The Cowboys aren't technically on a bye week, but it certainly has the feel of one.
As they sit on Monday, still a full week away from their next game, the Cowboys will at least try to prepare for their next opponent, but that is definitely easier said than done.
The Cowboys were supposed to play this Thursday, Dec. 3 in Baltimore, but that game has now been rescheduled for Monday, Dec. 7 because of massive COVID-19 outbreak that has ravaged the Ravens' roster.
Baltimore's game with the Steelers, initially scheduled to follow Dallas-Washington on Thanksgiving Night, was moved to Tuesday in Pittsburgh and now appears to be moving again, this time reportedly to Wednesday night.
The Ravens have reportedly over 20 players on the Reserved/COVID-19 list, including at least 11 players who have tested positive.
Among those key players who will certainly miss the Steelers game including NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens are also expected to be without running backs Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, pass-rusher Matt Judon and tight end Mark Andrews.
The availability of those players for the Cowboys' game on Dec. 7 in also in question. Depending on when these players tested positive, they will likely have to serve a 14-day quarantine, which would in many of the cases, would also keep these players out for the Cowboys game.
But for now, the Ravens are focused on just getting through this week's game in Pittsburgh.
And for the Cowboys, that seems to be the first step in the team's scouting preparation.
"First of all, you're going to watch the Steelers game," head coach Mike McCarthy said on 105.3 "The Fan" Monday morning. "See who lines up and how they line up."
McCarthy said the Cowboys' advanced scouting department has done a good job in staying up to speed with the Ravens' situation. The coach said they've been updating the Ravens' roster and studying the "in-depth depth chart" that keeps changing by the hour.
"I've never seen anything like this," McCarthy said. "Hopefully, I never do see anything like this again. It's just part of the times that we're in."
