The Cowboys had been eyeing the Detroit Lions’ rushing attack as a major threat in their upcoming Week 7 meeting. Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift have been a potent tandem through five games, helping the team average a stout 151.4 rushing yards per contest.
But half of that one-two punch looks like it will be pulled for Sunday afternoon’s game in Arlington.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Swift is not expected to suit up against the Cowboys. He had been listed as questionable to play with separate shoulder and ankle injuries and was “limited” in practice all week.
#Lions RB D’Andre Swift (questionable,
ankle/shoulder) is not expected to play Sunday vs. #Cowboys barring surprise, per source. Appears to need another week to fully heal.— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 23, 2022
The third-year back out of Georgia got off to a blistering start this season, racking up 144 ground yards and a score in the Lions’ season opener versus Philadelphia.
But the 23-year-old suffered a sprained ankle that day, severely hampering him ever since. While he was able to play sparingly in Detroit’s next two tilts, Swift re-aggravated the ankle and then also sustained a shoulder injury Week 3 against Minnesota. He sat out Weeks 4 and 5 entirely and had hoped to use the team’s bye week to get himself healthy for the game with Dallas.
Swift said he was “definitely going in the right direction” and was “pushing to play” against the Cowboys, but now it appears he will rehab further.
The Cowboys will expect to see a heavy dose of Williams instead. The former Packer is among the league’s top 25 rushers currently with 332 yards, just 54 yards behind Ezekiel Elliott’s total. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry and has six touchdowns on the year.
Over its six games, the Dallas run defense has not been terribly impressive. They rank 19th in the league in yards allowed and 16th in yards allowed per rush. Failure to stop the run played a huge role in the team’s two losses to Tampa Bay and Philadelphia; they allowed Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones to combine for 160 ground yards in a Week 3 win over the Giants.
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