{"id":684616,"date":"2026-01-17T17:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T17:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/684616\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T17:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T17:28:17","slug":"why-dallas-cowboys-fans-should-root-hard-for-buffalo-bills-on-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/684616\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Dallas Cowboys fans should root hard for Buffalo Bills on Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6b\">For the second year in a row, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> fans are unable to watch their team in the NFL playoffs. That doesn&#8217;t mean they shouldn&#8217;t have a rooting interest in the games this weekend.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6e\">In fact, Dallas fans should have a clear-cut favorite to cheer for on Saturday when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bills\/onsi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Buffalo Bills<\/a> visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/broncos\/onsi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Denver Broncos<\/a>. While it doesn&#8217;t seem they should be too invested in this one at first, Cowboys Nation should be cheering for a Buffalo win.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6h\">MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-wont-look-far-ideal-plan-b-defensive-coordinator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cowboys won&#8217;t have to look far for ideal &#8216;Plan B&#8217; at defensive coordinator<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6k\">The reason is simple. If the Broncos&#8217; season ends on Saturday, it frees up Jim Leonhard to interview for the Cowboys&#8217; open defensive coordinator position. Leonhard, who has met with the team virtually, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/best-fit-identified-for-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">been seen as one of the favorites<\/a> for the job but cannot interview again until <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/noteworthy-nfl-playoff-rule-could-impact-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">his team is either eliminated or gets a bye week<\/a> before the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6n\">MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-wont-look-far-ideal-plan-b-defensive-coordinator\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cowboys won&#8217;t have to look far for ideal &#8216;Plan B&#8217; at defensive coordinator<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6q\">Leonhard, who is a former defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Wisconsin, has been a valuable member of the Denver defensive coaching staff for the past two seasons. As the assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator, Leonhard has been instrumental in Vance Joseph building one of the more feared defenses in the game.<\/p>\n<p>Cowboys might need to act fast to hire Jim Leonhard<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01kf6d7egk8d3d3qvgsp.jpg\" alt=\"Wisconsin Badgers head coach Jim Leonhard reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers.\" title=\"Wisconsin Badgers head coach Jim Leonhard reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers.\" width=\"2997\" height=\"2997\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"72\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin Badgers head coach Jim Leonhard reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"76\">There&#8217;s a belief that Dallas could also be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/potential-new-favorite-emerges-dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">waiting to see what happens with Jeff Ulbrich<\/a>, who is currently under contract with the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-defensive-coordinator-search-unexpected-pushback\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">denied permission to speak with Ulbrich<\/a>, but if their choice for head coach decides to go in a different direction, that could change.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"79\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-dark-horse-defensive-coordinator-candidate-lands-mastermind-label\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cowboys dark horse defensive coordinator candidate lands &#8216;mastermind&#8217; label<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7c\">While they might want to speak with Ulbrich before making a decision, they may not have a choice. If they wait too long, Leonhard is bound to be snatched up. He could even join John Harbaugh with the New York Giants.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7f\">For that reason, the Cowboys would be wise to work hard to land Leonhard as quickly as possible, assuming he is indeed interested.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter\u00a0<\/a>for more free coverage from<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7l\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-2026-nfl-mock-draft-lands-national-champ-lb-db-honey-badger-aura\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cowboys&#8217; 2026 mock draft lands national champ LB, DB with &#8216;Honey Badger&#8217; aura<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7o\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/what-defensive-scheme-makes-most-sense-dallas-cowboys-right-now\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">What defensive scheme makes most sense for Cowboys right now?<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7r\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-rank-higher-than-expected-nfl-misery-index\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Cowboys rank higher than expected on NFL misery index<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-taking-rare-approach-dc-search-could-make-franchise-history\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cowboys taking rare approach in DC search, could make franchise history<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7x\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/dallas-cowboys-jake-ferguson-named-finalist-for-prestigious-nfl-award\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Cowboys&#8217; Jake Ferguson named finalist for prestigious NFL award<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"80\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cowboys\/onsi\/news\/kleine-powell-dallas-cowboys-cheerleader-netflix-docuseries-photos-bio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Meet Kleine Powell: Star of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Netflix doc<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the second year in a row, Dallas Cowboys fans are unable to watch their team in the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":684617,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-684616","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115911624044671315","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=684616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=684616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=684616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}