DALLAS —
After opening the season 3-0 and injecting a lot of optimism into the 2019 season, the last three weeks have been rough sledding for the Dallas Cowboys with the upcoming schedule set to do them no favors going forward.
In addition, the Cowboys offense has been hit hard with the injury bug. Receivers Amari Cooper (quadriceps) and Randall Cobb (back), along with tackles Tyron Smith (ankle) and La'el Collins (knee) each missed practice on Wednesday. When you couple those question marks with a three-game losing streak, things started to look plenty bleak for the boys in blue.
As bad as it has been – and a loss to the then 0-4 New York Jets last Sunday is pretty bad – there isn’t time to panic, at least not yet. The Cowboys are still atop the NFC East, tied with Philadelphia with the division tiebreaker in favor of Dallas. Oh and the Cowboys and Eagles meet Sunday Night for the early advantage. Panic will have to come later. For now, Dallas has a division lead to try to hold on to.
Though the losses and injuries are piling up, the Cowboys have an opportunity to right the ship so to speak with a Week 8 bye week on the horizon but there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to field a team able to compete on Sunday. In addition to the injuries on offense, CBs Byron Jones (hamstring) and Anthony Brown (hamstring), along with DE Dorance Armstrong (neck) also sat out practice on Wednesday.
The practice absences came after the news that veteran defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford would be done for the season, heading to the injured reserve list to have surgery on his ailing hip.
The hip injury has plagued the former Boise State Bronco Crawford since last season and he’s been barely able to see the field after a stellar campaign for the Cowboys in 2018. Crawford’s leadership will be missed on the field as well as his position flexibility as the 3rd round selection in the 2012 NFL Draft has been known to slide between tackle and end along the defensive line for Dallas.
The latest on the offensive side is that Cooper, Collins and Smith are all expected to miss the matchup versus the Eagles, making the task that much greater to come out with a win against their bitter rivals. Going by the injury reports, it is still unclear on the health of Cobb and whether or not Devin Smith will be able to give it a go, but those two will be desperately needed with an otherwise very young receiving group without them.
A win isn’t impossible, but the probability of coming out on top has taken a serious dip. In their last matchup, without their starting offensive line tackles, Dak Prescott took some serious shots from the Jets defense and it won’t be easier this week.
The Cowboys have their backs up against the wall already much earlier than anyone expected this season but it is high time they show what they are made of and quell the mounting adversity. Dallas – who spoke highly of their depth all offseason – needs the next men up to step forward for this one to help the team dig themselves out of the hole they find themselves in.
While cooler heads need to prevail on the panic front – it isn’t time for a sky is falling attitude with more than half the season remaining – if Dallas can’t win this one heading into their bye week, it might be time to hit the red alert button.
Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones have both said that Jason Garrett isn’t on the hot seat but, should they witness four straight losses if Philadelphia prevails, those doubts will start to come fast and furious. If at that time Garrett still isn’t feeling the pressure, one has to wonder when the Jones family will have had enough of his inability to lead this team to greater heights.
Luckily for Garrett and the Cowboys, there’s still time to turn things around and that begins with Sunday night against Philadelphia.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to overcome their injuries and get back atop the NFC East standings against the Eagles on Sunday? Share your thoughts with Patrick on Twitter @DraftCowboys.
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