Cowboys Treading Water After OT Loss In NO
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NEW ORLEANS (105.3 The Fan) - The Cowboys have healthy reinforcements coming in. But you can't blame them if they feel like, personnel-wise, they have enough unhealthy bodies to create a treading-water vibe after a costly 26-20 OT loss at the Saints on Sunday night.
Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain are officially cleared to return to the Dallas fold as of Monday morning following their four-game suspensions. This would normally be a cause for celebration — and by Sunday, maybe it will be, as Dallas hosts undefeated New England and will need all the help it can get to rise from a two-game skid that drops the Cowboys to 2-2.
But running back Lance Dunbar sustained a serious and possibly season-ending knee injury on Sunday. And linebacker Sean Lee sustained a concussion that figures to sideline him for a time.
Add those guys to a list already topped by the absent Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Randy Gregory and you can understand why being in first place in the NFC East doesn't exactly feel like the Texas Rangers winning first place in the AL West.
A mistake-plagued night was almost salvaged when beleaguered backup QB Brandon Weeden captained a game-tying drive in the final seconds with a fourth-down 17-yard TD pass to Terrance Williams. But a final mistake was made on the second play of OT when C.J. Spiller looped outside for a catch-and-run from Drew Brees covering 80 yards for a score.
"There were a lot of good things that happened in the game, and obviously some of them weren't good,'' coach Jason Garrett said. "They weren't up to our standard. … We have the kind of guys (who are) accountable for what happened.''
Maybe so. But with this stripped-down version of the defending NFC East champs, right now it's not only about the right kind of guys, but also about the right number.
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