 victory, which was a pleasant surprise for Sharpe.
“When you look at the Cowboys, give them credit. They got nothing to play for, they knew going into this game, after the Commanders had done what they’ve done, their playoff hopes were done. And, they still come out here and give you that type of effort.”
Ochocinco seconded Sharpe’s opinion, saying he was impressed that the Cowboys “didn’t give up” despite the dire circumstances of their 2024 season. Dallas was especially frisky on defense, where they were laying the wood on receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks alike.
Commentator Cris Collingsworth couldn’t contain his excitement with the big hits and the level of energy and aggression the Cowboys were playing with, especially DBs Jourdan Lewis and Donovan Wilson.
Lewis nearly put a nail in the Bucs’ coffin when he snagged one of the most impressive interceptions in recent NFL memory. He somehow stole the ball from Jalen McMillan on what would have been a 46-yard Bucs TD.
Dallas did a great job keeping Mayfield in check, too, which is one of the things Sharpe focused on. Dallas’ season may have been a disappointment, but the pass rush has remained a strength. They now sit 3rd in sacks, with 46, and 2nd in pressure rate, at 27.1.
“They pressured Baker Mayfield the entire night, they picked him off, sacked him four times, pressured him numerous times, and they got the big strip fumble at the end of the game to close it out.”
Ochocinco also pointed out that the energy and effort that the Cowboys displayed in all three phases of the game reflects a team that still believes in one another. It seems head coach Mike McCarthy hasn’t quite lost the locker room yet. And, Ocho believes that this performance could take his seat from hot to lukewarm.
“I saw effort on both sides of the ball and all three phases of the game. I wonder if tonight’s performance is enough to save Mike McCarthy’s job. That’s the question that I have now, based on what I saw from them tonight. If you can play the way you played tonight, with all the injuries that you have, what’s going to happen when you have a team that’s healthy? “
The Cincinnati Bengals legend gushed about the effort. But he also wondered, where has this effort been all season for this 7-8 Cowboys team? Owner Jerry Jones spoke publicly about not wanting to fire McCarthy mid-season, which he hasn’t. But, he also implied that it meant he would wait until after the season to fire the embattled coach.
Whether this upset win changes things remains to be seen. Dallas finishes off the season at the Philadelphia Eagles next and home to the Washington Commanders in Week 18.
That means they have two more chances to play spoiler—and they’ve already done it once. The Bucs were 1st in the NFC South and the No. 4 seed in the NFC before SNF, but are now on the outside looking in at the NFC playoff picture as the No. 8 seed after the loss.
