There isn't much time for the Dallas Cowboys to recover from their loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, with the Buffalo Bills set to visit Arlington on Thanksgiving. As they work through the emotional sting of a 13-9 loss that could've ended in their favor if not for their own mistakes and two controversial tripping penalties the NFL now admits should not have been called, they'll also have to fight through injury on a short week.
When the Bills step onto the field to face the Cowboys on turkey day, they won't have to contend with starting nose tackle Antwaun Woods, who suffered an MCL injury against the Patriots. It will mark the fourth game this season Woods has missed with injury, after being sidelined Week 3 through Week 5 with an unrelated knee injury.
That leaves a sizable hole to fill on the Cowboys' defensive front, and they're hoping rookie second-round pick Trysten Hill and veteran lineman Christian Covington will do the trick. Hill has been active in only four games this season -- three of which involved the aforementioned absence of Woods -- and was in the headlines recently for falling asleep during a team meeting conducted by NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, an allegation he denies. Hill hasn't shown much as of yet in his first NFL season, but will get another chance on Thanksgiving, and maybe it'll lead to more playing time.
Or, maybe it won't.
Nonetheless, the Cowboys will need Hill to step up in a big way for a defensive front already struggling to consistently contain the run and now without Woods, and with the Bills towing the fifth-best rushing attack in the NFL.
Additionally, the defense shouldn't bank on seeing phenom linebacker Leighton Vander Esch on the field, who was ruled out of the Week 12 battle in New England due to a re-aggravation of the neck stinger that already cost him one start this season -- namely Week 9 against the New York Giants -- and will likely see him ruled out this week. Vander Esch began to feel symptoms from the injury on the back half of last week, and the shortened week isn't doing him any favors in his attempt to return to the field.
They'll continue to monitor him weekly, but a source tells me the expectation is he won't be available versus the Bills, barring a sudden turnaround in how he feels before Thursday. The club is being careful to not rush back the former first-round pick and potentially create longterm issues, particularly after seeing him again sidelined when they thought he was healthy enough to return in the first place.
This was later confirmed by Jerry Jones himself, in speaking with 105.3FM the Fan on Tuesday. The final decision will be made soon, but the defense is already planning to be without Woods and LVE against the Bills.