EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Despite missing Friday's practice with a back injury, DeMarcus Lawrence is active for Sunday's game against the Giants.
The Cowboys released their pregame inactives for their Week 14 tilt against the New York Giants on Sunday evening, and Lawrence's name was not on the list. That's big news for a Dallas pass rush that will need to make life difficult on Eli Manning.
The Cowboys' list of seven inactive players is comprised of Mark Sanchez, Whitehead, Morris Claiborne, J.J. Wilcox, Darius Jackson, Ryan Davis and Chaz Green.
This week features special circumstances, as Lucky Whitehead was ruled out for the game on Saturday for a violation of team rules. The second-year wide receiver did not travel to New York with the team and will not be on the sideline.
In addition to Whitehead's obvious absence, Sanchez, Jackson and Davis have been customary healthy scratches at points this season. The other three absences are all injury-related, as Claiborne continues to recover from a groin injury, while Wilcox is still working back from the thigh contusion he suffered on Thanksgiving.
Green has battled a foot injury for most of the season, but he was listed on the Cowboys' injury report with a back injury this week.
Meanwhile, Nzeocha will join the lineup as the Cowboys' seventh linebacker. The second-year defender was active last week while Justin Durant recovered from a hamstring injury. Durant is healthy and active for Week 14 – but the Cowboys had some extra roster room to work with on account of Whitehead.
On the opposite sideline, Lawrence and the Dallas pass rush caught a break as Giants guard Justin Pugh was ruled out with the knee injury that has bothered him for several weeks.
In addition to Pugh, the Giants' inactives are quarterback Josh Johnson, wide receiver Tavarres King, safety Nat Berhe, defensive end Owa Odighizuwa, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and linebacker Mark Herzlich.
Pierre-Paul's absence has been known all week, as the Pro Bowl pass rusher underwent surgery on a sports hernia several days ago. That's a tough blow for a defensive front that stymied the Cowboys' rushing game back in Week 1.
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