Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Plus, the Packers may not have their top wide receiver next Sunday
Cowboys’ Michael Gallup ‘not ruled out’ yet vs. Packers in Week 5, per Jerry Jones - Patrik Walker, CBS Sports
Michael Gallup is about halfway through the estimated timetable of his return from injury, but on Tuesday Jerry Jones seemed to give some hope that the second-year wide receiver might actually be good to go already.
“I’m not ruling it out Sunday,” Jones told 105.3FM the Fan. “And, so, we’ve got to see how he does out here tomorrow especially and just take a look at it.”
That’s a promising nod for an offense that wouldn’t mind getting an adrenaline shot from Gallup to help avoid their first two-game losing streak of the season, but it’s also not exactly a green light. The reality is, if Gallup participates this week, it will be in a limited capacity that likely still leaves his game-day status in the air after Friday’s walkthrough is completed.
Only two weeks removed from the procedure, it’s more appropriate to expect his return closer to three or four weeks out. He can change that this week, though, if he makes rapid progress and shows an ability to make every cut, move, turn, acceleration and deceleration without risking a setback that could jeopardize his availability in the long-term.
TAKEAWAY TUESDAY: MICHAEL GALLUP WAS MISSED BY COWBOYS OFFENSE - Mauricio Rodriguez, Inside the Star
Speaking of Michael Gallup, the Cowboys offense is coming off its second straight week where they got off to a slow start, and the first week in which they scored only one touchdown. Both games were without Gallup, showing just how valuable he has become.
I might be speaking for myself here, but I truly believed Gallup’s absence wouldn’t hurt as much. However, among other problems on offense, the lack for a true wide receiver #2 was pretty clear. Amari Cooper squared off against one of the best cornerbacks in the league, Marshon Lattimore, and finished the night with only 48 yards in five receptions. It wasn’t a great game from him, but did he have help from other receivers?
I’d say not. Randall Cobb dropped a couple of big passes on the game and Dallas had no answer from any other receiver. Tavon Austin had one catch. And Devin Smith, who some expected to step up, played in 79% of the snaps. Regardless of his playing time, his name isn’t even on the box score as he had zero receptions.
As good as Austin and Smith are at some things, they aren’t complete receivers as Gallup is. He can’t get back soon enough.
Davante Adams injury: Packers’ top wideout reportedly unlikely to take the field against Cowboys in Week 5 - Patrik Walker, CBS Sports
While the Cowboys are getting closer and closer to getting one of their wide receivers back, the Packers might be dealing with the loss of their top wideout, at least for now. Davante Adams seems unlikely to be ready to go this Sunday when the Packers travel to Dallas.
One of the most important offensive weapons for the Green Bay Packers is in very real danger of being absent when they visit North Texas to take on the familiar Dallas Cowboys in Week 5. Two-time pro bowl wide receiver Davante Adams is currently battling an injury he described to the media as turf toe -- suffered in the fourth quarter of the Week 4 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles -- immediately putting his status against the Cowboys in doubt.
Expected to meet with a specialist to determine the extent of the injury, it’s now being reported Adams is flat-out unlikely to take the field in Dallas -- per Adam Schefter when speaking on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown -- which would cost the Packers their most potent receiving threat on the road in hostile territory. Adams mangled the Eagles for 180 receiving yards on 10 catches before leaving that contest, and was primed to again be the favorite weapon of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who targeted Adams 15 times in the Packers losing effort.
The good news for Green Bay is that, as it stands, there’s still hope his absence won’t be a prolonged one.
Dak Prescott says no loss in confidence after losing to Saints - Josh Alper, NBC Sports
The Cowboys may have lost an easily winnable game in which their offense looked bad, but Dak Prescott doesn’t seem to have had his confidence shaken. In fact, he might be even more confident than he was before.
“We’ve got a great team,” Prescott said, via ESPN.com. “There’s no confidence lost with this loss, I can promise you that. There’s a lot of things we’ll take from this that we’ll learn from and become a better team because of it. That’s the most important thing.”
The Cowboys will return to action against the Packers and it’s likely that Green Bay will try to do some of the same things the Saints did to halt the Dallas offense. The Cowboys will need to show they have better answers this time if they’re going to avoid another unhappy outcome.
CowBuzz: Drop In Power Rankings After 1st Loss - Mayan Meza Tovar, Dallas.Cowboys.com
The Cowboys didn’t just lose a game they were favored to win on Sunday night, they did it with their previously red-hot offense looking more or less incompetent. As a result, they’ve seen a slight drop in most power rankings, even though many still hold the team in high regard.
ESPN is the first to drop Dallas one spot to No. 5, and used the Football Power Index (FPI), a prediction system created by ESPN Analytics that combines the efficiency of the offense, defense, and special teams into a projection for each team’s season, to determine the Cowboys have a 78.3% chance of making the playoffs. ESPN believes being less predictable on the first downs, and putting real pressure on the defense, will push the team to January.
Second to drop the Cowboys down a spot was CBS Sports, who cautioned that Dak and the offense will have to come out with the same explosiveness seen in the previous three games to defeat the Packers. Similar to CBS, Yahoo Sports ranked the team No. 5, adding “There’s no shame in losing at the Superdome.” Although the first loss is bitter, the Cowboys remain first in the NFC East at 3-1.
Jason Garrett and the Cowboys blew an opportunity for Dak Prescott against the Saints - Jean-Jacques Taylor, Dallas News
The Cowboys made a bunch of believers in the first three weeks and the Kellen Moore fanbase swelled quickly, and just as quick has been the reaction to call out the team for the way they lost against the Saints, with most of the heat coming on Jason Garrett.
Dak Prescott has shown us he’s good enough to be the focal point of Cowboys’ offense when the running game doesn’t work. Now, head coach Jason Garrett needs to trust him to do it. Otherwise, there’s no need to pay the man more than $32 million a year, or whatever he ends up getting.
Garrett didn’t trust Prescott on Sunday night and it contributed to the Cowboys’ 12-10 loss in New Orleans. Making Prescott the focal point of the offense wouldn’t have been a good idea in 2016, when he was a rookie. And we saw he wasn’t ready for it in 2017, when Ezekiel Elliott was suspended, or before Amari Cooper arrived last season at the trade deadline.
Mailbag: Why So Few Snaps For Tony Pollard? - Bryan Broaddus & Rob Phillips, DallasCowboys.com
There were a lot of decisions that the Cowboys offense made on Sunday night that raised eyebrows, but one of the less discussed decisions was the lack of involvement for Tony Pollard after he went over 100 yards rushing the week prior. Bryan Broaddus and Rob Phillips do their best to explain why.
Bryan: Practiced him all week. Had him part of the game plan. Coaches made the decision not to use him. Felt like he could have helped getting the ball on the edges where the Saints had problems.
Rob: Pollard only got two snaps on offense, but Jason Garrett said the flow of the game affected his usage. The offense wasn’t on the field enough for Elliott to need a break, and they wanted to get Zeke and the running game in a rhythm. It just never got rolling Sunday.
BTB Podcast
There’s one guy who could make a potentially huge difference this week, and we’re talking all about him. His name is Robert Quinn.
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