Heartbreaking injuries overshadow Cowboys' dominant Thanksgiving win vs. Giants

If you weren't rooting for a Dallas Cowboys win on Thanksgiving, well, we apologize on the team's behalf for how much they've broken you. While the dream of landing a high draft pick is slipping away, it was great to watch the Cowboys beat the New York Giants with the entire country watching.

DeMarvion Overshown had arguably the play of the season when he tipped a Drew Lock pass to himself and ran it back for a touchdown. Micah Parsons added two sacks and combined with Carl Lawson for eight quarterback hits.

On the other side of the ball Rico Dowdle scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and KaVontae Turpin (!) led the team in receiving on an afternoon CeeDee Lamb struggled with drops.

It was far from perfect, but a two-score win is a two-score win. Unfortunately, though, we are hard-pressed to celebrate after the heartbreaking injuries to feel-good stories Juanyeh Thomas and Josh Butler.

Injuries to Juanyeh Thomas, Josh Butler overshadow Cowboys' Thanksgiving win

Thomas went down in the first half with a potentially serious knee injury. It was a non-contact injury while defending a Giants kickoff return.

The FOX broadcast showed a devastated Thomas launch his helmet, punch the turf and clutch his knee. It was a gut-wrenching sequence of a player processing a bevy of emotions. Thomas was consoled by teammates and coaches before getting carted off and was quickly ruled out.

Those are generally the tell-tale signs of a serious injury, but it didn't take long for the Cowboys to experience another nightmare.

Ascending cornerback Josh Butler too suffered a non-contact knee injury while defending a deep ball. Butler couldn't even make a play on the ball because his knee gave out after he planted to change direction. The replay on FOX showed Butler's knee buckle.

Thomas and Butler are two of the feel-good stories on the Cowboys. Both players had arduous journeys to the NFL and scratched and clawed to make the roster. While neither is an established starter, they are important role players.

In his third season with the team, Thomas has made a strong case to be the starting safety next season. His role has increased each year and he finally got some national recognition after he returned an onside kick for a touchdown this past Sunday vs. the Commanders.

Butler, meanwhile, was out of football for five seasons before joining the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League. He received a training camp invite from Dallas this summer and was cut multiple times before joining the practice squad.

Butler made his first start in Week 12 and led the team with 13 tackles and three passes defended. He was only signed to the active roster due to other injuries, but he was trending towards earning playing time when the secondary returned to full strength.

While we don't know the full extent of Thomas and Butler's injuries, we get the sense the team is preparing for the worst.

Both cases are absolutely heartbreaking. There's no other way to phrase it.

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