Dein erstes Forum » Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys had to abandon

ARLINGTON http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/anthony-zettel-jersey , Texas (AP)any realistic hope of defending their NFC East title while losing three straight games without suspended star running back Ezekiel Elliott. A fourth straight defeat when Washington visits Thursday night would hand the crown to Philadelphia with the Eagles still having five games left. Even if they find a way to win without last year’s NFL rushing leader, the Cowboys carry faint playoff hopes at best along with the team that shares second place in the division at 5-6 – the Redskins. ”It’s frustrating, it’s shocking,” Prescott said. ”You look around and you see the Pro Bowlers and the talent you have, it’s almost a loss for words on why it’s happening. But it just shows you this game is tough.” Made even tougher without Elliott, who was moving up the rushing list again during a three-game winning streak when he finally ran out of legal options to avoid the six-game suspension for alleged domestic violence. The Cowboys haven’t had 300 yards in a game since then, the longest such stretch since the last four games in 2002. ”I’m sure it has a little bit to do with it,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. ”But they’ve had some issues. When you lose a game, you can’t finger-point the offensive side of the ball.” The absence of 2016 All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee because of a hamstring injury hasn’t helped, with the Cowboys getting outscored 72-6 in the second half on the current losing streak. Lee has been ruled out for the third straight game. It’s been more about the volume of injuries for Washington, which has 15 players on injured reserve and was eliminated in the division race in Week 12 despite beating the New York Giants. Three starters have been ruled out against the Cowboys: tight end Jordan Reed (hamstring), center Chase Roullier (hand) and safety Montae Nicholson (concussion). A key reserve, former Dallas defensive lineman Terrell McClain http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/jahlani-tavai-jersey , will sit with a toe injury. ”You take away all the dust and the smoke and everything else that people really say about this team and you see what type of fighters and guys we get off the street and come in and play and still win games, it’s pretty great,” said cornerback Josh Norman, set for another showdown with struggling Dallas receiver Dez Bryant. Some things to consider with the Cowboys seeking to make the rival Redskins the first team they’ve beaten 70 times: O-LINE JUGGLE: Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is questionable with a right knee injury that will require surgery and has kept him out of three of the past five games. He knows he won’t be playing left guard for the injured Shawn Lauvao because 6-foot-8 backup tackle Ty Nsekhe is moving there. ”I can’t remember a time in my career where I looked down and the left guard is towering over me,” the 6-5 Williams said. SECONDARY SHUFFLE: The Cowboys are making changes among their defensive backs after giving up a season-high 434 yards passing to Philip Rivers of the LA Chargers. Rookie second-round pick Chidobe Awuzie, hampered most of the season by hamstring injuries, has been running with the first team and is expected to take snaps from second-year man Anthony Brown. Another rookie, Xavier Woods, could see more time at safety. CROWDER TIME: Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has spread the ball around a lot this season, completing passes to 15 players, but receiver Jamison Crowder is his favorite option. Crowder is coming off his best game of the season with seven catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. ”Sometimes he gets lost in the mix, but now he is becoming a feature-type guy,” Gruden said. BEHIND MORRIS: Alfred Morris has been the lead back filling in for Elliott http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/kahale-warring-jersey , who is out three more games. The Cowboys eliminated any remaining doubt about Rod Smith as the next choice when they released Darren McFadden three days after Smith scored his first career touchdown. Trey Williams came up from the practice squad and could be active against the Redskins. SIMPLE PLAN: Linebacker Zach Brown said the Redskins have only watched film of Dallas without Elliott because Morris is such a different back. They will follow what Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Chargers did. ”They’re not having (any) more big, explosive run plays,” Brown said. ”Now everybody’s forcing them to pass the ball. Now for our game, we’re going to force them to pass the ball, too.” — SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon was watching his teammates from a hotel just days after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery when he saw quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s knee buckle.McKinnon knew immediately what Garoppolo was enduring, having torn his own anterior cruciate ligament just three weeks earlier.“When you have an injury like this, a season-ending injury, there’s emotion that comes with it at first,” McKinnon said Wednesday. “When I saw the play that ended his season, I already knew what he was going through. For me and him to have somebody to go through that experience with and not be alone and push each other along the way will definitely help.”McKinnon reached out to Garoppolo as soon as the game in Kansas City ended on Sept. 23. McKinnon told him what his experience was like after getting hurt in practice on Sept. 1 and how he dealt with the pain and stiffness following surgery.Garoppolo had his surgery Wednesday to repair his left knee. Coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn’t know whether any additional damage needed to be repaired or whether Garoppolo would be recovered in time for the offseason program next spring.But he will have a partner in rehabilitation in McKinnon.“Jimmy’s a warrior,” McKinnon said. “I’m pretty sure that he has the same mindset I had in the whole situation and recovery process. The only thing we can do is push each other through these next nine months.”Garoppolo and McKinnon were being counted on to lead San Francisco’s offense after Garoppolo signed a five-year http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/bobby-okereke-jersey , $137.5 million contract in the offseason and McKinnon joined the Niners as a free agent with a four-year, $30 million deal.But McKinnon got hurt a week before the season opener and Garoppolo went down in Week 3, when he tried to plant and cut up field instead of running out of bounds late in a loss to the Chiefs.Those injuries dealt a major blow to the 49ers (1-3), who are now going with C.J. Beathard at quarterback and Matt Breida at running back. San Francisco hosts Arizona on Sunday.“It’s a huge challenge,” Shanahan said. “It’s the biggest challenge I think in our game. It’s a challenge that a lot of people deal with, that I’ve had to deal with in my career before. … Chalk a lot of that up to just luck.”Breida has rushed for 316 yards and is averaging 7.6 yards per carry so far this season.Beathard lost four of five starts as a rookie last year before Garoppolo took over and had the second-lowest passer rating of any qualifying quarterback. He looked better in his first start this year, throwing for a career-high 298 yards and two TDs in a loss at the Chargers.“I think just getting the ball out quicker and making reads quicker is definitely a big part of it,” he said. “A lot of that has to do with the offense just slowing down for me. I’m able to go through progressions quicker and stuff like that. But, there’s a lot of things in the offseason, just little things that you want to critique so you can get better at.”NOTES: The Niners were without three starting offensive linemen at practice with LT Joe Staley, C Weston Richburg and RT Mike McGlinchey all sidelined. Shanahan wasn’t certain if any would be able to return this week. … CB Richard Sherman and WR Marquise Goodwin also did not practice and WE Dante Pettis is out this week with a knee injury. … WR Victor Bolden Jr. returned to practice after a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The 49ers don’t need to make a roster move to activate Bolden until next Monday.