Week 12 NFL underdog report: Don't give up on Cowboys and Rams

Even without quarterback Dak Prescott, who was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a torn hamstring this week, the Cowboys still have enough talent to win games, especially against a young team like the Commanders. 

Cooper Rush may be 0-2 in relief of Prescott this year, but he won four straight games for the team in 2022, one against the Commanders. He also threw for a career-high 354 yards in a 34-10 loss to the Texans last week, with 93 of those yards going to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, the NFL’s fourth-leading receiver. 

Thanks in part to an early schedule that included the Browns, Panthers and two games against the Giants, Washington got off to a 7-2 start before losing its last two games against the Steelers and Eagles. Jayden Daniels took three sacks in each of those games, and his 50% completion percentage against the Steelers in Week 10 was a season-low for the Commanders’ rookie quarterback.

Keep in mind that Commanders head coach Dan Quinn served as the Cowboys defensive coordinator from 2021-2023. You can bet he wants to beat his old team, but Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy certainly doesn’t want to lose to a former coordinator in what’s likely his last season with Dallas. Expect him to go all-out  against his old lieutenant.

Philadelphia Eagles at L.A. Rams (+2.5)

L.A. got off to a terrible 1-4 start this year but did so without wide receivers like Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua for most of those games. More recently, the Rams are 4-1 in their last five games thanks to the return of their Pro Bowl receivers.

Since Week 8, Kupp has caught 29 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, while Nacua has 24 receptions for 338 yards and a score. 

The Eagles also have a pair of quality wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but neither found the end zone in their last two games. Brown hasn’t scored a touchdown in over a month. Smith last scored against the Jaguars in Week 9 but left last week’s game with the Commanders in obvious pain and has missed two straight practices with a hamstring injury.

Philadelphia played poorly for most of last week’s 26-18 victory over Washington. Once again, the team failed to score any points in the first quarter. It had only six points heading into the fourth quarter when running back Saquon Barkley took the game into his own hands with a pair of long touchdown runs.

Keep an eye on Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Last week, he missed two field goals as well as an extra point. Another game like that could easily cost Philadelphia the game on the road.