FRISCO, Texas – In light of everything surrounding this team right now, it feels pretty fitting that the Cowboys are experiencing what has essentially turned into a second bye week.
In a normal year, a Thursday kickoff against Baltimore would already be on the horizon – but this season is anything but normal.
It was just six days ago that the Cowboys suffered the unexpected loss of their strength and conditioning coordinator, Markus Paul. Two days later, they lost a crucial division game to Washington on Thanksgiving, suffering more significant injuries during the process.
For good measure, go ahead and throw in the ongoing uncertainty surrounding their next opponent, the Ravens – who just saw their game against Pittsburgh re-scheduled to Wednesday.
It practically goes without saying that the added time off is a help.
"Just when you talk about the injuries we had and losing Markus Paul, it's been a lot from a mental standpoint," said Jaylon Smith on Monday. "I think it's crucial, it's critical that we take time to embrace our families and also this extra time with the game, our next game being moved to Monday, getting an opportunity to rest and heal."
As it stands right now, the Cowboys' re-scheduled game against Baltimore is still on for Monday, Dec. 7. But in this unprecedented and unpredictable year, it's understandable that that doesn't feel like it's written in stone.
Anyone who has followed this Cowboys season is well aware that "unprecedented" and "unpredictable" almost feel like a given at this point. For Smith's part, he said you can't afford to worry about what's coming next, as it puts you a step behind. Instead, the only thing to do is embrace the challenge.
"We've been experiencing it to the maximum extent this year in the year 2020. Just got to keep going," he said. "We've just got to find a way. We've got to find a way. It starts with myself. It starts with all of the leaders putting forth our best efforts and then having that trickle-down effect."
