Reality overwhelms hope for Cowboys, last in woeful NFC East
By SCHUYLER DIXON
Washington Football Team running back Antonio Gibson (24) escapes a tackle attempt by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) in the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — In a season of so much uncertainty, the Dallas Cowboys can count on one thing: being alone in last place in the NFL’s worst division going into Week 13.
While the Cowboys will say there’s still hope because no team in the NFC East will have more than one win than they do, the reality speaks much more loudly.
Start with an offensive line looking as if it will be permanently altered by injuries after battling them all season. And that’s on an offense among the worst in the NFL since star quarterback Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury.
The Cowboys (3-8) were supposed to play Baltimore on Thursday after a 41-16 loss to Washington on Thanksgiving Day. Because of COVID-19 issues involving the Ravens, the game has been rescheduled twice, now set for Tuesday, Dec. 8, because of three postponements of the Baltimore-Pittsburgh Thanksgiving game that is now scheduled for Wednesday.
Whenever Dallas does return to the field, the idea of getting past Washington, the New York Giants and Philadelphia to win the NFC East and make the playoffs will be far-fetched. The Cowboys have lost three straight division games, and five of six overall.
“I like to think there’s a lot of football left,” first-year coach Mike McCarthy said. “We all clearly have been part of this (injury) pattern and the pattern’s been one way. And I’m hopeful and will be grateful when it turns the other way. I don’t kind of just throw in the cards. I think you line up and play every hand to win and we’ll do that against Baltimore.”
Already without starting tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins almost the entire the season because of injuries, Dallas lost two replacements on the opening drive against Washington. Zack Martin, a four-time All-Pro right guard who moved to right tackle to help fortify the line, aggravated a calf injury and will miss multiple weeks, along with Cam Erving, who exited four plays earlier with a sprained knee. Barring further injury, two undrafted players in Brandon Knight and Terence Steele figure to be the starting tackles the rest of the way.
WHAT’S WORKING
Sticking with the philosophy of drafting the best player on the team’s board worked well. The Cowboys didn’t expect receiver CeeDee Lamb to be there at No. 17. They grabbed him despite having greater needs elsewhere and feeling good about their top two pass-catchers in Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Lamb was the first receiver in NFL history to catch at least five passes in each of his first six games.
