The Dallas Cowboys are finally healthy. At least the team claims that’s the case, anyway. Dallas has battled more than its share of injuries during a wild 2-2 start. The Cowboys’ early bye couldn’t have come at a better time. Dallas head coach Jason Garrett is relieved to have all his players back at practice this week, a vital component to beating the New England Patriots on Sunday.
“Well, it feels good,” Garrett said. “We did a good job of battling through some of the injuries — the individual players fighting through it themselves but also the backup players trying to take advantage of their opportunities. Having said all that, it’s better to have the guys, your starters, back out there practicing and moving towards playing in the game on Sunday.”
Amen to that. The Cowboys’ cornerbacks have introduced themselves to new guys on the field from the beginning of the season, but now Mike Jenkins, Terence Newman and Orlando Scandrick are all healthy. This couldn’t have happened at a better time as the Patriots boast the NFL’s top passing offense. In his first game back from a high ankle sprain, Scandrick will have his hands full with the league’s leading receiver, Wes Welker.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Scandrick said. “They said today he’s on pace for 2,600 yards or something crazy, but going into this game, I’m going to make him work. We’re going to see what happens. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
On the flip side, the Cowboys’ third-ranked passing attack will get a boost in Week 6 with the return of receiver Miles Austin. After injuring his hamstring in a 27-24 overtime victory over the 49ers in Week 2, Austin will see a lot of targets against New England. In addition, fellow receiver Dez Bryant has proclaimed himself “100 percent” healthy for the New England game after battling a thigh bruise the entire season.
Thanks to the bye, more Cowboys with lingering injuries will be closer to 100 percent health, including safeties Gerald Sensabaugh and Barry Church, right guard Kyle Kosier, fullback Tony Fiammetta and kicker David Buehler.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has played through a broken rib he suffered in Week 2 and a week off from getting hit by 300-pound NFL defensive linemen will do worlds of good for him. The Patriots rank near the bottom of the league in sacks, so Romo shouldn’t be under a ton of pressure. That means he’ll be upright and able to make throws down the field without getting hit too much.
The concern for Dallas will be the conditioning of these players who have missed so much time. Bryant has been dominant at the beginning of games this year, but has seemed to disappear in crunch time. That’s because he’s gasping for breath and trying to rest the burning muscles in his legs in the second half. The same will apply especially to Scandrick as he chases Welker all over the field.
Regardless, having the starters on the field is a positive for the Cowboys from a leadership perspective, if nothing else. Garrett will make good use of having his top guys back on the field, but Dallas will have to beat the Patriots at their own game to win this contest. Everyone is predicting a shootout and their forecasts are correct.
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