Nicole Santos: "Giants won a shootout they had no business winning. Milton outgained Dart 348 to 206 and Dallas controlled the line, but New York's defense got 4 sacks and forced the one turnover that mattered—that's the only reason an 8-point win feels earned instead of lucky."

The Giants beat the Cowboys 34-26 in a shootout where Dallas had more firepower but New York had better discipline. Joe Milton threw for 348 yards and 3 touchdowns against just 1 interception, and CeeDee Lamb caught 6 passes for 128 yards and a score, but it wasn't enough to overcome the 4 sacks Dallas surrendered while New York's defense delivered just 1. Jaxson Dart managed 206 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 of 35, a modest line that worked because the Giants ran for 133 yards on a night when Dallas could only muster 74 on the ground. The margin was 8 points; the story was turnover management and what happens when one team converts field position into points and the other doesn't.

Riley Parker: "The Jets won a game where the Cowboys threw the ball 69% of the time against a defense that sacked them 4 times, and that 8-point gap in sacks is what separates a 6-point win from a much closer fight. New York took what Dallas wanted to give them." Jeff Epstein: "New York's been building something with Milton and Hall—this win doesn't break character, it deepens it. The Jets are exactly what they've looked like all season, and now Dallas has to explain why it's not."

The Jets beat the Cowboys 23-17 in Week 13, controlling the game through a decisive turnover advantage and ground attack. New York forced 2 giveaways while committing just 1, and outrushed Dallas 121 to 64 yards on the ground. Cade Klubnik completed 23 of 36 passes for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns against 1 interception, while Joe Milton managed 18 of 37 for 253 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception for the Cowboys. The Jets out-gained Dallas 427 to 317 total yards and sacked the Cowboys 4 times.

Cowboys 34, Eagles 31. Nobody watching sat down. Joe Milton did the damage for Cowboys — 25/41, 281 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. Jalen Hurts threw for Eagles — 26/39, 267 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT — in a losing effort. Joe Milton has now cleared 250 passing yards in 7 in a row. Total yards: Cowboys 368, Eagles 323.

Kayla James: "Dallas put on a clinic—Dak Prescott with 4 touchdown passes and the Cowboys scoring 49 points speaks to an offense that simply could not be stopped, which is the kind of afternoon that matters come playoff time." Charlie Kirkster: "The clinic part is fair, but this is not a surprise—Dallas has outscored opponents by 8.6 points per game all season, while Tampa Bay's expected win rate sits at 21 percent, meaning a performance this lopsided was baked into the matchup from the start."

Dallas dismantled Tampa Bay 49-6, with Dak Prescott throwing 4 touchdown passes on 21 of 35 completions for 293 yards while the Cowboys controlled the line of scrimmage across both sides. Ryan Flournoy caught 5 passes for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Javonte Williams ran for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries as Dallas piled up 433 total yards against a Buccaneers defense that managed just 1 sack. Tampa Bay's offense managed only 143 passing yards and 62 rushing yards, turning the ball over 3 times, and couldn't crack the end zone in a 43-point rout.

Dallas beat Los Angeles 41-33, and the difference was on the ground and in the trenches. The Cowboys ran for 131 yards while the Chargers managed 6, and Quinnen Williams made that advantage felt with 3 sacks as Dallas's pass rush got home 7 times total. Justin Herbert stayed efficient through the air with 368 yards and 3 touchdowns, but 3 interceptions and the constant pressure forced Los Angeles into a one-dimensional attack that Joe Milton and the Cowboys defense ultimately controlled.