The Dallas Cowboys have a lot to figure out tonight

This is the Morning Win, by Andy Nesbitt.

It's been a weird NFL season so far, right?

We've seen the Chiefs get off to a very slow start before turning it on as of late and looking like the dominant team we've seen the past few years.

We've seen the Los Angeles Rams go all in and then fall what looks like completely apart.

And then there are the Dallas Cowboys. You know, the team that is always a soap opera no matter where they fall in the standings.

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Well, they will have a lot on their plate tonight when they face the Saints in New Orleans because another loss is not what this team needs right now, especially if they lose to a team that has Taysom Hill as their starting QB.

I say the Cowboys have a lot to figure out tonight because they do - after ripping off six straight wins to go to 6-1, they lost three of their four games in November and are now well off the pace of getting the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They're still atop the NFC East and will win that division because that division stinks but this team wants a lot more than a division title and their fans expect so much more than a division title.

This is December, now. This is when the really good teams need to make their moves and get everything in place for the playoffs. You can't afford to stumble in December. Just. Can't. Happen.

Jerry Jones' team has done this before - started hot, got the attention of everyone and then crashed down to earth - and out of contention - in a hurry. This team's recent skid is all too familiar for Dallas fans and it's one that needs to come to an end ASAP.

Remember how good the Cowboys looked against the Patriots in that overtime win in which Dak Prescott and the offense were pretty much unstoppable? Is that the real Cowboys team? Is that team going to come back to life?

Dallas, as a lot of teams, has been affected by COVID this season. They'll be without their coach, Mike McCarthy, because of it tonight. But they will get back wide receiver Amari Cooper, who missed the last two games after testing positive for COVID.

They will also get back CeeDee Lamb, who missed last week due to a concussion. So the offense will have the main pieces back but will it be able to get back up to the cruising speed that we saw earlier in the year?

The Cowboys love the spotlight. Always have, always will. Tonight they will find themselves right there again, facing a Saints team with nothing to lose.

The soap opera continues. As a former Cowboys WR would say - get your popcorn ready.

Quick hits: Week 13 NFL picks… The MLB lockout, explained… NHL star's new look… and more.

- Charles Curtis, Charles McDonald, and Prince Grimes have their NFL Week 13 picks against the spread.

- MLB is in a lockout. What does that mean? Allow my pal Charles Curtis to explain.

- Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews looks really different after shaving off his mustache.

- Get ready for another week of fantasy football with Charles Curtis' Week 13 studs, duds, and sleepers.