FRISCO — By the time the Cowboys kickoff on Sunday afternoon against the Chargers, they’ll know if the playoffs remain a possibility, as remote as it seems. Dallas has a 1% chance of making the postseason heading into the 15th game of the year.
The Chargers, however, can clinch a postseason berth from a variety of scenarios. Los Angeles clinches a playoff berth with a win or an Indianapolis loss or tie. Also, a Chargers win and a Houston Texans loss or tie. Now the Cowboys have tied an opponent this season, in the Green Bay Packers. If the Cowboys and Chargers finish in a tie, a playoff berth would occur as well. For the Chargers at least. If the Chargers tie the Cowboys, and the Colts lose and or Colts tie and the Texans lose, they’re in.
To make it simple, the Chargers just need to win to keep their strong playoff hopes alive. Los Angeles comes into this game having won six of the last seven.
Dallas has won the last two meetings between these teams, with the Cowboys last beating the Chargers in 2023.
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Here are five things to look for in Cowboys-Chargers:
Moving up to the box
Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is moving up to the coach’s box for Sunday’s game to call the defensive signals. It’s the first time this season that Eberflus won’t call a game from the sidelines. It’s not the first time a Cowboys’ defensive coordinator called plays from the coach’s box. Dan Quinn did it for three seasons. Mike Zimmer also did it last season.
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Coach Brian Schottenheimer said the conversations of moving Eberflus upstairs had been ongoing for weeks. Even before the Cowboys trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Schottenheimer said he moved to the coach’s box in 2020 when he called plays as the offensive coordinator in Seattle. So what does moving up to the coach’s box do for a coach? Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said it allows you to see the field better and allows you to decompress from the heavy activity from the sidelines of having players and assistant coaches coming at you in various ways. But there’s also this.
“We need to adjust faster on defense,” Schottenheimer said. Giving Eberflus a better view of the field might allow him to do that for a defense that’s allowed 30 points per game.
Butter Aubrey
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott calls kicker Brandon Aubrey “Butter” because he’s so smooth. Aubrey is one of the NFL’s best kickers. But last week in the loss to the Vikings, Aubrey made four of six field goal tries. Brian Schottenheimer said the team is “spoiled” when it comes to Aubrey making kicks. Aubrey has made 88.6% of his field goals this season and ranks fourth in the league with 31 made field goals. He also has the third-longest kick of the season, at 64 yards. In his previous game, a loss at Detroit, Aubrey became the first kicker in league history to make three field goals of 55 or more yards. Aubrey also made a 63-yard kick in the loss to the Lions, his third made kick from at least 60 yards this season, which is also a league record.
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But how is Aubrey after bouncing back from a “rough” game? Aubrey has missed two kicks in a game just three times in his three-year career. In 2024, he went two-for-four on field goals in a win over Washington. After that he finished the season making 15-of-17 field goal tries. During his rookie season, he went 1-for-3 in the regular season finale at Washington.
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Cowboys should have no worries about Aubrey going into Sunday.
The animal
Dak Prescott had a one-word answer when asked about Chargers safety Derwin James: “Animal.”
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James is one of the NFL’s best players. He enters Sunday’s game needing one sack to become the first defensive back since 2000 to have 600 tackles, 20 sacks and 10 interceptions within their first eight NFL seasons.
“I mean, jumps out on tape, obviously, I’ve played against him,” said Prescott, who is 2-1 against the Chargers in his career. “He’s a dog. He’s the epitome of what you want in a safety. I think if you’ve played against him, if you’ve met him, you spend any time around him, you understand. A true professional that loves his game, loves his craft, and that is evident when you watch him play.”
CeeDee Lamb is playing well
With defenses taking receiver George Pickens out of games, eight catches last two games, CeeDee Lamb is performing well. Lamb has 12 catches for 232 yards during the Cowboys two-game losing streak. The biggest thing missing with Lamb is touchdown receptions. He has none, though that hasn’t stopped the offense from scoring points. Dallas was beaten, 34-26, by the Vikings last week and 44-30 the previous game against the Lions. Lamb left the Lions game after suffering a concussion in the third quarter. It pushed Pickens into the spotlight once again as the main focus of the offense, a spot he excelled in when Lamb was out for three games earlier in the season. Lamb has become a forgotten man in some ways given the attention Pickens has received. But there’s a reason Lamb is considered one of the top receivers in the NFL. He’s got six 100-yard games this season, second in the NFL and 27 in his career.
AdvertisementNate Thomas gets the start at left tackle
When the Cowboys ruled Tyler Guyton out with an ankle injury for the Chargers game, it means Nate Thomas will make his fourth consecutive start at left tackle, and fifth overall.
When Guyton suffered a scary knee injury in training camp, Thomas received the majority of first-team reps until Guyton recovered. Thomas has played unevenly at times and Klayton Adams reminds many that the young tackle didn’t play last season. Thomas was recovering from knee surgery so the 2025 season is almost like a redshirt season for the 2024 seventh-round pick.
As the season gets closer to ending, getting Guyton and Thomas significant snaps would seem prudent. But with Guyton nursing his injury, it delays the progression of the second-year tackle from Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Thomas will get the starts and try to build on his future.
AdvertisementRelated StoriesRead MoreCowboys planning adjustments vs. Chargers to see more George Pickens involvementThe past two games has been the least productive two-week stretch for Pickens this season. Does DaRon Bland injury open door for Cowboys to activate Trevon Diggs?Diggs, for a variety of reasons, hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 12.
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