🏈 Cowboys’ Shakiness Irrelevant As They Earn Win

For the Cowboys, winning on Sunday was more important than how it looked [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The Cowboys may have squeaked by the Texans on Sunday, but a win is a win … The Bills picked up another victory on Sunday, proving they can win a game in a multitude of ways … and more! "Don't blink," was the message Dak Prescott relayed to his teammates before the decisive drive that finally brought some sense to Sunday afternoon in Arlington. Despite that for the previous three hours, the Dallas Cowboys had blinked and blinked again and blinked some more. The Cowboys had blinked so frequently against the Houston Texans as to make the eyes water, and there were very nearly some real tears to come from a 27-23 nailbiter that you've likely already either watched, or caught the highlights of, or read about, so now it's time to figure out what it all means. We will go through the steps of that here, but let's give away a spoiler right at the top. If you're looking for a take that Sunday's result means the Cowboys' fighting fortitude ensures their playoff readiness, or that their shaky performance indicates the opposite, you'll be disappointed. Because we're past that now. We're so used to getting forensic on Cowboys displays at this time of year that we can't kick the habit. It is different this time. Mid-December is here and we know that Dallas is going to make the postseason. There is enough standing evidence to suggest it's a team capable of doing some damage there. And also, naturally, of potentially flaming out and disappointing its legion of fans. This reality isn't new, and nothing that happened on Sunday shifted it. Dallas has a certain position in the NFL hierarchy this season, one of a handful of teams that can already cast a steady eye toward the playoffs and prepare accordingly. A loss to the Texans would have been a shock, but would it have spelled doom and been a damning indictment on whether Mike McCarthy's group had a chance of making a postseason splash? Answer yes if you must, but to do so would seem a little on the overreactive side. The reverse applies as well. Does getting over the line late against Houston thanks to a calm final drive — behind Prescott's forceful arm and Dalton Schultz's sure hands and Ezekiel Elliott's skillful footwork — mean they are now battle-tested and hardened and can use the memory of the experience to positive effect in January? For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - It wasn't pretty Sunday vs. the Jets, but the Bills showed they can win ugly and are now in the driver's seat for the [No. 1 seed in the AFC]( Henry McKenna writes. - Tom Brady's homecoming game to face the 49ers he grew up rooting for became a nightmare as the 49ers’ defense and [Brock Purdy stole the show]( writes Greg Auman. - France is seeking to pump the brakes on repeat talk, but there is a quiet confidence brewing. And it's beginning to [percolate at the perfect time]( Doug McIntyre writes. - New Orleans is atop the West. Brooklyn is quietly climbing out East. And [what's wrong in Miami]( Our NBA experts examine the current NBA landscape. - It was a wild week of college basketball, including [a controversial finish]( that showed one replay rule should be changed. Andy Katz breaks it down. For the latest news and updates, [click here.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies (NBATV, 8 p.m. ET) The Memphis Grizzlies host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks looking to extend their winning streak to six games. New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals (ESPN, 8:15 p.m. ET) Kyler Murray and the Cardinals look to get back on the right track as they host Mac Jones and the Patriots. Boston Celtics at LA Clippers (NBATV, 10:30 p.m. ET) Jayson Tatum and the Celtics continue their trip on the West Coast as they visit Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. Argentina vs Croatia (Tuesday, FOX, 2 p.m. ET) Argentina takes on Croatia with both teams hoping to move one step closer to capturing a World Cup title. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals: Over 43.5 points scored by both teams combined From FOX Sports Gambling Expert: Warren Sharp We know that running quarterbacks cause a lot of problems for the Patriots defense. Lamar Jackson ran 11 times for 107 yards and Justin Fields ran eight times for 20 yards. The Bills were having so much success running their RBs that they didn’t need Josh Allen to do much on the ground this year, but last year he ran six times for 66 yards and 12 times for 64 yards in his two meetings. This will be the first time that Murray will have DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore on the field at once. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals blitz at the third-highest rate in the NFL. They rank No. 16 in pressure rate when they don’t blitz and No. 14 in pressure rate when they do blitz. When they blitz, they play zone behind it at a 72% rate, which is second highest in the NFL and well above the NFL average of 44%. In Week 3, the Ravens dialed up a number of blitzes with zone behind them, and Mac Jones threw an interception and took a sack and averaged just 1.3 YPA. If the Patriots simply use rational coaching to game plan for this one, I think they might score enough to help extend this game over the 43.5-point total. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2022 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 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