From a Dallas Cowboys perspective, Monday night’s game will be remembered for a while for two things: the mistake after the blocked punt and the significant knee injury suffered by linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. Had neither happened, there’s a very good chance the Cowboys would be riding a three-game winning streak.
That’s not to say there would be great odds of making the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season, but certainly better than the less than 1 percent they now face at 5-8.
The Overshown news was the biggest blow. The second-year standout was starting to really establish himself as a consistent playmaker. Now, he’s looking at potentially missing all of next season.
“Obviously his physical and football talents speak for itself,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday. “He’s just such a bright light. He’s got a great, infectious personality. Tough, tough young man. We’re definitely going to miss him. He’s got a long road of rehab in front of him. He will obviously be loved and supported every step of the way.”
Following the blocked punt by Cowboys linebacker Nick Vigil with two minutes remaining, defensive back Amani Oruwariye muffed a chance at recovering the ball, allowing the Bengals to retain possession. Cincinnati scored the game-winning touchdown three plays later. In that situation, the players are coached to stay away from the ball. But Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel explained Tuesday that the play happened so quickly that Oruwariye heard the roar of the crowd but not any teammates yelling to stay away. The ball bounced by him so quickly that his natural instincts were to catch the loose ball.
Fassel said he told Oruwariye that in a similar situation he probably would’ve done the same thing. When Fassel spoke with Oruwariye on Tuesday, he made sure to express that he did not cost the Cowboys the game.
The postgame locker room was as emotional as any in recent memory. Losing Overshown and losing in that fashion carried more weight than a typical regular season loss. All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons said it hurt him more than a playoff loss.
Many fans have stated on social media over the last month that they would like to see the team continue to lose and help their draft spot. The players and coaches couldn’t be more opposite of the fans. No matter how slim the playoff chances, the Cowboys plan on putting their best lineup out there the rest of the way.
What is McCarthy’s message to the team?
“Just the facts,” he said. “We’re going to need a lot of help, but it doesn’t matter. We need to beat Carolina. You play Monday night, there’s not a whole lot of time to really spend on the (previous) game regardless of the outcome. I learned that from Marty Schottenheimer, he always talked about the midnight rule. You have to turn the page. If you were in here today, the weight room was busy, the training room was busy, coaches were in game-plan meetings. You gotta just keep playing, and we’re going to keep playing. We’re going to keep fighting. We just gotta keep getting guys healthy, keep them coordinated. The way we’re operating is the way you’re supposed to operate. We’re operating like winning teams do. We just got to get it done on the field.”
It’s obvious that the team’s lack of activity in the offseason didn’t do much to improve the roster. And then to make things worse, they’ve had to navigate through more than their share of key injuries, which has included franchise QB Dak Prescott, Parsons, RG Zack Martin, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, CB DaRon Bland, WR Brandin Cooks, LT Tyler Guyton, DE Sam Williams and now Overshown.
It’s not difficult to understand how the Cowboys could feel snakebitten.
“Injuries are the most unfortunate part of the game,” McCarthy said. “We all have them. You don’t go through this league, any season, without them. Some numbers are higher than others, and who and the timing of it is usually part of that big challenge. Yes, this is exceptionally high, and I think it’s just like anything, you just have to make sure you continue to look at everything. Talking to the trainers about it every day, strength and conditioning things: What can we do differently maybe in the offseason? You’re always trying to find a better way in your training regimen. That’s the way you have to do it here. This is an unusually high year.”
The defense has improved. It performed well most of the night against a talented offense led by Joe Burrow. But losing a playmaker like Overshown is only going to make things more difficult. Rookie LB Marist Liufau is the next man up. The third-round pick will be given every opportunity to show what he can bring to a position group that could be very thin entering the offseason.
“Just continue to keep improving, keep getting better,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “When I look at it, it’s starting to look a little bit more like what I expected at the beginning of the year. We’ll just keep plugging away and fighting.”
(Top photo of Micah Parsons: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
