There’s CeeDee Lamb, one arm hanging to the ground, getting in and out of the game. Surely he’s playing for something.

There’s Donovan Wilson flying around the ball, slapping Mike Evans on the backside here, and diving into Baker Mayfield over there.

Micah Parsons fought through double teams and even triple teams and had Mayfield running for his life the entire second half.

I get it, that’s what they get paid for. So should we really celebrate them for trying so hard? And the answer to that is yes!

As much as it kills some fans and media to do this, head coach Mike McCarthy should get a lot of credit for the way he continues to get his team ready to play. What has been bothering you all season? It was about preparation. This team couldn’t score a touchdown in the first or third quarter to save its life, and now the Cowboys are striking first, building a lead and, better yet, finding a way to hang on.

It definitely wasn’t a pretty game at times, apart from the last three kneeldowns that preceded the Landry substitution. We know what that means; it means victory formation, and that’s always nice, especially this season.

Again, if you’re one of those worried about draft position, I can’t help you. Just don’t forget how many of the team’s players are currently in a contract year – 26 to be exact – and how most of the coaches are in the final years of their contracts. So while many fans are thinking about getting better next year, some of these players and coaches are fighting for jobs, whether here or elsewhere.

But either way, this fight was obvious.

I just can’t get over CeeDee and what he does. I had a chance to talk to him for a few minutes earlier this week and just passed along a lot of what I’ve heard from fans on my podcast. Cowboy’s StoryLine. I just wanted him to know how much the fans appreciate the way he continues to fight through the pain, if he didn’t already know. And we all saw it again on Sunday night.