Grueling stretch of schedule continues as Cowboys are up next for the Bills: What to know
KANSAS CITY - Having just conquered one of the best teams in the NFL with their 20-17 victory over Kansas City to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Buffalo Bills will have to do it again Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium against an even better team: The Dallas Cowboys.
We all knew how difficult the Bills’ schedule was going to be in the second half of the season, and they are in the teeth of it right now.
They lost at Philadelphia in Week 12, then went through a distraction-laden bye week and Chiefs prep week before heading to Arrowhead Stadium where they won for the third year in a row to improve to 7-6 and join a logjam of six teams tied with that record in the AFC wild-card playoff race.
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Now, the 10-3 Cowboys are coming to Orchard Park, having just moved into first place in the NFC East with a resounding 33-13 blowout of the Eagles that was every bit as impressive as it looked.
The Cowboys have not been to an NFC Championship Game since 1995, the year they won their last Super Bowl. Once known as America’s Team, the Cowboys have been to the playoffs only five times since 2009 which happens to be as often as the Bills have gone to the postseason in that span.
However, after years of underachieving, this Jerry Jones-owned team is loaded on both sides of the ball and is without question a legitimate Super Bowl contender, though it will likely have to find a way to get past the clear-cut No. 1 contender, the 49ers.
Sunday night’s blowout of the Eagles was the eighth game this season that Dallas has won by at least 20 points. Only three other teams in the Super Bowl era have at least that many in one season, and they all went to the Super Bowl in that season: The 1996 Brett Favre Packers, the 1999 Kurt Warner Rams, and the 2007 Tom Brady Patriots.
“Great challenge coming up this week,” Bills center Mitch Morse said after the Bills defeated Kansas City.
Here’s an early look ahead to the Bills vs Cowboys matchup:
Top players for Dallas Cowboys on offense, defense
▶ QB Dak Prescott: He is now among the favorites to win the NFL’s MVP award. Prescott has become an elite player and this season he has completed 69.3% of his passes with 28 TD passes compared to six interceptions for a passer rating of 107.5.
▶ RB Tony Pollard: The Cowboys had no problem moving on from RB Ezekiel Elliott because Pollard was more than ready to become the No. 1 back. He has rushed for 796 yards, caught 49 passes for 285 yards and has five total TDs.
▶ WR CeeDee Lamb: Lamb has risen into the conversation of best WR in the NFL. He has five games of at least 10 catches, six with at least 100 yards, and for the year has 96 receptions (second in the NFL) for 1,253 yards (third-most) and eight TDs.
▶ WR Brandin Cooks: He has been a solid running mate for Lamb and has 39 catches for 534 yards and five TDs.
▶ TE Jake Ferguson: You don’t hear much about him because of all the star power, but he’s actually the Cowboys’ second-leading pass catcher with 51 for 570 yards and five TDs.
▶ LB Micah Parsons: Some believe he’s the top candidate to win NFL defensive player of the year, though Browns fans will surely argue for Myles Garrett. Parsons is a true game-wrecker as he has 12.5 sacks, 83 QB pressures, a forced fumble and a recovery. Chris Jones of the Chiefs nearly killed the Bills, and Parsons could do the same.
▶ DE DeMarcus Lawrence: Now 31, Lawrence remains a stud as he’s second behind Parsons in Cowboys QB pressures with 39 and that includes four sacks. He also owns Pro Football Focus’ best grade on the Cowboys defense for run defense.
▶ CB Daron Bland: The player who took over for Stefon Diggs’ injured brother, Trevon, has been a revolutionary player as he already has set a single-season NFL record with six interception returns for TDs this year. However, there are also times when he can be taken advantage of in coverage.
▶ CB Stephon Gilmore: The former Bills’ first-round draft pick has bounced around the league a bit, but even at 33 years old he’s still a very good player as he has allowed a completion percentage against of 50% this season.
Who is favored to win Bills vs Cowboys?
The Bills have opened as a 1.5-point favorite for the game. The money line is Bills minus-125 (bet $125 to win $100) and Cowboys plus-105 (bet $100 to win $105). The over-under is 48.5.
What time does the Bills vs Cowboys game start?
Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Dallas Cowboys game on TV, streaming
∎ Cable/Network TV: FOX. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WUHF (Channel 12, Rochester), WUTV (Buffalo area), WSYT (Syracuse area), WFXV (Utica area), WYDC (Elmira area), WXXA (Albany area), and WICZ (Binghamton area).
∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.
∎ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, NFL+, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Cowboys game
You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius channel 82 and XM channel 227 (Bills feed) and Sirius channel 139 and XM channel 382 (Cowboys feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:
Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana and on Threads @salmaiorana1. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who do the Bills play next? Game vs Cowboys up next in playoff chase
