ARLINGTON, Texas – You wouldn't guess it from the way they ran roughshod over the Bears, but the Cowboys were down two starting offensive linemen on Sunday night.
Tyron Smith was scratched from the game with a back injury and did not dress out. It was only Smith's second absence in his career, and it caught plenty of people by surprise.
"We were surprised he didn't play tonight," said Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones. "We were surprised that he had his spasms the last couple of days."
Smith was added to the team's injury report on Friday after the back spasms limited his availability in practice. After trying to loosen up prior to kickoff, the Cowboys decided to sit him.
It's the second injury Smith has dealt with this season, after he suffered a stinger during training camp. Jones said it doesn't look like a long-term concern, though, and he expects that Smith will once again be available next week.
"I don't think that it's an issue at all in any length of time," he said. "We had addressed it, thought it would kick in by game time today – it didn't. We think the spasms, structurally, we don't see an issue at all."
Meanwhile, La'el Collins left the field at halftime with an injury that was classified as a sprained foot. Collins himself told reporters that it was a problem with the big toe on his right foot. He also said that X-Rays on the foot were negative, but he will undergo an MRI on Monday morning.
"We'll look at the MRI tomorrow," Jones said. "It is a concern, but hopefully it won't keep him out too long. But anytime you deal with that great toe, then you have a concern."
-- David Helman
