The 2020 season continues to throw curveballs at Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys. This week's challenge. An extra short week of preparation following a physical loss to the Baltimore Ravens in order to prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Each team has a legitimate shot to have a top-3 pick in this April's NFL draft and the loser would take over that slot for the time being. But with the Cowboys still a couple games out of the NFC East divisional hunt, anything can happen in the final four weeks of the season.
Here are a dozen crucial facts to know ahead of Sunday's meeting with Cincinnati at 12:00pm CT on FOX.
What category has Amari Cooper, Terrell Owens and CeeDee Lamb? Find out in this week's group of Big Facts.
Cowboys the only team to allow over 275 rushing yards…and they've done it twice
Baltimore's 294 rushing yards against Dallas as a team marks the second-best ground total of any team in the NFL this season. The only rushing performance better than what the Ravens mustered on Tuesday was the Week 4 output from the Cleveland Browns (304), also against the Cowboys defense. No other defense has allowed more than 275 yards this season on the ground and of the eight games in 2020 with a rushing total of over 250 yards, three have come against Dallas.
Zuerlein's three missed field goals were the most by any player this season
During Tuesday's loss to Baltimore, Cowboys Kicker Greg Zuerlein missed three of his four field goal attempts including two on back-to-back drives. After making from 31 yards out in the first quarter, Zuerlein missed from 40, 53, and 52. The three misses ties Stephen Gostkowski for the most by any player in the NFL this season as he also missed a trio of kicks in Week 1 against Denver.
Gallup's first TD from anyone other than Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys finally got a big game from Michael Gallup, who led the team with seven catches for 84 yards. It was the most by Gallup since Week 3 in Seattle and that was also the last time, he had caught a touchdown pass this year, before his 13-yard TD catch against the Ravens. It was Gallup's 10th touchdown of his career, but first from anyone other than Dak Prescott.
Andy Dalton has more than doubled his production over the last three weeks
After a rough start to his backup campaign, quarterback Andy Dalton has found his stride over the last three weeks. In his first two starts following the injury to Dak Prescott, Dalton through just one touchdown pass and three interceptions while sporting a 58.1 quarterback rating. However, over the last three starts he has upped his total to 6 touchdown throws and just three interceptions with a 90.6 rating.
Cooper and Lamb rank in Top 3 in Cowboys history
The savvy veteran and the rookie phenom of the Cowboys receiving corps continues to impress in 2020 despite the challenges. Both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb currently are putting up numbers good enough to be in the top-3 in receptions per game throughout Cowboys history. Cooper sits at the top with 5.6 receptions per game after another five receptions on Tuesday. Next sits Terrell Owens with 5.0 receptions per game followed by Lamb who is closing in with 4.9 in his rookie season.
The Cowboys defense is one game shy of a franchise record for 20-point games
It has now been 12 straight games to start the with at least 20 points allowed by the Dallas defense, the longest in franchise history. The only time that more games have ended with 20-points or more allowed to an opponent was in 1963 when a 4-10 Cowboys squad surrendered 13 such games. Dallas has Cincinnati, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York still on their schedule and each team will have their shot at forcing the Cowboys to make some poor history.
Dallas cost Cincinnati an AFC North title in 2012
The last time that Dallas traveled to Cincinnati was on December 10, 2012 when a 40-yard game-winning Dan Bailey field goal lifted the Cowboys over the Bengals, 20-19. Tony Romo and Andy Dalton dueled in one of the better wins of Dallas' 2012 campaign over a Cincinnati team that was challenging for a division title and a first-round bye. The Bengals finished the season behind the Ravens at the top of the division with a 10-6 record and their only loss in the last eight games coming against the Cowboys. Cincinnati went on to lose their opening round matchup with the Texans for the second straight season.
No Arkansas QB Has Started Against Cowboys in 34 Years.
Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones played for the University of Arkansas, as did his son Stephen and his grandson John Stephen, who is a current member of the team. And while he's made an effort to sign a few Razorbacks to his team over the years, the Cowboys have never faced an opposing quarterback from Arkansas. That could change Sunday when Brandon Allen starts for the Bengals, who have lost No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow for the entire season.
Technically, quarterback Tarvaris Jackson started against the Cowboys in 2007. Jackson spent his first two years at Arkansas but finished his career at Alabama State. But Allen will be the first player officially from Arkansas to start against Dallas since Joe Ferguson in 1986.
Cowboys, Bengals among few teams Dalton hasn't beaten
Obviously, Andy Dalton has never beaten the Bengals, the franchise that drafted him and had him on the roster for nine years. Cincinnati is the only AFC team that Dalton hasn't beaten as a starter, something that can change this Sunday. The Cowboys, Bears, Panthers and 49ers are the other four teams Dalton has never beaten as an NFL starter. Dalton has a chance to knock off two of those teams in the next two weeks in the Bengals and 49ers.
Bengals are a historically good team on fourth down in 2020
Cincinnati offensively has converted on 17 of its 21 fourth down opportunities this season, good enough for an 81.0 percentage and a mark that sits second in the league. The Buffalo Bills (83.3) are the only team above the Bengals in that category at the moment with just six total attempts to their total. The NFL record for most converted fourth downs in a season is 20, so with four games to go, the Bengals have a chance to tie or surpass the 1996 Chicago Bears for some league history.
Cincinnati is 11-1-1 when Giovani Bernard surpasses 15 carries
In light of the recent struggles from the Cowboys defense to stop the run, even a struggling Bengals offense is licking their chops. Cincinnati veteran Giovanni Bernard has produced as one of the top receiving threats out of the backfield throughout his Bengals career, but could see more impact on the ground this week than most. When he receives at least 15 chances to tote the rock, the Bengals have put together an outstanding 11-1-1 record and are 1-0 this season when he has reached that plateau. The only game in 2020 where Bernard where he's reached the number came in the most impressive Cincinnati win of the season, Week 8 against Tennessee.
Mike McCarthy is 7-21 since he defeated the Cowboys in 2017.
Since October of 2017 when Mike McCarthy and his Green Bay Packers defeated the Cowboys 35-31, he has gone 7-21 (.333) as a head coach in the regular season. Before this mark he was 131-72 in the regular season, a win percentage that was towards the best in the league for a coach as tenured as McCarthy. Interestingly enough, his only win against Cincinnati throughout his career came in that 2017 season, a 27-24 overtime win over Andy Dalton and the Bengals, he was 0-2 prior.
