We all know Shaquille O’Neal bleeds Dallas Cowboys blue. “This is Shaq, the biggest Cowboys fan ever,” he once said. But even the biggest fan in the world has had a tough time lately. Despite an undefeated run at home last year, the Cowboys stumbled into 2024, leaving Shaq and the rest of the fanbase biting their nails. Still, Shaq believed. And finally, the Cowboys brought him a reason to smile amid Thanksgiving.

Just last week on The Big Podcast, Shaq confidently predicted the Cowboys were going to turn things around. “The Giants and the Cowboys? Oh, Cowboys,” he declared, doubling down on his belief that Dallas would go 7-1 and clinch a playoff spot. “They’re going to win 10 games and get into the playoffs,” he added, leaving no room for doubt. And the Cowboys didn’t disappoint him.

The Cowboys snapped a brutal streak, winning their first home game in nearly a year by defeating the Giants 27-20 at AT&T Stadium. In the third quarter, they finally had a double-digit home lead for the first time since Week 14 of last season. It was a reminder of their dominant 2023 home record, a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they could recapture some of that magic.

The Cowboys also narrowly dodged joining the franchise’s worst teams by starting 0-6 at home, a record they last hit in 1989. Their last home victory had been nearly 11 months ago, and in that span, they had lost six straight games, all by at least 20 points. So Thanksgiving wasn’t just about the turkey this year for Shaq and the Cowboys—it was about breaking records of the wrong kind.

While Shaq’s hopes were answered, his prediction of the playoffs doesn’t look easy to meet at 5-7. However, MVP Micah Parsons isn’t losing hope. “I believe we gonna turn it around and make a run,” he said after the game during Thanksgiving.

With back-to-back wins and games against the Bengals and Panthers on the horizon, Shaq remains optimistic too.

The Cowboys need all the wins to keep Shaq off his near-impossible promise

Just a few weeks ago, Shaquille O’Neal found himself diving into playoff math during a chat on The Rich Eisen Show. With eight games left, he couldn’t help but ask Eisen if the Cowboys still had any realistic shot at the postseason.

Breaking down the numbers, Eisen explained that Dallas would need to pull off a near-perfect 8-0 or at least a 7-1 run to reach the magic number: 10 wins, the bare minimum for playoff contention. Then, Eisen hit Shaq with a hard question: “You really think they can do it? Dak’s gone, Dak’s not there, no one is running the ball.”

And Shaq wasn’t about to let reality crush his hopes. “Yeah, but I have hope. It’s gonna happen,” he replied. Sure, he admitted the team has been terrible this season, but that didn’t stop him from doubling down on his belief that a miracle was still in the cards. And to prove just how much faith he has, Shaq made an outrageous promise: he’d wear a football helmet for 200 days straight if Dallas didn’t make the playoffs. If nothing else, Cowboys Nation can count on Shaq to stick by their side with helmet and all.