Cowboys Country

‘Full Dose’ of Tyron Smith: Cowboys Practice for ‘Playoff-Type Game’ vs. Kyler Murray’s Cardinals

Out notebook from The Star as Cowboys prepare to play with Tyron and against Kyler …

SI Editorial

FRISCO - The NFC East Division champion Dallas Cowboys host a likely motivated Arizona Cardinals team to start the new year on Sunday afternoon. On a four-game winning streak, Dallas is chasing the Green Bay Packers for the NFC's No. 1 seed while Arizona is trying to win a game for the first time in a month.

Said coach Mike McCarthy on Thursday on the matchup: “This is going to be a playoff-type game. We both need this game. And I think you’ll see that Sunday afternoon."

Our notebook from The Star …

*TYRON'S WORK: Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith (ankle) was expected to see a “full dose” of reps in today’s practice, McCarthy said. And indeed, on Thursday, he participated in individual drills. All good; Smith is on track to return to the lineup this Sunday vs. the Cardinals.

Read more here as Dallas is "fired up'' about him playing Sunday.

INJURY UPDATE: In addition to All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith (ankle) being worthy of a watchful eye ...

The Thursday injury report is above  ... The pool report notes that Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott all spent time with trainer Britt Brown on the cords before practice.

Also, Jourdan Lewis was on the practice field and was activated from Reserve/COVID-19. Read more about the DB competition setting up here.

SPEAKING OF THE CARDINALS ... The Cardinals are now second in the NFC West behind the Los Angeles Rams. In order to win their division, the Cardinals would need to beat Dallas this week and Seattle next week (coupled with a Rams loss).

LETDOWN? Fresh off a 56-14 domination of the Washington Football Team, will the Cowboys be motivated to avoid a letdown? Quarterback Dak Prescott has preached the importance of peaking at the right time. With the postseason inching closer, now is the time.

The NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 16, Prescott set a unique NFL record in his crisp outing while throwing for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns. 

A "letdown'' is not the plan ... and is one of the reasons McCarthy made his "playoff-like'' pronouncement.

The Cowboys defense continues to frighten foes with the likes of Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Randy Gregory, and DeMarcus Lawrence. And now Micah has won a second straight Rookie of the Month award.

MISCELLANEOUS: Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, born and raised in Texas, went to Allen High School and is undefeated while playing in AT&T Stadium (high school and Oklahoma). Said Micah Parsons: “He’s just so explosive, so quick, so fast. I’m going to have to really be on my A-game, come in real focused and be ready to hunt. It’s going to be a big challenge for me, but it’s a challenge I’m excited for.” ... Micah has his spirit animal for Trevon Diggs: “Eagles only fly with other eagles. No other birds can reach their altitude. Tre’s the eagle. I’m the lion. He owns the air. I own the ground.” ... Rookie defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna was the only player on the active roster not participating in practice. ... Malik Turner worked at least in individual drills. ... The club placed DBs Kyron Brown and Tyler Coyle on the Practice Squad/COVID-19.

RECORD WATCH: Parsons, the favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year and a contender for outright Defensive Player of the Year, has already established the Cowboys rookie sack record with 13. The Penn State product is gunning for the NFL rookie sack record (14.5), set by Jevon Kearse in 1999.

Parsons is part of a Dallas defensive line group (in his versatile role) that one opposing QB says is the "best in the league.'' Read more here.

RECORDS: Dallas Cowboys (11-4) vs. Cardinals (10-5)

ODDS: The Cowboys are currently 5-point favorites over the Cardinals on FanDuel. The over/under is 51.5 total points.

QUOTABLE: "We are The Show,'' Parsons said Sunday after the win. "We are the Dallas Cowboys.''

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