Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday that cornerback Trevon Diggs has a tear in his calf and may not play Sunday at Atlanta, the latest blow for a short-handed Cowboys defense.
Officially questionable, Diggs might join two other defensive starters on the active roster – cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) and linebacker Micah Parsons (ankle), both declared out on Friday – on the Dallas sideline. Parsons, who injured his ankle Sept. 26 in the road win over the Giants, will miss a fourth straight game.
But when Dallas (3-4) boards its charter to Atlanta (5-3) for Sunday’s game (1 p.m. ET, FOX), there are reasons for optimism. Here are three:
- Since 2020, when Jerry Jones hired Mike McCarthy as head coach, the Cowboys are 23-15 (.605) in regular-season games Nov. 1 and later. Among NFC teams, only Green Bay (.684), Tampa Bay (.649) and San Francisco (.676) have better marks in that span. And as the calendar flips to November, that’s important if Dallas is going to climb back into the playoff race. In 17 prior seasons as a head coach, McCarthy has led teams to the playoffs 12 times.
- The Cowboys face a tall task in Atlanta and reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week Kirk Cousins. However, Cousins is just 2-9 (.182) against Dallas in his career, his worst record against a single opponent with a minimum of five starts. The Cowboys are also 3-1 on the road this season.
- With the strength of the NFC North in 2024, the path to the playoffs for every other team is likely winning its division. And if Dallas is going to catch Washington (6-2) and Philadelphia (5-2), the opportunity certainly exists. After Sunday’s game, three of the Cowboys’ next four games are against NFC East opponents. Dallas has played just one divisional game, a Week 4 win over the Giants.
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