In the NFL, Thursday was a day of good (the Cowboys), bad (Rob Gronkowski and the Patriots) and really ugly (the horrific shooting of former running back Joe McKnight).

We’ll cover all three in today’s Cheat Sheet.

How about them Cowboys?

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 1:  Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys hands the ball off to Ezekiel Elliott #21in the first half of the game agains the Minnesota Vikings on December 1, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 1: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys hands the ball off to Ezekiel Elliott #21in the first half of the game agains the Minnesota Vikings on December 1, 2016 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The good news for the Cowboys? They won, beating a solid team on the road.

The bad news for the Cowboys? It was a 17-15 slog, in which the offense gained only 264 yards and the defense nearly let the Vikings force overtime with a fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

In the end, however, the good certainly outweighs the bad.

This has been a pretty incredible run for the Cowboys, who went 4-12 last season and lost their opener this year. They’ve now won 11 straight games and are a game and a half up on the next best teams in football and two and a half up on their nearest division rival.

With four games left, Dallas has all but locked up a first-round bye in the playoffs and will almost certainly get home-field advantage throughout.

Though Cowboys fans would probably have preferred Thursday’s win over the Vikings take the form of a 30-point blowout, there’s got to be something reassuring about seeing Dallas win without overwhelming performances from Dak Prescott (12-18, 139 yards) or Ezekiel Elliot (20 carries, 86 yards). A team that ranks third in the NFL in points this year, won Thursday with defense.

And above all, the Cowboys survived a dreaded Thursday night game (their third game in 12 days) with their winning streak intact. When it comes down to it, that’s some awfully good news.

Goodbye, Gronk

FOXBORO, MA - NOVEMBER 13: Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots looks on during the second quarter of a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.  (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA – NOVEMBER 13: Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots looks on during the second quarter of a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Here’s some bad news: Rob Gronkowski will undergo back surgery and likely miss the rest of the season.

“We do not expect that he will be able to play for the remainder of the 2016 season, but will await the results of tomorrow’s surgery before making a final determination,” the Patriots said in a statement.

This is obviously bad news for the Patriots, who are again one of the NFL’s best teams but certainly don’t look unbeatable, but it’s also just bad news for NFL fans. Gronk is the best tight end in league history when he’s healthy, he just can’t put together a full season. Not for the first time, we’ve been robbed of a season of peak Gronk. He still has not played 16 games in a season since 2011.

Gronk will end the year with 25 catches for 540 yards and three touchdowns, meager totals relative to what we expect from him but still pretty gaudy when you do a little math.

Obviously we can assume Gronk isn’t in the best mood today, but hopefully he can at least smile at this:

RIP Joe McKnight

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 14:  Joe McKnight #4 of the USC Trojans celebrates his touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 14: Joe McKnight #4 of the USC Trojans celebrates his touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

And now the ugly: Former USC and New York Jets running back Joe McKnight was shot and killed in New Orleans on Thursday. He was 28.

McKnight was a top recruit out of high school, who committed to USC and was immediately hyped as the next Reggie Bush. Though things didn’t work out exactly as planned, he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft and went on to play four seasons for the Jets and Chiefs.

When news of McKnight’s death broke Thursday, numerous NFL played chimed in with tributes.

“Joe McKnight was a loving father and a genuine, kind-hearted person,” the Jets said in a statement. “It is sad when life is taken in what appears to be such a senseless act of violence. Joe, you will be missed.”

 

McKnight is the second former NFL player this year to be killed in New Orleans, after former Saints defensive end Will Smith. Unfortunately, gun violence affects all facets of society, and sports are no exception.

Quick Hits

– The Rockets beat the Warriors 132-127 in a double-overtime thriller. This game had it all, from James Harden putting up 29, points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists to Kevin Durant dropping 39 to Draymond Green kicking another guy in the head.

– Steph Curry fouled out, but he also did some highly Steph Curry stuff.

– Meanwhile, the Clippers beat the Cavaliers 113-95 behind 23 points from J.J. Redick. At the beginning of the season, some people complained there were only two relevant NBA teams, but that was unfair. There are at least four.

– LeBron James has been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year for the second time. No matter whom you would’ve picked, you can’t deny LeBron is a worthy winner.

– Mark Cuban had some harsh words for a ref, believe it or not.

– Here’s everything you need to know about the new MLB collective bargaining agreement

– Andrew McCutchen could be headed to Washington to play for the Nationals. Until recently he seemed like a Pirate for life, but modern sports rarely work out like that.

– Guess who’s baaaaack.

– The San Diego Chargers will almost certainly move to Los Angeles in 2017.

– The once-great Darrelle Revis has become kind of sad to watch. Now he apparently “doesn’t want to play anymore.”

– Indiana reportedly fired football coach Kevin Wilson over allegations that he mistreated injured players.

– MMA fighter Jon Jones claims he used to get blackout drunk before fights. That sounds… dangerous.

– The guy who created Full House bought the house from Full House because why not.

One last moment of procrastination

May Friday bring you lots of good, little bad and no ugly.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.