Cowboys exuding confidence after win over Chiefs: 'We'll play anybody, anywhere'

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Consecutive wins over the reigning NFC and AFC champions have the Dallas Cowboys riding high into December.

“We’ll play anybody, anywhere,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said after Thanksgiving Day’s 31-28 victory over the Chiefs, via the team’s website. “I think you can see that by what we’ve done the last couple of weeks. The moment’s not too big for us, we just play. And then we know the fourth quarter’s going to come, and when the fourth quarter comes, we know we’re going to find a way to win. And I think you just keep doing that.”

Despite just getting over the .500 mark in Week 13 and with plenty of work still to be had in capturing a playoff berth, Schottenheimer’s confidence exudes.

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Dak Prescott threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns in Thursday’s pivotal win over the Chiefs. The Cowboys quarterback leaned on his dynamic receiving duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, who combined for 13 receptions for 200 yards and a score, to produce his first consecutive game with 300-plus passing yards since the 2023 season.

Thanksgiving Day’s victory comes after Prescott and Co. erased a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to topple the Eagles last Sunday. Those two big wins against Super Bowl LIX’s AFC and NFC representatives are part of a three-game win streak for the Cowboys, their first such streak since the 2023 season.

“We can be whatever we want to be,” Prescott said. “Everything’s in front of us. I just was telling the offensive that when we’re in those kneel downs at the end of the game, but it’s not going to happen next Thursday. It’s going to happen Sunday when we get in the building.

“It’s just taking it one day at a time, putting everything in, understanding that we win during the week with our preparation and that we just get to come out here and play the game that we love and playing it free. All these wins, all they’ve done is just given us more and more confidence.”

While the Cowboys’ offense has been hot, its been their defense that has really stepped up.

The Cowboys defense has allowed 21.7 points per game since acquiring Quinnen Williams prior to the Nov. 4’s trade deadline, a remarkable improvement from the 30.8 PPG the unit allowed from Weeks 1-9, which ranked 31st in the league over that span.

Williams presence has elevated Dallas’ pass rush, which has notched 8.0 sacks in the last three games since his arrival. The Cowboys have also improved in their rushing defense during the win streak by not allowing any opposing running back to get over the 60-yard mark in that span.

Following a ghastly Week 9 defeat at home against the Cardinals on Monday Night Football , Dallas bolstered its defense and regrouped after a Week 10 bye to become one of the league’s hottest teams entering December.

The Cowboys currently sit at No. 9 in the playoff picture within the NFC. They enter another pivotal game next week against the Lions, who sit at No. 8 after Thursday’s loss to Green Bay, before dates with the Vikings and Chargers at home.

Schottenheimer believes his team is ready for a tight race to the postseason following their latest wins.

“I’ve heard everybody talk about, ‘Oh hey, they’ve got to play the Eagles, and then they got to play the Chiefs, and then the Lions and the Vikings.’ We’re going to play it. We’ll play anybody,” Schottenheimer said. “And the reason you play those games is because if we do have a chance and we do get into the playoffs, it proves to you that you’re beating teams that have been in the Super Bowl. You beat teams that have won championships. And that gives all the guys in that room all the confidence in the world to go play anybody in the world.”

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