PTI - Dallas Cowboys to Miss the NFL Playoffs?

Episode Date: December 5, 2025

Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser discuss Cowboys/Lions, NFL Week 14 Preview, College Football Conference Title Game Previews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, sports fans, the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network and service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls. Visit activate.esPN.com to learn how to access your account or sign up, then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now. I'm Mike Wilbon. Bears head coach Ben Johnson is still getting attention for taking off his shirt in front of the cameras, Tony. Would you ever do that?

Tony Kornheiser, no. Not since I did those three adult films in the 70s. No, I'm not going back there. No. Those are like VHS tapes, right? They're on the shelves somewhere, wherever they're shelves. They're not exactly on the shelves. They've been burned.

Okay? They're gone. Incinerated, evaporated. No, no, no. Nobody can see that. Welcome to pizza. TIE, boys and girls. In today's episode, we will preview Saturday's college games and Sunday's NFL games, and then Taylor Twelman will handle the World Cup draw and the MLS

Cup. But we begin today with the Detroit Lions once again, getting a win in the next game after they took a loss. The Lions beat the surging Dallas Cowboys last night, 44 to 30, blowing holes in Dallas' recently solid defense. Jamir Gibbs, three touchdowns. But this was not a romp. It was a one-score game from much of the fourth quarter. Wilbon, what does this result for each team? First, what it means for the nation? It means that you and Greenie and Stephen A have to shut up for a while,

except I'm sure you'll come up with a petition that says the Cowboys should just be waived into the playoffs for your storytelling purposes. Just put them above Ohio State and Indiana. So I'm sure you guys will come up with that. But the rest of us who are a little more reasonable about this, here's what it means. Get the Cowboys out of here.

9% they've got to run the table, which they won't do, and get help. They were feisty, good for them. But their defense went back to a place it was where I saw them in person here in Chicago where the bears gashed them for more than 40. They're not good enough to be in the playoffs. They're not good enough to be a threat. I'm not sure whether Detroit is or not, but Detroit at least took a step in the right direction. and now they'll deal for the next four weeks with the Bears and Packers,

and that will be a real storyline, and we can get the Dallas Cowboys to hell off the stage. Yeah, I mean, look, you know, I know what I've said about the Cowboys. I know I said I was fixated on the Cowboys, and I was fixated on the Cowboys, and I wish they would run the table, because, in fact, they're great fun to watch. They score a lot of points, and they give up a lot of points, and it's very, very entertaining. And Dak Prescott is very good.

but I also said it be an elimination game. So they're out. I accept that they're out. The thing about Detroit that always impressed me is this thing where they win after they lose. This is the 15th straight time, Mike, that they have won the next game after losing a game. That ties the NFL record of all time.

They've done it over the last three years when they were a playoff team. My problem with them and what stumps me about them is I think they should be better than they are, on offense and defense. I like them, but they lose a lot of games. You can say they lose to high-quality teams, twice to the Packers this year, once to the Eagles, ones to the Chiefs.

They're high-quality teams. But it's a lot of games that they have lost. And the fact of the matter is, when you go to the playoffs, you draw a good team. And if you lose, you can't come back the next week to win the game because you're out. So that's what I'll say. And Tony, also, when you lose your starting safety and they've had injuries last year to undermine that team, and now they could be on that road again, I hope they're not. even though I want to see the Bears beat them.

I don't want to see them succumb to injuries like they did last year. We've got more compelling matchups to come this weekend. The Colts and Jags meet in an AFC South matchup of 8 and 4 teams. The Steelers and Ravens meet in a battle of the two six and six teams atop the AFC North. And the Bears and Packers meet with first place in the NFC Central on the line. Tony, which of this weekend's NFL matchups is of the biggest contest? to you. I'm going to stay away from the Packers and the Bears.

That is your account. I'm going to leave all of that to you. And I'm going to go off the board here because to me, the most consequential game is Houston at Kansas City. If Houston wins that game, Kansas City is not going to make the playoffs. Kansas City hasn't missed the playoffs since 2014. And in the interim, they have won three Super Bowls and they've been to five. they're offensive line they got two starters who are doubtful

for this game that's bad and Houston has a great defense if Houston beats them that is the biggest news out here if Kansas City's not in the playoffs that is the biggest news the other reaction I have is to the Steelers Baltimore game and it's for first

place in a division but neither team has been very good this year I'm going to take it from a different angle if Baltimore would beat Pittsburgh let's say by two touchdowns or more I think you'd hear a much bigger drumbeat as to Mike Tomlin not being in Pittsburgh next year. So I think this could be a consequential game for his career there, though I don't necessarily, I know Lamar Jackson is cleared to play, but he hasn't been himself.

So I don't necessarily think Baltimore is going to win. That's why Baltimore, Pittsburgh is the most important of these results to come. I agree with you on Kansas City, by the way. And the times that the Chiefs fall or falter, it's almost, always due to the offensive line, you know, having some issue, being vulnerable, and the offensive line seems like it'll wander into Sunday's game with some vulnerability. Tony Lamar Jackson, you know, I've been looking at this all year, fretting over Lamar Jackson, not being the nuclear Lamar Jackson we've seen for the last six or seven years.

He's not that dude. Maybe it's temporary because the injury, maybe not. But Tony, that's the game with his urgency, because that window's closing. If Baltimore can't get through it now, to me, they're done. And we know Pittsburgh between Tomlin and the questions there, between 87-year-old quarterback, Aaron Rogers. That game has some urgency to it now. Now, I'll just quickly mention another quarterback. Joe Burrow is going to play in Buffalo.

The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-0 when he plays. Three and 0. Maybe he can make it 4-0. Let's move to college football in the conference championship games this week. There are four tonight, including Tulane and North Texas in the American Championship. James Madison goes tonight in the Sunbelt Championship. All those teams I just mentioned are ranked. There are five tomorrow, including Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Indiana, BYU, Texas Tech, and Duke, Virginia.

Wilbon, how much does this weekend still matter, and which game is the most interesting to you? Tony, I think the glut of games is still pretty cool. I'm going to try to watch a lot of them, and maybe parts of all of them. And I'm not going to say the weekend means as much as it did 10 or 12 years ago when the conference championship seems to have more weight and urgency like a team might fall out and not be able to make it. But I think the matchups are pretty cool. And you know what?

I'm not so jaded. And I'm jaded about college football in some ways. But I'm not so jaded that I'm not interested in Ohio State in Indiana, one versus two. What the hell? One versus two. It used to be that we didn't even get that matchup all the time. We didn't get those two teams at the top of the polls facing each other every single year.

Ohio State, Indiana, that's what I'm most fired up for. I agree. I agree with that. You know, and even though it's your Big Ten account, I agree with that. I will say that we are not going to know how much this matters until Sunday when they have the final poll from the college football ranking committee. And then we're going to pay attention to Alabama if they lose. because you want to see if a three-loss Alabama team would move ahead of, say, Notre Dame with two losses. And I think that's what the committee started to do by putting Alabama ahead of Notre Dame to say,

we won't penalize you if you lose a conference championship, because you got to a conference championship. The most consequential one other than that, to me, is Duke in Virginia. Because if Duke gets in, they're not getting into the playoff, not with five losses, even if they win. Now, Virginia should win. Virginia, I think last month, beat Duke at Duke 3417. But if Duke wins, you're going to see two group of five teams and no ACC teams. That's my opinion anyway. That's, I believe, the way it was set up.

I do. No, 30, I don't disagree with you on that. Duke, Virginia, who thought that game was going to have any juice at all? Right. And Virginia should have put this away a couple of weeks ago and they have. You know what, Mike? I think it's the most impactful game, but that doesn't mean a lot. want to see it. Let's take a break. Coming up, the World Cup draw was completed this afternoon.

We're going to ask Taylor Twelman to break down Team USA's early path. We're also going to ask him about your boy, Messi, and enter Miami's matchup against Vancouver tomorrow in the MLS Cup. I'm sure you'll be just locked in on that one. Well, no, you're Mr. Soccer. You go to the Premier League. You know the names of all the teams. No, I go to the Premier League. I like going to the Premier League. I like going to the Premier League. League, yes, I do. And World Cup. Yes. I went to World Cup to Moscow. Yes.

The World Cup draw was completed today and we've got the MLS Cup tomorrow. So there's no better time to have with us the lead analyst for MLS season pass on Apple TV Mr. Taylor Twelman in studio. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Let's start with this. You guys aren't.

Thanks for having me. Appreciate this. Yeah, well, we like you, but we don't like you that much. Okay. Here we go. The Americans, group D, they will play Paraguay, Australia, and the winner of playoff C in group play, and I just got lost on that. But the larger question is, what are your thoughts on the American's early path in the World Cup?

Tony, Michael, I think you can make an argument right now that this is the most favorable group in the history of the U.S. Men's national team history in the World Cup. Keep in mind, recent memory will tell you. They played Paraguay. They played Australia. They beat both of those teams. Yes, they were friendlies.

Yes, they were in this country. teams are beatable. Now, I think the playoff team that fills out the group, that may throw it a little bit of a wrinkle. Turkey's a difficult team that haven't played Romania since 1994, but the overarching thing right now is the United States

hosting a World Cup. I don't think you could have got a better group. Wow, that's good to hear. All right, but let's zero in on our team, our team for a second. We had you on a few months ago. You were at the time critical of the United States team. and the trajectory at the time. Yep.

Give us an update, Taylor. Are you still in that place? Do you feel better about this team? And how much of that answer deals with coaching? 95% of it deals with coaching, Michael. And I think I specifically remember when you asked that question a few months ago, I was begging Maricio Pochantino to change the formation, to play to the player's strengths.

Since he's done that, they have beaten top quality opponents. The players look more confident. the players look more comfortable. Now, in saying that, there's not a ton of games leading into the World Cup. And so when you look at the friendlies of 2026, he's going to have to maximize those opportunities to understand which partnerships, which relationships he wants all over the field. But you two have asked me multiple times how confident I am within this group. The talent is there, but the coach has to push the right buttons.

I'd say over the last two months, he's pushed every right button for me. and I think that continues into next year. Okay, that is good news for the United States team for now. Let's broaden this out a little bit because you can't have this sort of day and not immediately start thinking about group of death and if there is such a thing and who it might be and knowing as little as I do,

I looked immediately at England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama and thought, is that it? Let me ask Taylor, is that it? Is there such a thing in this draw? I remember what was it 10 years ago. We were doing the 2013, 12 years ago, 2013 World Cup drawl, and I was actually with you guys, and we did a couple of SportsCenter hits.

The group of death was a lot easier to pick. The United States was with Portugal, Germany, Ghana, England, Italy, Uruguay. But that's because, Michael, there's 32 teams. With 48 teams, I don't think you're wrong in the essence that Croatia, Ghana, and England, all three rightfully so capable of getting out of their group. But you also got to remember with 48 teams. teams. If I'm not mistaken, eight third place teams go through. So the group of death is laid a

little bit lower in my order of importance, for lack of a better way to put it, but it's more so when you win your group. And this is the most important thing I'm going to say on your show about the World Cup. England, France, Spain, Argentina. Those are the top four teams ranked in FIFA. If all four win their group, all four will not play each other until the semifinal. So the way the 48 team draw has laid out, they're rewarding the top four teams of the world. If you're successful, you're not going to play any of the other four when in a 32 team World Cup, those two teams would probably play in the quarterfinals. All right, that leads me to a quick follow-up.

Are we going to see Messi? Is this a done deal? Are you believing Messi's going to play once again on final time in World Cup competition? I'll be shocked if he doesn't play, Michael. and listen, I'll be literally on a plane after this show going to MLS Cup tomorrow where he'll lead enter Miami at home. The point is this.

Over the last four or five days, he's kind of leaked it out that he's 50-50 in playing the World Cup. Michael, what's their group real quick? Yep, we don't even need to mention it. It's the easiest group that was drawn into the World Cup. Messi will look at that, knowing that he's got to play in eight games

for Argentina to win a World Cup. They now can navigate that group a little bit, In rest him, I'll be stunned if Messi doesn't play for Argentina next summer. We will get you out of here on this, and we're back to Leonel Messi now, because it is the MLS Cup. It's tomorrow. Vancouver at Leonel Messi and the rest of Inter Miami. What do you think of this matchup?

You're going to call it. It's one of the best matchups, Tony, because Vancouver beat Miami twice this season. So around the world, everyone's going to be watching the game, expecting Messi to win a trophy. Rightfully so. He's the greatest of all time. But Vancouver's already beat them twice. But for Leonel Messi at age 38 to have 61 goal contributions in regular season in the playoffs,

guys, I've heard you many a times talking about the Muhammad Ali's, the Michael Jordans, the Tiger Woods. I'm seeing it firsthand. I think the next 10, 15, 20 years of my life, I'll be telling my kids and grandkids that I was in the building to see the best ever. Thank you, Taylor. It's a pleasure to have you. You should have worn pink, but thank you. I wore pants.

Did you, Michael? Yes. Okay, Tony? Yes. I have pants. I have pants. Let's take one last break. We don't know if he's wearing them.

Our thoughts on how LeBron's streak of scoring at least 10 points per game came to an end. And Penn State might have finally convinced somebody, anybody, to take their head coaching job. I'm not a soccer guy, Wilbon. You're our soccer guy. But Taylor Twelman is a great guest. We have a soccer guy. He's a great guest. Does this mean Ronaldo wants to play?

Has he made an announcement? Is he playing two? No, he's going to announce that he's got two names now and not just Ronaldo. Happy time, people. Happy 34th birthday Christian Yellich. Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter had 29 home runs, 103 RBI. Thated 264 this past season on the team with the best record in baseball.

But the Brewers were swept in the NLCS by the Dodgers after beating the Cubs in a divisional series. Yelich was drafted by the Marlins in 2010, played five seasons in Miami. He was then dealt to Milwaukee in 2018, where he immediately won the National League MVP. That year, Yelich won the batting title hitting 326, 36 home runs and a career high 110 RBI. The following year, Yelich had a career high 44 homers, a lead leading 329 batting average. and a major league leading 1.1.000 OPS, and he didn't win the MVP. Cody Bellinger did for the Dodgers. Yeah, he probably should have won his second MVP, Tony.

And is it possible as great as those numbers are and as great as Yellich is that he's underrated? And I guess that would be because he plays in Milwaukee now and other people playing more glamorous spots. But I'll take Yellich in my lineup anytime, anytime. Yeah, me too, but I don't think he's underrated. I think he's had a very good career. Not Hall of Fame, but a very good career. Happy anniversary, Troy Palomolum. On this day, 15 years ago,

with Pittsburgh trailing Baltimore by four points late in the game, the Steelers' safety came from the blind side and executed textbook strips act of Joe Flackham. Pittsburgh capitalized on that turnover, winning the game and clinching the AFC North on their way to a Super Bowl run. These two rivals meet this Sunday, as we've discussed, though neither looks like a Super Bowl contender now.

After being a first round pick in 2003, Palomalo played all 12 seasons of his NFL career in Pittsburgh where he was a two-time Super Bowl champion. In 2010, he was defensive player of the year and four times he was first team all pro. Palomalo's in the Hall of Fame. And now he does Head and Shoulders commercials with Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, I mean, Palo Malu must have a great agent.

Because, you know, I mean, how many defensive players wind up doing commercials at all? and Palomalu's on more than one. I think he's on more than that one, so good for him. Yeah, I would say more than having a great agent, he has great hair, and that's why he's in it, and that's why you and I are not. Happy Trails to LeBron's double-digit point streak. It ended last night at 1,297 games,

as LeBron scored just eight points in a win over the Raptors. LeBron had the ball in his hands and could have taken a shot to extend the streak, but instead passed it to Rui Hachamora, who buried the game-winning three at the buzzer. LeBron made the pass, as he has done throughout his career. He has made shots, but he has always made the pass. When asked for his thoughts about the streak ending, LeBron said, quote, none, we won, unquote. I thought that was classy.

The streak went nearly 400 games longer than the second longest streak by some fella named Michael Jordan. Yeah, I want to dig into that testimony today from NASCAR from Michael Jordan later on. Tony LeBron always makes the right play. He made the right play when he passed a Donnell Marshall 109 years ago, and people questioned that, whether it's the shot, the past, the block from chasing behind. LeBron James has been a lifetime making the right play. It's almost 1,300 games in a row. That's more games than anybody else has played just about.

Amazing. Let's go to the big finish. Penn State is closing in on Iowa State's Matt Campbell as its new head football coach. Is that a good hire? He's a three-time Big 12 coach of the year. Good record at Iowa State, which is a tough place. It seems like it. Jane Daniels, your boy, will return for the commanders

while Kyler Murray of the Cardinals is out for the season. What's the bigger deal? Well, the bigger deal is Jayden Daniels because he's playing. He's not sitting out. I'm surprised. I didn't think they put him back in. I really didn't. Connor McDavid had a hat trick and an assist

as the Oilers beat the Cracken. Is that significant? It's not really the oil. Oilers are 12, 11, and 5. That's more important. That part about the Oilers, not McDavid's score. Rory, whiffed on a shot, but still made the cut at the Aussie Open. You're impressed with that?

I can relate to one part of it, the whiffing, not making the cut at the Australian open. Last one, the Thunder goes for their 14th winning a row tonight. Do you like their chances? I do, but when Anthony Davis is in that Maverick's lineup, they're better. I'm just saying, we're out of time. we will try to do better the next time. I'm Tony Cornhusch. I'm Mike Wilbon.

Have a great weekend.