You can thank The Simpsons for a Monday night matchup without a playoff team — because ESPN’s alternate broadcast on Disney+ will feature an animated version of the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Dallas Cowboys.

Check out tonight’s Pats Pulpit picks below and visit the comments section to further discuss Friday night’s action.

Guide to Rooting the Patriots

Come on, cowboys! With both teams ahead of New England in the draft order, a Bengals loss would benefit the strength of the Patriots’ schedule. | 8:15 ET, ESPN, Disney+

Patriots picks

Oliver Thomas: The Bengals are 4-8 and are on track to have the same schedule as the 5-7 Cowboys in January. But Joe Burrow certainly isn’t cleaning out his locker just yet. Despite winning once in the final month of football, he averaged 336 yards per game and was intercepted twice on 183 attempts. He also threw 15 touchdowns during that span for a team that allowed 24 points to the Raiders, 35 points to the Ravens, 34 points to the Chargers and 44 points to the Steelers. | Bengals 38, Cowboys 24

Brian Hines: It was neither the season the Bengals nor the Cowboys wanted, as both entered 2024 with Super Bowl aspirations. But Cincinnati still has Joe Burrow, who leads the league with 30 touchdown passes, including 15 in his last four games, under center, while Dallas is led by Cooper Rush. | Bengals 31, Cowboys 20

If you want to choose the game yourself, visit FanDuel.