Jerry Jones is the bearer of potentially great news days ahead of Cowboys vs Lions matchup on Thursday Night Football
The Dallas Cowboys need Jadeveon Clowney on the field on Thursday.
There’s a concerning situation brewing for the Dallas Cowboys defense leading up to their Week 14 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who has established himself as a clear-cut starter in recent weeks, has missed back-to-back practices to start the week. He’s dealing with a hamstring injury, which you always want to be cautious with. The problem? Every game is a must-win for the Cowboys as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Considering the Cowboys will be on the road in a couple of days, missing back-to-back practices isn’t the most encouraging sign. However, Jerry Jones was the bearer of potentially great news when he suggested on an interview with 105.3 The Fan that Clowney could play Thursday.
“I’d look to him to be available this week,” Jones said Tuesday. “That’s not a given, this truly is warming up out there before the game on Thursday and [evaluating] if he can play.”
In the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Clowney had one of his best games of the season. He finished the day with two sacks, one of which was the perfect example of showing hustle and high effort throughout a play. He also added two tackles for loss. Him playing despite a slow start to the week would be huge for the defense, which is rapidly improving partially because of Clowney’s play.
Who steps up if Clowney can’t play?
Clowney and second-round rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku have become the clear-cut starters after the Cowboys started the season with a heavier rotation at edge rusher. But if Clowney can’t go, who takes his place?
In this scenario, I would expect it to be a 50-50 split between Dante Fowler Jr. and Sam Williams. The latter has played his best two games of the season the last couple of weeks The Cowboys appear to like Williams’ work against the run even if at times it’s been inconsistent. Meanwhile, Fowler Jr. is more of a pass rush specialist.
What is clear, however, is this Cowboys defense is much better with Clowney on the field. Hopefully, he is ready to go by Thursday. It’s looking like we’ll find out if that’s the case 90 minutes before kickoff.
Dallas Cowboys News
The Cowboys proved they have a gameday advantage we didn’t expect, and two more things we’ve learned from 3-0 run
It’s a big one.
