Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE DALLAS COWBOYS
Like most of the Cowboys' games this month, their 27-13 win over the Titans last night wasn't pretty. With it, Dallas kept its hopes of an NFC East title alive and has now won six of its past seven games.
Oh, as for that not so pretty part...
- Dallas struggled to put away a Titans team missing key contributors Derrick Henry, Jeffery Simmons, Ryan Tannehill, Denico Autry, Kristian Fulton and more.
- Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, bringing his season-long total to 14 -- tied for first in the NFL... despite him missing five games with a thumb injury.
- Ezekiel Elliott (19 carries, 37 yards) and the Cowboys' rushing offense struggled mightily with Tony Pollard (thigh) out, managing only 87 yards on 32 carries.
The path to a Dallas NFC East title is clear: the Cowboys have to beat the Commanders on the road in Week 18, and Philadelphia has to lose its final two games to the Saints and Giants, both of which are at home. In that scenario the Cowboys and Eagles would both be 13-4, and Dallas would own the tiebreaker by having a stronger divisional record.
As for the Titans, their midseason collapse has reached epic proportions. Tennessee started the year 7-3 and looked well on its way to a third-straight AFC South title. Since then, the Titans lost two straight, inexplicably fired general manager Jon Robinson, then dropped an additional four games in a row. Now 7-8, the Titans will play the red-hot Jaguars in Jacksonville next week to decide the division.
Soccer legend Pelé dies at 82 ⚽
Pelé, arguably the greatest soccer player ever, died at age 82 on Thursday after from complications of cancer and other medical issues. The Brazilian legend wasn't just a soccer legend: he is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.
Pelé will go down in history as:
- The only player to win three World Cups (1958, 1962, 1970)
- Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals -- a total Neymar has tied
- FIFA's Athlete of the 20th Century
- Brazil's first-ever Minister of Sports
Many of the biggest stars, teams and leagues in the soccer world mourned Pelé's death. Kylian Mbappé called Pelé the "king of football" and wrote that his legacy "will never be forgotten" while Neymar wrote that Pelé "changed everything" and turned soccer "into art, into entertainment."
Our experts here at CBS Sports dove deep on what Pelé meant to soccer, which was encapsulated by this, from Chuck Booth:
- Booth: "Pelé's legacy is untouchable and without him, there likely is no 2026 World Cup to look forward to in America, let alone all that came before."
NFL Week 17 picks: Bills, Bengals battle for AFC supremacy; Can Wentz lift Commanders? 🏈
The Bills and Bengals have rounded into Super Bowl contending form at the exact right time, winning six and seven consecutive games, respectively, heading into their Week 17 clash. Quarterbacks Josh Allen and Joe Burrow have been superb during those winning streaks, making their first-ever duel akin to Robert De Niro and Al Pacino meeting in "Heat."
And speaking of, Burrow may feel some extra heat this game, as starting right tackle La'el Collins will be out after suffering a season-ending knee injury against the Patriots last week. With all that in mind, our Pete Prisco foresees the Bills coming out with a W in Cincinnati.
- Prisco: "Both the Bills and Bengals have defeated the Kansas City Chiefs this season, which means the winner of this matchup will have beaten the two best teams in the conference. The Bengals haven't lost since Halloween, but they haven't been perfect. They fell behind, 17-0, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before reeling off a big comeback, and then allowed 18 unanswered from the Patriots last week. The Bengals are an incredible 12-3 ATS this season, but with this line being a single point, I'm going with the team with the better SU record. The pick: Bills -1. Projected score: Bills 30-27."
In the NFC, Commanders coach Ron Rivera turned heads when he benched the fan-favorite, Air Jordan-collecting quarterback Taylor Heinicke for the much-maligned Carson Wentz in the second half of last weekend's game against the 49ers. The QB switch didn't amount to much on the scoreboard, as San Francisco rolled to a 37-20 win, but Wentz was efficient and careful with the football, finishing 12 of 16 for 123 yards and a touchdown while avoiding any sacks or interceptions.
It earned him the start against the Browns in a crucial game for the Commanders' playoff hopes. Lucky for Wentz, he won't have to clear a very high bar to be the best passer on the field because, as Prisco wrote, the Browns offense has been the lowest-scoring one in the league since Deshaun Watson took over.
Here are all of our experts' picks:
Pete Prisco | John Breech | Jordan Dajani | Tyler Sullivan
What to know ahead of the College Football Playoff 🏈
The College Football Playoff is finally here. With No. 3 TCU battling No. 2 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl and No. 4 Ohio State taking on No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl on Saturday, we'll know who'll be playing for all the marbles by New Years morning.
Dennis Dodd made the case for the Horned Frogs advancing to the National Championship, noting that they're the only team to beat every one of its conference opponents and are adept at coming back to win no matter the deficit (they've trailed in five of their 12 victories). Our Tom Fornelli, though, gives Michigan the advantage because of the vast improvement they've had at quarterback since benching Cade McNamara for J.J. McCarthy.
- Fornelli: "Not only did McCarthy put up better passing numbers (McNamara had a passing efficiency of 141.87 with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions last season, compared to McCarthy's 155.42 rating, 20 touchdowns and three picks this season), but he's a much bigger threat with his legs. McCarthy rushed for 254 yards and four touchdowns, but he's capable of doing even more if needed. He can use his legs if a play breaks down in a way that McNamara was never capable of."
As for the Peach Bowl, Fornelli thinks the Georgia defense will overwhelm the Ohio State offense and quarterback C.J. Stroud en route to a Bulldogs victory. That line of thinking seems to be the consensus among CBS Sports' college football experts, as all but one have the Bulldogs leaving Atlanta with a ticket to the National Championship.
Here's a full list of our expert picks.
What we're watching this weekend 📺
🏈 Here's the NFL Week 17 schedule
🏈 Here's the college football bowl schedule
... and here's what to watch on Friday night
🏀 Lakers at Hawks, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Trailblazers at Warriors, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
