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Football

What I’m Watching: A Cowboys NFC East Title?

Plus: Luka versus Zion, and the other impressive TCU men's team faces a big road test.
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The Cowboys must defeat Washington to keep their NFC East title hopes alive. And that's only half the battle. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Happy New Year, and welcome back! This is usually about the time when I’d recap what happened since the last installment of this column, but it’s been a few weeks, and we’re not about dwelling on 2022. Forward, not backward, people. So let’s get right to this week’s action. Here’s what I’m watching in the first week of 2023:

Wednesday, 1/4—TCU men’s basketball at Baylor8 p.m., ESPN2

The nation’s eyes will be on Fort Worth’s favorite football team Monday, but this week, the story is basketball. Defeat the 12th-ranked Bears in Waco, and the No. 18 Horned Frogs get a push up the polls as well as early traction in Big XII conference play. Lose, and the much-awaited national championship game against Georgia couldn’t get here any faster.

Saturday, 1/7—Pelicans at Mavericks7 p.m., Bally Sports Southwest

Last season, Ja Morant’s Grizzlies were the young team jostling with the Mavs for control of the Southwest Division. This season, fellow 2019 draftee Zion Williamson and the Pelicans have joined the fray. But setting aside the implications in the standings—New Orleans is third in the West while Dallas has climbed up to fourth—a healthy Zion is appointment viewing on par with the very best in any sport.

Sunday, 1/9—Will the Cowboys win the NFC East?3:25 p.m., FOX

Probably not, as Dallas needs to defeat the Washington Commanders and get help via the Giants sending Philadelphia to a third straight loss to close out the regular season (this time, with MVP contender Jalen Hurts expected back in the lineup). But it’s in play. And if you want to dream huge, here’s what must go down for the Cowboys to worm their way into the top seed in the NFC:

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Mike Piellucci

Mike Piellucci

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Mike Piellucci is D Magazine's sports editor. He is a former staffer at The Athletic and VICE, and his freelance…

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