Cowboys at Giants: 7 listed on final injury report

With the Dallas Cowboys playoff berth secure, any players with even a hint of injury will likely not play in their Week 17 matchup against the New York Giants.

Following the Dallas Cowboys Week 16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, America’s Team and their fans took a collective sigh of relief. Not only did that win crown the Cowboys as the NFC East champions and secure them a playoff berth, but it also rendered their final game of the regular season against the New York Giants all but meaningless.

All week the concern hasn’t been how Dallas needs to find a way to defeat a Giants’ squad who started the season 1-8, but have ended it winning four of their last seven games. Instead, the biggest issue for the Cowboys is if they should rest their starters in preparation for the playoffs or risk injury by playing them against New York to avoid possible rust.

Despite the debate, the overall belief is if any of the Cowboys players that are even slightly injured would absolutely not see any action against New York. Therefore, any player listed on the team’s final injury report would likely be sidelined in Week 17 regardless of status. But that may not necessarily be the case.

On the Cowboys’ final injury report, both defensive end Tyrone Crawford and defensive tackle David Irving have already been officially ruled out for the game on Sunday. Crawford suffered a scary neck injury early on during Dallas’ contest against the Bucs in which he had to be carted off the field. As for Irving, he’s been dealing with a high ankle injury.

Listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey are right guard Zack Martin (knee), left tackle Tyron Smith (neck), linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring) and cornerback Anthony Brown (back). Also appearing on the report is wide receiver Tavon Austin whose groin injury has sidelined him since mid-October.

Fortunately for the Dallas Cowboys, Austin was a full participant in all three practice sessions this week and should be available to play against the Giants. It’s possible Lee receives some snaps as well as the veteran linebacker needs to shake off the rust after missing a total of nine games so far this season.