The Dallas Cowboys lost DeMarco Murray for the season in their loss to the New York Giants, one of many injury losses for the Cowboys' team in Week 14.
The most serious injury was to Murray, who was a large part of the team's four-game winning streak that led them to the top of the NFC East division rankings. Without Murray, the chance of regaining their composure and knocking off the Giants at the end of the season is slim.
Dallas signed Sammy Morris on Dec. 13 to take Murray's place in the lineup and he will back up Felix Jones for the rest of the season. Morris is not expected to do too much in the game plan except give Jones some rest to help preserve him for the playoff run. The 11-year veteran played in 16 games for New England in 2010 and only finished the season with 56 rushing yards and 77 through the air.
Even more distressing is the injuries to defensive players, including Mike Jenkins and Barry Church. With Terrance Newman starting to give up big plays in the secondary once again, these are huge losses for Dallas. Jenkins missed four games in a row, ironically the four-game winning streak for Dallas, before returning in Week 13. Jenkins has only 19 tackles on the season and one interception but provides needed depth in the secondary.
Church, used mainly in the nickel defense, ended up on the injured reserve on Dec. 13. He separated his shoulder against the Giants and Dallas felt it was better to find a replacement. Church finished the year with 28 tackles and no turnovers. Dallas signed Mana Silva from the Buffalo practice squad to replace Church on the roster, although he won't see much playing time.
Center Phil Costa left the game with a concussion and since Dallas uses the shotgun regularly, that might be a loss to watch carefully. Rookie Kevin Kowalski replaced him in the Giants' game.
Finally, the big scare was when DeMarcus Ware continued to come off the field late in the Giants' comeback. Ware came into the game limited with a stinger and had to continue to come out to remain at full strength for the rest of the game. Ware finished the Giants' game with four tackles and no sacks and looks to bounce back in Week 15 against Tampa Bay.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
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