Cowboys final injury report for Divisional Round is best-case scenario
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys will need all hands on deck for Sunday’s Divisional Round showdown against the (hated) San Francisco 49ers.
As great as it would be to have starters Terence Steele, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis for the matchup, the NFL season is all about navigating injuries, and the Cowboys have done exceptional in that department.
That’s a testament to the coaching staff and depth of the roster with young studs Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland and Israel Mukuamu helping the squad overcome season-ending injuries to key players.
Entering the second round of the playoffs, Dallas is in a pretty favorable spot from a health standpoint. While Jason Peters’ status is in doubt — he’s expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a hip injury sustained against the Buccaneers — Friday’s injury report is exactly what every Cowboys fan was hoping for.
Judging by this, Dallas will have all of Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Jayron Kearse, Tyron Smith, and Israel Mukuamu for Sunday.
Cowboys’ final injury report before Sunday’s game at San Francisco. Jason Peters has been ruled out. Everyone else is expected to play pic.twitter.com/I8mwLnEBWV
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 20, 2023
Cowboys final injury report for Divisional Round vs 49ers
The first takeaway is that Parsons has been removed from the injury report. Parsons gave Cowboys fans a scare when he struggled walking off the field at halftime Monday night, but returned to play the entire second half.
DeMarcus Lawrence had been limited in practice, but that’s been a theme throughout the season as he nurses foot and knee injuries.
Jayron Kearse, who hauled in an end zone interception of Tom Brady in the Wild Card game, was limited Wednesday and Thursday, but Kearse left zero doubt about his playing status to reporters this week. Per Kearse, this particular knee injury is “easier to handle” than the one he dealt with earlier in the season.
Additionally, Israel Mukuamu was upgraded to a full participant Friday. The second-year defensive back could be in for another big workload Sunday night after he drew a surprise start as Dallas’ third cornerback against the Buccaneers.
Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse (knee) on percentage chance he plays Sunday: “100 percent.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 18, 2023
“I’m good. Feeling good. This is easier to handle than the first time.”
“We want to win it all. We’re craving a Super Bowl, that’s enough motivation for us.”
Quinton Bohanna was a new addition to the injury report Wednesday, but improved to a full participant on Thursday. Bohanna was a healthy scratch in the Wild Card Round, and it’ll be interesting to see if Carlos Watkins and Chauncey Golston get the nod over him and Neville Gallimore again on Sunday.
The loss of Peters is a big one, but the Cowboys offensive line didn’t skip a beat without the veteran tackle vs Tampa Bay. Tyler Smith shifted from left guard to left tackle, while Connor McGovern filled the void at LG.
All things considered — Parsons limping off Sunday, Jayron Kearse being banged up, etc — this is as good of news Dallas could’ve hoped for.
