NFL Christmas Eve Takeaways: Cowboys defence steps up, Bills are winter warriors

It looked like Minshew Mania was going to be the story of the day, but the Dallas Cowboys' defence had other ideas.

With potential NFL MVP Jalen Hurts out with a sprained throwing shoulder, the Philadelphia Eagles turned to everybody's favourite backup quarterback -- Gardner Minshew -- for the marquee game on Christmas Eve against the host Cowboys.

While Minshew certainly gave his team a chance, the Cowboys' defence came up big down the stretch -- forcing two turnovers that led to a pair of field goals for the final points in a 40-34 win.

Dallas rookie DaRon Bland fought hard for the ball to make a huge interception with the game tied at 34-34, leading to Brett Maher's 48-yard field goal. It was Bland's sixth interception of the season.

On the Eagles' next possession, Carlos Watkins recovered a Miles Sanders fumble. The Cowboys then settled for a short field goal by Maher, an ex-CFLer, to go up six.

The Eagles still had a chance with less than two minutes left, but their drive stalled at the Cowboys' 20-yard line. The turnover on downs was the fifth turnover of the afternoon by Philly.

Minshew threw for 355 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. You can't ask for much more from a backup QB.

A sixth-round pick by Jacksonville, 'The Stache' became an improbable fan favourite in 2019 when he put up strong numbers with the Jaguars after starter Nick Foles was hurt.

But a thumb injury combined with losses ended the feel-good story in 2020 and Minshew was traded to the Eagles prior to the '21 season.

Minshew, who wasn't exactly in the spotlight prior to his time in the NFL (Northwest Mississippi Community College, East Carolina, Washington State), likely will fade into the background once the playoffs start.

The Eagles (13-2) still are in a good spot. If they win one of their final two games, they take first in the NFC. Obviously, the health of Hurts will be worth watching this week.

The Cowboys (11-4), meanwhile, are likely to be the No. 5 seed.

Sign us up now for a potential Cowboys-Eagles second-round playoff clash.

The Buffalo Bills are getting used to bad weather impacting their lives.

First, there was a home game against the Cleveland Browns moved to Detroit last month because of a fierce lake-effect snowstorm in Orchard Park, N.Y. Then, there was another lake-effect snowstorm last Saturday night with the white stuff coming down hard in the fourth quarter against the Miami Dolphins and fans being warned to stop tossing snowballs on the field.

As if that wasn't enough, the Bills had to leave Buffalo a day early this week for their game in Chicago to avoid what some think might be the worst storm in the city's history -- even bigger than the famous Blizzard of '77.

The AFC-leading Bills, meanwhile, have won all three games dramatically affected by weather -- the latest a 35-13 win over the Bears in one of the coldest games in Chicago in NFL history.

But the Bills didn't get to celebrate clinching the AFC East title for a third year in a row on a plane ride home -- and won't spend much of Christmas with their families. The Buffalo airport is closed until at least Monday. The Bills planned to stay overnight in Chicago and hope to fly back to nearby Rochester, N.Y. on Sunday and bus back to Buffalo.

While that may seem like a lot, Bills coach Sean McDermott put things in perspective afterward when talking to Buffalo reporters. At least three people have died as a result of the storm in the Buffalo area

'Respectfully for us, I don't want us thinking, 'oh, whoa is us,'" McDermott said, per Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. "I mean there are a lot of military people who aren't able to come home at all right now or people out there -- emergency workers. I mean, yes, it's a shame we can't get home, but there are a lot of people who have got it a lot worse than we do out there, including some people back home right now."

The good news for the Bills is they don't play again until next Monday night -- a huge showdown against the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals.

The New England Patriots were known for attention to detail for their two-decade run as the NFL's best franchise.

Times sure have changed.

After a horrific start -- the Patriots didn't cross midfield on offence until late in the third quarter -- New England did cut a 22-0 deficit to 22-18 against the Bengals.

What's more, the Patriots got the ball to the Bengals' five-yard line with less than two minutes left and the Bengals having no timeouts.

But then, disaster. Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled on a handoff, ending the scoring threat -- and the Bengals hung on for their seventh win in a row. This is the same Stevenson who started the Patriots' bizarre lateral sequence last week, leading to a defensive walk-off touchdown for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Bill Belichick's Patriots are now 7-8 and are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time since Tom Brady left three seasons ago.

Canadian running back Chuba Hubbard helped the Carolina Panthers notch a huge 37-23 win over the Detroit Lions.

The native of Sherwood Park, Alta., rushed for more a pair of 30-plus-yard runs on his first two attempts and finished with 125 yards on 12 carries.

Fellow Panthers running back D'Onta Foreman rushed for 165 yards as the Panthers put themselves in great position.

If the Panthers (6-9) win their final two games, they'll win the NFC East. Not bad for a team that fired head coach Matt Rhule earlier this year.

The Minnesota Vikings (12-3) won their 11th one-score game of the season when Greg Joseph hit a 61-yard field goal as time expired for a 27-24 victory over the New York Giants. Just one week earlier, the Vikings posted the biggest comeback win in NFL history against the Cleveland Browns. The Vikings are must-watch TV, led by phenomenal receiver Justin Jefferson (who broke Randy Moss' single-season receiving record on Sunday). ... The Baltimore Ravens, with Tyler Huntley at QB, clinched a playoff spot with their win over Atlanta and Cincinnati's victory over New England. That might put a bit less pressure on the Ravens to hurry back the return of injured star QB Lamar Jackson. Yes, those are the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the AFC South after the free-falling Tennessee Titans managed to lose to the lowly Houston Texans. The Jaguars host the Titans in the final week of the season -- and the winner takes the division. ... Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera pulled QB Taylor Heinicke and inserted Carson Wentz in the second half of a 37-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Rivera, whose team is clinging to the final playoff spot in the NFC, wouldn't name a starter for next week afterward. ... The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a late 13-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was an emotional win for the Steelers and their fans, as the team retired Franco Harris' No. 32 at halftime with his widow and son in attendance.