The last three Dallas Cowboys games have had “biggest win of the year” tagged to them after the clock hit zero, but their Week 13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs may be the one that keeps that title.
It was the team’s third consecutive win, and it put them over .500 for the first time this season; plus, it could come in as the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history.
In short, Thanksgiving 2025 was quite the day for these Cowboys, and for a few specific guys, it may be the game that propels them into bigger roles.
On both the offensive and defensive sides, we once again saw a mixture of young and old propel Dallas to victory, and it’s about time those players saw an increase in playing time. Here, we’ll look at the top three guys who fit into this description.
1. Malik Davis: Ease Javonte Williams’ Workload, Let The Underdog Shine
The Cowboys’ offensive player with the lowest number of snaps played yesterday was Malik Davis with nine. You could also argue he was the single most effective guy to play, despite that low snap count.
Davis, 27, has been scrapping to make a career in the NFL for years, and his 43-yard touchdown against Kansas City was the biggest boost to his stock yet.
https://twitter.com/espn/status/1994176201959608719
Number 43 running for 43 was the highlight of his football life, no question, but that was just yet another example of him playing really well. Over the last three weeks, Davis has rushed for five, eight, and most recently, 15.7 yards per carry.
At the same time, Javonte Williams is handling a huge workload that could soon wear him out. It only makes sense that Davis earns more snaps in accordance with that fact and his own performance.
The more that Dallas can incorporate Davis, and even Hunter Luepke down the stretch, the better Williams will be when they need him most.
2. Jadeveon Clowney: Veteran Keeps Dominating In Limited Role
It is fair to say Jadeveon Clowney dominated the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday. It is also fair to say that in the 2025 season, one of the oldest players on Dallas’s roster has played far beyond expectations.
At 32 years old, the former first overall pick is balling out in his first season as a Cowboy, and it’s far past time to reward him.
Clowney recorded 29 defensive snaps on Turkey Day, which surpassed most of his EDGE counterparts, but rookie Donovan Ezeriruaku recorded 41 in the game.
I would expect to see him in the 30+ snap range going forward this season; the only thing that may hold him back from that is if Dallas prefers to preserve his legs, given his older age and career workload.
3. James Houston: Fan-Favorite’s Big Comeback Season Continues
It seems like every week, Cowboys fans and players find themselves saying, “Man, that’s James Houston!”
The NFL veteran and fan-favorite in Dallas continues his comeback season every week, and their Thanksgiving matchup against the Chiefs was no different. In fact, some metrics show him as the single best-performing Cowboy of the day in Week 13.
Houston, a former Lion and Brown, is cementing himself as a long-term piece for Dallas by the day. It’s only right that he starts getting snaps that reflect that, as he came in with 19 on Thursday; this number matched Sam Williams, and trailed Dante Fowler Jr.
Clowney, Ezeiruaku, and Houston keep looking like the best pass-rushers on the roster, and Fowler and Williams work great as rotational guys behind them.
The Cowboys as a whole are looking better by the week, and elevating these three guys to more prominent roles will only boost their momentum. Not to mention, Houston has a revenge game upcoming against his former home in Detroit.
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Agree with all three, especially Davis. That TD run was fantastic. He has some speed and juking ability. Nice compliment to the power of JW.
Lol, after years of merciless suffering from front office moves, they did hit on some things. with 1 being poor decisions and 10 being great ones, included in the valuation $$$s. Houston’s signing is a 9, Logan Wilson a 5 (due to the vast upgrade that even a slightly below-average LB brought to the corps), Clowney 6, trading Micha started out as a 2 but is now closer to 5 given Qunnin’s difference and still possessing two #1s, with Pickens for a #3 apparently being a 10.
Malik Davis is becoming what the Cowboys were hoping for Jaydon Blue. Alas, Blue will probably be let go after the season concludes.