The Dallas Cowboys dropped to 6-8-1 on the season with their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. It had the makings of a nail-biter in the first half, but the Cowboys' offense was shut out in the second half en route to a 34-17 defeat at AT&T Stadium.
While the defense never showed up, Dallas showed some fight when Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman flew in for a late hit Ryan Flournoy, who was injured on the play and subsequently ruled out with a knee injury.
Flournoy was brought to the ground by the pass as he had to torque his body to reel it in. All Perryman had to do was touch him down, but he used excessive force and caused an injury.
As such, the NFL has laid down the hammer in the form of a two-game suspension. The two-game ban was due to repeated violations of playing rules, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Cowboys dodge disaster with Ryan Flournoy's injury after Denzel Perryman's dirty hit
The Cowboys lucked out with Flournoy's injury, as ESPN's Todd Archer reported that the second-year wideout suffered a strain. Per Archer, the team feared that Flournoy suffered a significant injury, but incredibly, he was able to practice on Monday, albeit in a limited capacity, ahead of Dallas' Christmas Day game against the Commanders.
Here is part of the NFL's release:
"During the second quarter, Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness for delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy while he was on the ground after making a catch, violating Rule 12, Section 2, Article 10(b), which prohibits “using any part of the helmet or facemask to butt or make forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.”
What made the hit that much more troubling was that the impact made Flournoy's knee bend underneath his body. The 26-year-old said he "heard a click and a pop in his knee." For someone who has torn his ACL before, he feared the worst, but the MRI brought good news.
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Perryman is lucky that Flournoy only suffered a knee injury. The hit came in around Flournoy's head/neck area, and he couldn't brace himself. That's why he is suspended, not because the Cowboys' wide receiver suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of the game.
It's a huge relief that Flournoy avoided the worst and is already back practicing. He's caught 35 passes for 47 yards and four touchdowns this season. Those numbers are nothing to sneeze at, given he's competing with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for targets.
Flournoy has become one of the best discoveries of the season. It's clear that Dak Prescott trusts him, and Cowboys fans can sharpie him in as the team's WR3 next year.