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Hours after landing back home following the monumental win, giving them sole possession of first place in the NFC East and control of their own destiny for the division title and the playoffs with two games to go, the Cowboys learned that NFL-leading rusher DeMarco Murray needed surgery to repair a fractured bone in his left hand.
Murray suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter on Sunday. He underwent surgery late Monday to repair a fracture in the fourth metacarpal.
Stephen Jones tells @1053thefan #Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray will have surgery today on broken bone in his hand. Not ruled out for next week
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) December 15, 2014
The Cowboys (10-4) are not yet ruling him out for Sunday's game crucial against the Indianapolis Colts.
“We’ll just see how that surgery goes and hopefully he’ll be back soon,” Garrett said. “The biggest question we have to ask ourselves is he functional to do his job. Can he hold the football, can he carry it under duress, can he block, and can he do the things necessary to play the position. Obviously using your hands is important in football. But we’ll just take it day by day and see how he does.”
But Murray’s chances of playing do not look good, striking a huge blow to his pursuit of 2,000 yards as well as the Cowboys chances of making playoffs.
They have to win their two final games against the Colts and the Washington Commanders December 28 to ensure a playoff spot.
Even one loss could keep the Cowboys at home for the postseason.
The Cowboys will be hard-pressed to win without Murray, who is not only the NFL’s leading rusher but the focal point of their run-oriented offense.
His ability to play against the Colts will depend on how well he can perform with the injury in terms of blocking, catching, running and protecting the ball. The Cowboys are refusing to rule him out.
“He’s as strong-willed and determined an individual as I’ve ever been around,” Garrett added of Murray's chances of playing. “If anybody has a chance to come back, he does. Let’s take first things first and see how the surgery goes and we’ll make our best decisions from there.”
But the Cowboys are realistic about the situation.
Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith missed one game in 1999 following surgery for a similar injury.
Receiver Terrell Owens had the same injury in 2006. The only reason he didn’t miss a game is because of a bye week in between.
“Every player is different; every injury is different,” Garrett said. “I understand that, but understanding maybe what the parameters are through the history of the injury can sometimes give you good indication as to how to proceed and really how to think about it.”
If Murray can't go, the Cowboys will turn to backups Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle. They will also likely call up Ryan Williams from the practice squad.
Proof #Cowboys much prefer @DeMarcoMurray to backups: his 405 touches 2nd-most through 14 games since merger (James Wilder 422, 1984)
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) December 15, 2014
But with 351 carries for 1,687 yards this season, Murray carried the load like no other back in the NFL this season.
Randle and Dunbar have combined for 60 carries for 328 yards. And before Sunday’s game against the Eagles, when the backups got some extra carries late because of Murray’s injury, the two combined for five carries in the previous three games.
Still, the Cowboys say they have confidence in all of their backs. And Randle said he was ready for a larger role if called upon.
“We have a lot of confidence in those guys, obviously,” Garrett said. “We like to give them opportunities to spell DeMarco and just to give those guys a shot. I thought (Sunday’s game) was a good example of how those guys have consistently taken advantage of those opportunities. Joseph got a couple of carries and was productive with his. I felt Lance did a really nice job in that game, at the end of the game handling the football and doing some good things. He made some good runs. They weren’t splash runs, but they were really positive runs at critical moments in that ballgame.”
But it’s clear Dunbar and Randle aren’t Murray in terms of production, responsibility and style of play. Murray is a power runner who gives the Cowboys their identity on offense behind a massive offensive line.
The Cowboys will try to continue to be a run-oriented team, but both Dunbar and Randle are speedy scat backs who succeeded largely as change-of-pace options against defenses worn out by Murray’s punishing style.
Of course, it’s a style that has caused Murray to miss games in each of his first three seasons in the league.
In 2011, he missed the final three games with a fractured right ankle. He missed six games in 2012 with a fractured foot and sat out two games in 2013 with a sprained knee.
Murray had hoped to play a full 16-game schedule for the first time in 2014. He was taking as much pride in that as in his run to the NFL rushing title and pursuit of 2,000 yards.
“Just being out there, I think I give us a good chance to win,” Murray said last Thursday. “So just being out there in general is important to me. You take it for what it’s worth. I’m blessed to be here. Anything can happen, so I just go out here and try to work.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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