The Dallas Cowboys feel on the precipice of an organizational collapse. If the disappointing 1-2 start wasn't bad enough, the club is ready to welcome former franchise Micah Parsons and the Green Bay Packers into town shorthanded.
CeeDee Lamb will miss the next few weeks with a high-ankle sprain, severely hampering the squad's electrifying aerial attack. As for the injury itself, coach Brian Schottenheimer denied any potential wrongdoing on his end.
When asked if he had regretted putting Lamb in the backfield on the play that knocked him out of action, Schottenheimer emphatically stood behind his decision.
Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer defends running CeeDee Lamb out of the backfield
"No, absolutely not," Schottenheimer said. "You call passes and runs for people to try to get them the ball. It's unfortunate. We're going to call QB runs with Dak at times. You hate to see it happen, but no second thoughts about it."
Teams in the league love to find creative ways to give their best weapon, the rock. On the other side of this game, Ben Johnson did the same thing by mixing his high-priced pass catcher, DJ Moore, in at running back and lining him up all over the field. Lamb's been relatively durable throughout his tenure in Dallas—the play was simply a freak accident.
With Lamb out of the equation, George Pickens will be bumped up to the Cowboys' primary threat on the outside, with fourth-year pro Jalen Tolbert working as the number two. If Dallas continues to fall behind early in the contest, KaVontae Turpin will see a hefty snap count as an explosive playmaker from the slot.
As for other receivers, expect Ryan Flournoy to work more prominently in the rotation. The club will likely elevate an extra option from the practice squad, with familiar faces Jalen Brooks or UDFA Traeshon Holden as names to look out for.
There's a chance Schottenheimer attempts to establish a more physical tone early against the Packers by opting to incorporate more 12 personnel packages. Brevyn Spann-Ford had an impressive summer and deserves more opportunities opposite Jake Ferguson.
Javonte Williams has been the MVP of the offense so far, but is slightly handicapped by his style as a bruising, between-the-tackles runner. Miles Sanders should get some extra looks as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
It'll be a patchwork effort to try to reproduce Lamb's stellar production. That makes coming out of the blocks firing on Sunday so crucial; the Cowboys have to prove they are willing to fight through adversity.