Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs Denver Broncos

Cowboys: Prescott to start, Tyron Smith officially out, Lamb questionable but ‘not of high concern’

No surprises on the final injury report of the week as Smith and Blake Jarwin are out. Lamb and Amari Cooper are considered questionable. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys have been giving clues all week about which players will be available for Week 9’s home date against Denver. On Friday, it was printed out in black and white.

As expected, tackle Tyron Smith has been officially declared out as he deals with an ankle injury sustained in New England and then re-aggravated during last week’s win over Minnesota. Terence Steele will swing to replace Smith at left tackle, while La’el Collins will take over for Steele as the team’s right tackle.

Quarterback Dak Prescott carries no designation whatsoever on the final injury report of the week. Prescott “will do everything” in Friday’s walkthrough session, McCarthy said earlier in the day; the signal-caller was a full participant on Thursday as well. He is slated to start Sunday’s game after a one-week absence to nurse a strained calf.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is considered questionable for Sunday’s interconference matchup; he tweaked an ankle during practice this week. Lamb was limited on Wednesday, did not practice at all on Thursday, and was limited again on Friday. Head coach Mike McCarthy, though, said Lamb’s ankle is “not of high concern;” he would “anticipate him at practice” on Saturday.

 

Fellow wideout Amari Cooper has also been given a questionable designation as he continues to work through a hamstring issue he suffered late in the game versus the Vikings. Cooper played through the injury, catching the game-winning touchdown pass after stretching out the muscle on the sideline. He was limited in practice all week.

Tight end Blake Jarwin has been confirmed to miss Sunday’s game after not practicing all week with a hip injury.

For Denver, starting left tackle Garett Bolles has been declared out with an ankle injury suffered in a Sunday win over Washington.

Outside linebacker Malik Reed is given a 50/50 chance to play with a hip issue; he has been filling in for Bradley Chubb, who is on injured reserve. The Broncos linebacker corps has seen significant turnover recently with the acquisitions of Stephen Weatherly from the Vikings and Kenny Young from the Rams, as well as Monday’s trading away of eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller.

Offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, defensive lineman Mike Purcell, defensive back Caden Sterns, and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam are all listed as questionable, Okwuegbunam was scheduled to get extra snaps due to Noah Fant’s presence on the team’s Reserve/COVID list.

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No homecoming parade, no fly zone among 6 things to know about Cowboys-Broncos

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t beaten the Denver Broncos in a long time, but that might not be such a bad thing. A look at 6 game facts ahead of Sunday’s contest. | From @BenGrimaldi

It’s not easy to win six games in a row in the NFL, especially when requiring a backup quarterback to start on the road. Yet that’s exactly what the Dallas Cowboys have done in 2021. The winning streak is the longest the team’s had since 2016 when starting quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott were rookies.

There’s no question it was an impressive win for the Cowboys over the Minnesota Vikings, but just around the corner there’s a new challenge. The Denver Broncos are next on the schedule and they’re coming off a win over the Washington Football Team. Here’s a six-pack of things to know about the Broncos as the Week 9 game approaches.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb sprains ankle; Dak Prescott should play Sunday

Mike McCarthy’s plan is for Prescott to play Week 9, but he has a dinged-up WR corps that saw his top 3 pass-catchers limited in practice. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys started the season with a formidable three-headed monster at the wide receiver position. But those heads- Michael Gallup, Amari Cooper, and even CeeDee Lamb- are now dealing with their own separate injury concerns a few feet south, just as their quarterback appears to be over his own lower-body ailment.

Gallup has been shelved since just after the opener with an injured calf. Cooper reaggravated a hamstring this past Sunday. And on Wednesday, Lamb sprained an ankle in practice, according to head coach Mike McCarthy.

“He’ll be limited today,” McCarthy said of the second-year phenom out of Oklahoma. That was the only update provided to media members, so the extent of the injury is not known.

Lamb was seen working off to the side on Thursday, though, and is reportedly expected to suit up for Sunday’s date with Denver.

Cooper and Gallup also joined Lamb on the resistance cord circuit. McCarthy said of Cooper’s status, “I’d put him in the ‘limited’ [category]. Get him out there to go through the individual [portion], see how that goes.”

Gallup, however, who has missed the Cowboys’ entire six-game winning streak, may still be sidelined for a while. He has already been designated to return; the team has another week and a half to either declare him active or shut him down for the rest of 2021.

“Just want to see him get through a full week, then evaluate it,” McCarthy explained. “But I thought he had a really good week last week. We’ll just see how it goes; we’re kind of up in the air on where he is.”

To that trifecta of dinged-up pass-catchers, add tight end Blake Jarwin, who injured a hip against Minnesota last Sunday night. He is already considered doubtful for the Broncos matchup.

And of course, there’s the man who’s supposed to be throwing passes to all of the aforementioned. After nursing his strained calf back to health, Dak Prescott “will practice today [during] team periods,” McCarthy said. “The plan is for him to practice and play [on Sunday].”

The Broncos enter the weekend with one of the stingiest pass defenses in the league, allowing a total completion percentage of just 58.3%, second only to Buffalo. Their allowed passer rating is 82.7, fourth-lowest overall, and they’ve given up just nine touchdown receptions through eight games.

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Cowboys to break out red, white, and blue throwback helmet stripes for Salute to Service

An obscure bit of Cowboys trivia for years, the tri-colored helmet stripes will be worn as part of the NFL’s Salute to Service weekend. | From @ToddBrock24f7

To the casual time-traveling observer, it will look like 1976 all over again at AT&T Stadium this Sunday. That’s because the Cowboys’ helmets will feature a red, white, and blue center stripe for the first time since the nation’s 200th birthday 46 years ago.

The subtle tweak to one of the most iconic and longstanding uniforms in all of sports comes during the league’s annual Salute to Service weekend, honoring the men and women of the Unites States military.

For the Cowboys organization, there’s extra meaning. Charlotte Jones, daughter of owner Jerry Jones and a team Executive Vice President, is also the chairman of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, with a new facility set to break ground in Arlington next year, within sight of the Cowboys’ home stadium.

Medal of Honor recipients will be in attendance for the Cowboys-Broncos Week 9 clash. Military members will be recognized at halftime. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will also alter their uniforms for the one-day special occasion.

The tri-colored helmet stripe was a one-year alteration made in 1976, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. That year, the country had a collective case of Bicentennial fever. A red, white, and blue train was making a whistle-stop tour across the lower 48 states. Fireworks shows and parades were being planned in major cities. Historic tall ships from around the world docked in American harbors. Collectible coins were minted. Mailboxes and fire hydrants across the country got patriotic paint jobs from local citizens. The 1976 movie Rocky featured nods to the Bicentennial, dressing Apollo Creed’s character as George Washington and then Uncle Sam on fight night. Commercial products in stores were rewrapped in star-spangled packaging.

After sporting a special commemorative jersey patch in Super Bowl X, played in January of that year, the Cowboys’ legendary president and general manager Tex Schramm decided to do something different for the ’76 regular season, which would begin soon after the milestone July 4 celebration.

The Cowboys’ helmet stripe and the Bicentennial festivities were a one-year anomaly. After that 11-3 season and an NFC East title, Roger Staubach and Dallas lost to the Rams in the playoffs. The red, white, and blue helmet stripes were never seen again, except in old photographs of that singular season and now on tours through The Star in Frisco, where a mannequin wearing a reproduction helmet is used as a trivia question by tour guides trying to stump visitors.

And except for this Sunday, when the Spirit of ’76 will live again for one afternoon as America’s Team honors America’s real-life heroes.

“The red stripe on the helmet provides a beautiful ribbon to wrap around this salute to those who currently serve our country’s military,” Charlotte Jones said as part of the official uniform anouncement, “and the patriotic love and appreciation that we all share for those who came before them.”

For a more in-depth look back at the Cowboys’ Bicentennial helmets, check out the retrospective piece from Cowboys Wire at this link. It was originally published on July 4, 2020 and excerpted briefly for this article.

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Cowboys LT Tyron Smith expected to miss Week 9 vs Broncos with ankle injury

The 7-time Pro Bowler lasted 31 snaps before a bone spur in his ankle forced him out; Mike McCarthy says he’d be “pressed to play.” | From @ToddBrock24f7

Once again, the Cowboys are preparing to play a game this weekend as if one of their most important offensive starters won’t be ready to go.

Left tackle Tyron Smith had already been dealing with an ankle issue, and it flared up again during the second quarter of the team’s 20-16 win Sunday in Minnesota, forcing the seven-time Pro Bowler to miss the remainder of the game.

In a midweek press conference, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Smith would not practice on Wednesday and expressed doubt about his availability for the team’s home date with the Broncos this weekend.

“He’d be pressed to play,” McCarthy stated plainly.

Smith originally suffered the ankle injury in Week 6 versus New England and was limited leading up to the Halloween night tilt against the Vikings. He lasted 31 snaps before leaving the game. Team owner Jerry Jones called it a bone spur issue in a radio interview Tuesday.

If Smith sits, the offensive line will undergo something of a shuffle, a routine that fans became accustomed to seeing last season. Right tackle La’el Collins has returned from his five-game suspension, but did not take over his starting position in Week 8, as Terence Steele stayed put. Moving forward, Steele could remain on the right side with Collins sliding down to Smith’s left spot, or Steele could swing to replace Smith at left while Collins comes back to his usual position.

On Sunday, it was Ty Nsekhe who replaced Smith.

McCarthy declined to offer any hints about which way the team would go for the Week 9 interconference matchup.

“We’ve got some options we’re looking at. Frankly, I don’t want to tell you. We’d rather Denver find out when they find out.”

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