Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy delivered a lump of coal directly to fans' stockings on Wednesday.
After a nightmare game versus the Buffalo Bills stopping the run with starting nose tackle Johnathan Hankins out, McCarthy warned Cowboys fans the team is likely to be without him again for the team's game against the high-powered Miami Dolphins in Week 16.
"(Hankins) is doing better," the Cowboys heads coach told reporters on Wednesday. "He'd be hard-pressed to go this week but yeah, he's doing better."
McCarthy's choice of words shouldn't be overlooked here. Saying Hankins is "hard-pressed" to go on Sunday is the same vocabulary he used last week, when Hankins ended up being ruled out for the game in Buffalo. In other words, it sure sounds like the defense will once again be without its starting nose tackle.
And make no mistake about it, it's a very meaningful injury.
For all the hype Tyreek Hill and Tua Tagovailoa have generated this season (rightfully so), the Dolphins' menacing offense is terrifyingly dynamic on the ground. Most of their success starts with what they do with their speedy running backs and Mike McDaniel's creative run designs, which consistently have new wrinkles.
The Cowboys will need to be in their A-game after missing 12 tackles last week. Such a high number is definitely a rarity but it certainly relates to Hankins' absence. Without defensive tackles occupying blockers, the linebackers' job is much harder as they have offensive linemen climbing to the second level every time. PFF editor and film expert John Owning nailed his description of this effect on a recent post on Twitter/X which you can check out below:
Another interesting aspect that I've noticed about the #Cowboys' run D issues:
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 20, 2023
Opposing teams don't respect the DAL DTs' ability to discard single blocks (outside of OO97). So on combo blocks, instead of making sure to secure the first level before climbing, opposing OL are just…
"They're both on the Wednesday (rehab) group," McCarthy said. "They won't do much today."
Both Hooker and Martin were listed as non-participants on the opening practice of the week. We'll see what happens on Thursday and most importantly what their game statuses are once we get to Friday (final official report) and Saturday (last day of practice for the Cowboys).
Hooker was also a huge loss for the Dallas defense as it forced Dan Quinn to play Jayron Kearse as a free safety, where he clearly struggled. If Malik is down for another week, Dan Quinn could very well be forced to deploy his defensive backfield differently.
Additionally, Tyron Smith didn't practice with a back injury (although he's gotten many off days this season). The Dolphins also saw some concerns with their starting offensive line and are dealing with a long injury report this week.
First injury report for Dolphins-Cowboys pic.twitter.com/WBfrMmMvjY
— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) December 20, 2023
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