GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Nobody wants to be injured, but Morris Claiborne had to admit he had good timing.
The fifth-year cornerback sat out the majority of the Cowboys' 30-16 win against Green Bay with a concussion, which he sustained when he collided with Sean Lee during a tackle. Frustrating as it might be, Claiborne acknowledged that it's nice to know the Cowboys' upcoming bye week gives him two weeks to recover.
"It couldn't have came at a better time," he said. "If you was to ask to get hurt, this is when you'd ask to get hurt -- a week before the bye. Just use it to get better."
The injury serves as the first setback of a stellar season for Claiborne. He entered the game with 27 total tackles, four passes defensed and an interception. And in the early going against the Packers, he added a tackle and a fumble recovery.
But with two minutes to play until halftime, Claiborne helped Sean Lee break up a short post route intended for Jordy Nelson – and collided face-first with Lee. After a brief meeting with team athletic trainers, he was sent to the locker room with a concussion.
"It was a concussion," he said. "At this point, I really can't tell you – because I don't even really know. But we'll find out more tomorrow."
This is the second concussion of Claiborne's NFL career – the first came in his rookie season against Cincinnati. He said he also suffered one during his college career. Despite the approaching bye week, he said he'll go through the league's concussion protocol in the coming days.
However much Claiborne might have wanted to finish the game on the field, he made a fantastic point in the wake of the win. For a guy with a lengthy injury history, it's at least encouraging to think he can hopefully recover quickly – especially with the time off.
"This bye week came at a good time. I'll just use it to try to get better," he said. "I'd rather for it to be this than for it to be my legs or anything – something like that."
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