It was another cardiac contest for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 when they squared off against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, but they walked away victorious this time around. It was a win sealed by kicker Greg Zuerlein and fueled largely by the play of running backs Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott, with defensive fireworks provided by first-round pick Micah Parsons. Amari Cooper didn’t rack up yardage like he did a week prior, but one of his catches helped put Zuerlein in position to nail the game-winning 56-yard field goal.
On that very play, with the four-time Pro Bowler catching a 12-yard rope from quarterback Dak Prescott to move the Cowboys into Chargers territory with only 36 seconds remaining in regulation in a tie ball game, Cooper went down in pain and was immediately evaluated by trainers.
On Monday, his injury was described as bruised ribs by head coach Mike McCarthy, something that’s likely manageable going forward — aided by the fact Dallas has an extra day to prepare for its battle with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. For now, his status is being viewed as day-to-day.
The good news for the Cowboys was that not only did Cooper not head to the locker room, but he walked to the sideline under his own power and required no further evaluation at that time. He didn’t return to the game, but seeing as the Cowboys would only run two more plays anyway, that also wasn’t viewed as anything worrisome, in and of itself..
There were no fractures detected, sources tell CBS Sports, so it’s all about monitoring Cooper’s progress this week. Expect him to be limited in practice, if he’s allowed to participate at all on Wednesday and/or Thursday.
Additional injuries include defensive tackle Carlos Watkins with a knee sprain and defensive end Dorance Armstrong nursing a sprained ankle, and the latter makes for shakier depth at the edge. With two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence moved to injured reserve last week due to a fracture in his foot suffered in practice, and despite the electric game by Parsons on Sunday, the majority of the reps at left defensive end were expectedly awarded to Armstrong.
But if he’s hobbled a bit, there could be more work for Parsons on the edge, along with others like Tarell Basham and a potential activation of Breeland Speaks this week from the practice squad.
The Cowboys do not have a bare cupboard at defensive end, particularly with Randy Gregory expected to return, but Armstrong has played well when given the chance as of late, so they’re hoping he can remain available and productive, despite what ails him.
The same goes for Cooper, who is only one week removed from a hanging 139 receiving yards and two touchdowns on the defending champs. Cooper has been known to devastate the Eagles in his time with the Cowboys, and will be key in working toward a 2-1 start — especially with Michael Gallup on injured reserve.
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