The Dallas Cowboys have a big game this Sunday against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. It's a big division game and big game for the Cowboys, who are sitting in third place in the NFC East with a 3-3 record.
The team will be without one of its most important defensive stars for the game and for the rest of the season after linebacker Sean Lee undergoes surgery for an injury sustained to his big toe.
According to ESPN and reporter Ed Werder, Lee will have surgery on his right big toe and will be fully recovered for the 2013 after undergoing rehabilitation. Lee was hurt in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers. He had five tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass deflection in the game before leaving with an injury.
The Cowboys had hoped on Monday that Lee would be able to avoid surgery, but that is no longer a possibility. He underwent testing and an MRI showed that he had serious ligament damage in his foot.
"I couldn't push off the way I needed too," Lee said to ESPNDallas.com. "I couldn't do my job the way I needed to, but I knew we had guys who were ready to roll and who could do a better job than I could in the state that I was in."
Lee has had injury problems in the past, but was able to tough them out to stay on the field. In 2010 he missed two games with knee and hamstring injuries and in 2011 he dislocated his wrist, but only missed one game.
The linebacker has been one of the most important players on defense for the Cowboys over the past three seasons and served as the signal caller for the unit on the field.
With Lee's injury, linebacker Dan Connor will take over his spot in the starting lineup and Bruce Carter will make the signal calls for the defense. Connor was Lee's teammate at Penn State.
"It's a long season, a grind and guys get nicked up," Connor said to ESPNDallas.com. "I don't think I've ever been on a team where guys have been able to stay healthy, every play the whole year. It's all about being ready and waiting on your opportunity and helping the team."
This season Lee was leading the team with 77 tackles, one interception and a forced fumble. In 2011 he had his best professional season, making 105 tackles, recovering two fumbles and swiping four interceptions. During week 2 Lee had a stellar game, setting the team record for tackles in a game with 21 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Cowboys have dealt with many injuries on both sides of the ball this season, including to running backs DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones as well as to nose tackle Jay Ratliff.
The play off Lee has helped improve the Cowboys defense to one of the top rated units in the league. The team is ranked 3rd in passing defense, allowing 187 yards per game, and 15th in rushing defense.
The team will have their hands full this Sunday night when Eli Manning and the Giants come to town. New York has won three games in a row and five of the last six. Manning has had a stellar season, passing for 2,109 yards with 12 touchdowns, while wide receiver Victor Cruz has caught 50 balls for 627 yards and seven touchdowns.
The last time the two teams played in Cowboys Stadium was in Week 14 of the 2011 season. With the Giants on the brink of defeat, the Cowboys could not shut the door in the game and eventually lost after Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a field goal that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime.
The Cowboys are attempting to sweep the Giants in two games this season, the same thing that New York did to Dallas last year. It will be a bit harder without Sean Lee.