SI

Joe Buck on Cowboys Getting So Many Prime-Time Games: ‘They’re Always Relevant’

Even if they aren’t good on the field, the Cowboys remain a ratings draw.

Jimmy Traina

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are currently in third place in the NFC East.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are currently in third place in the NFC East. / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

1. The Dallas Cowboys are 3–4. Worse than that, Dallas is a rough watch this season. But no matter what the Cowboys’ record is, and no matter how many other NFL teams are a much better watch, NFL fans will always be treated to a slew of Dallas games in national windows and prime time.

This is where there is a divide between fans and the league and its broadcast partners. While the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, for example, are approximately a million times more exciting than the Cowboys, networks are going to feature Dallas over those teams because it’s best for business.

The Cowboys are slated for a 4:25 p.m. ET game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10. They will be on Monday Night Football against the Houston Texans in Week 11. As always, they are in the 4:30 p.m. ET slot on Thanksgiving in Week 13. Then it’s back to Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14. In Week 16, they have the Sunday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Given the Cowboys have two Monday night games, with one of those being against a 3–5 Cincinnati team, I wondered if there was any chance we could see Dallas flexed. I brought this up to ESPN’s MNF play-by-play voice, Joe Buck, on the latest SI Media Podcast by explaining that the Cowboys are not relevant this season.

“They're ALWAYS relevant,” Buck pushed back. “You can’t say they’re not relevant. They’re always relevant.”

When I explained the Cowboys are more freak show than good watch on the field, Buck countered, “Good TV, baby. Good TV.”

Dallas was in prime time last Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The game was over after three quarters when the Cowboys found themselves in a 27–10 hole.

“How was the rating?” asked Buck, who knew he had the hammer with that question because the game drew 23.9 million viewers.

“So, I'm in the business of trying to get the most people to watch,” said Buck. “I just remember back in the ‘90s when I was doing the Game of the Week and Mark McGwire was on the Cardinals, and I would see him daily, and he’d be like, ‘Oh, who you doing this week on the Saturday Game of the Week? Let me guess. Yankees–Red Sox?’

“Yeah, we are. You know why? Because people watch and the rating is better than if we did fill-in-the-blank, even your team, Mark. Even your team.”

The league is lucky right now because at 3–4, the Cowboys aren’t technically done, but it will be fascinating to see if they are, say, 4–8 in Week 14 if the NFL and ESPN would still force them down our throats for that Bengals game.

You can listen to the full podcast with Buck below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.

2. The New York Yankees killed Fox and MLB by losing in five games.

Wednesday’s Game 5 drew 18.6 million viewers.

If the Yankees wouldn’t have choked away a 5–0 lead and pushed the Dodgers to a Game 6, Fox could’ve easily topped 20 million viewers for that game. And a Game 7 could’ve gotten close to 25 million.

Instead, the five-game series, featuring the two biggest markets and a slew of superstars, finished with just an average of 15.8 million viewers.

3. You can’t get away with anything on social media. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted a video from last night’s Texans-Jets game of New York’s Malachi Corley dropping the ball before making it into the end zone.

His followers weren’t focused on the play, though. They were more intrigued by the “methstreams.com” logo in the top left corner.

Why is the NFL’s top information man using an illegal stream? Why is Adam Schefter, who reportedly makes $9 million a year, not paying for Amazon? How does the NFL feel about a guy with 11.3 million followers alerting the masses to an illegal stream site?

Anyway, if you need a laugh, read the replies to the tweet.

4. Ron Artest III had a very specific Halloween costume. He dressed up as his dad—from the night of the Malice at the Palace.

5. Around the Horn’s Jorge Sedano celebrated Halloween as a gummy-loving Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

6. This catch from Garrett Wilson has triggered Mike Francesa.

Mike would like you to stop getting excited about great one-handed catches.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Today would’ve been Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s 80th birthday. Any time there’s an opportunity to celebrate Heenan, it must be taken.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

Published
Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

Home/NFL