The Dallas Cowboys are trying to do anything possible to get a win in Week 8. The team is in desperate need of a victory if they are going to keep speed in the NFC East. With injuries hitting hard, the Cowboys are trying to shake up the starting lineup in hopes of getting some momentum going. With Joseph Randle dealing with an injury, Darren McFadden is getting the nod at running back while Dez Bryant might still not be healthy.
According to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, McFadden has earned the right to start after he put up one of the best games of his career against the New York Giants. McFadden was the most productive player on the field with 162 yards of total offense and a touchdown. It was a breakout game for the running back after he stepped in for Randle who is dealing with an oblique injury and could be out for Sunday's game as well. Head coach Jason Garrett has full confidence in McFadden.
"I thought he was outstanding," Garrett said, via the team's official website. "I think anybody who watched the game had to have been impressed by his performance. You saw him run inside, you saw him run off tackle and you saw him run outside. He made a lot of big plays in the game, he had a lot of dirty runs in the game. Just really, really played a complete football game and that's a well as we've run the football all year long and we have to continue to build on that."
McFadden will get the start while Christine Michael is expected to get an increased workload. After taking reps with the first-team offense, the running back has not seen much action yet on the field. Quarterback Matt Cassel will lean heavily on both players as he will likely not have his top wide receiver back on the field just yet.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys feel good about Bryant's progress in workouts and believe he will not be suffering any setbacks, but that does not mean he is getting on the field in Week 8. FOX Sports is reporting that Bryant is 50-50 at best for Week 8, but is guaranteed to be healthy by the time the team takes on the Philadelphia Eagles. Until then, Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley must step up as the top deep threats on the field and help Cassel out.
"He had good results," Jones said, via105.3 The Fan's Shan and RJ show [KRLD-FM]. "He had a good weekend of working out. He worked out real hard Sunday before the game. He didn't have any lingering effects yesterday. So that means we feel good about what he gets done today. We'll work him in and see how it goes this week and see if we can get him on the field."
