The December 9 Monday Night Football matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys looked very appealing when the schedule was released months before the season kicked off. A late-season prime time matchup between two prolific quarterbacks on teams expected to be competing for the playoffs is a recipe that rarely fails the NFL.
Of course, once the games started to be played, it quickly became clear December 9 would not bring a prestige game. The Cowboys and Bengals proved to be flawed, underwhelming teams from the outset of the season. Now, three weeks before the game, Dallas is missing Dak Prescott and Cincinnati is nearly out of the playoff picture.
