The Dallas Cowboys are entering a favorable stretch of their schedule. At 3-4, Dallas needs to take advantage of this stretch if they want to keep pace in the NFC East. Unfortunately, Dallas will be missing one of their best defensive players. Sean Lee has all but been ruled out for the Cowboys game against the Seattle Seahawks on November 6 as a result of a dislocated wrist. To make matters worse, he could miss even more time. The absence of Lee will be pretty hard to overcome for Dallas. He has been one of the biggest bright spots of the 2011 season.
Lee suffered his wrist injury during Dallas's 34-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on October 30. The injury took place in the first half while he was attempting to bring down Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. Lee did not return after the injury. While Dallas has not officially declared his status against Seattle, the prevailing thought is that he has no chance of playing. Depending on how severe the injury still is, Lee could wind up missing a significant amount of time. He will work closely with the team as his status is evaluated going forward.
Lee has looked like a Pro Bowl player this season. He has 51 tackles and is on pace for well over 100 on the season. He also has three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Lee has been arguably one of the two best defensive players on the Cowboys. This is a team that thrives on the play of linebackers. Therefore, losing Lee is a huge blow. Without him, Dallas will look to Keith Brooking to play on the inside. Brooking is a solid player but his skill set has diminished in recent years. He doesn't have the same speed, aggressiveness, and athleticism that Lee has.
The Cowboys don't have a lot of room for error. This is the portion of their schedule where they need to take advantage and win games. They should be able to beat Seattle without Lee but if the injury lingers longer than that, Dallas could be in trouble. They still have some big games left against the Eagles, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and other good teams. So far, Dallas has counted on Lee to limit the opposing offenses. Without him, it won't be easy to slow down teams.
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