NFL Week 4 Overreactions: Micah gets revenge, Dart lights it up
USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes ‘overreacts’ to some of the best games from Sunday’s Week 4 slate.
Sports Seriously
The Dallas Cowboys’ offense is actually off to a nice start in this 1-2-1 season, but now they are dealing with an avalanche of injuries on their offensive line that had four of their five regular starters out of Wednesday’s practice.
Injuries are starting to pile up on offense, as CeeDee Lamb and Kavonte Turpin seem unlikely to play against the New York Jets, where Dallas will be in Sunday’s early game.
Through all that, Dallas is a 2 1/2-point favorite, partly because the Jets are winless and so far hapless this season.
Tyler Smith injury
The health of the Dallas Cowboys‘ offensive line is not good, and to a growing injury list, add Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith.
At Wednesday’s practice, Dallas was missing left tackle Tyler Guyton (he’s in concussion protocol) and left guard Tyler Smith. Smith has a knee injury and had to get an MRI. There has been no word on the result of the MRI and he did play every snap against Green Bay.
Dallas is already expected to be without right guard Tyler Booker and center Cooper Beebe. Backups Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass took their place against Green Bay. At this point, tackle Terence Steele could be the only regular starter able to go.
This could all mean reserve linemen Trevor Keegan and Hakeem Adeniji get some playing time.
Jaydon Blue
Dallas’ rookie running back from the University of Texas has been inactive in the first four weeks, but that could change. Backup running back Miles Sanders didn’t practice Wednesday and is leaning more toward doubtful than questionable.
That would open the door for Blue, who played well in the preseason.
Javonte Williams
For all the hand-wringing in the preseason about Dallas’ sad running back prospects, Williams has filled the bill in solid fashion. Though the Cowboys don’t run the ball much, Williams has 312 yards in four games to rank sixth in the NFL in rushing. He also has four touchdowns.
The 25-year-old fifth-year pro out of North Carolina signed with Dallas as a free agent this offseason after spending four years with Denver, who took him in the second round of the 2021 draft.
Dallas Cowboys defense
The Cowboys’ defense has been awful, as at the moment they are 31st in the league (420 yards per game allowed), ahead of only … the Baltimore Ravens. Anyone see that coming? They are also 31st, ahead of only the Ravens, in scoring defense, as they yield 33.0 points per game.
They are 32nd in passing defense and 20th in rushing defense,
Dallas Cowboys injury report
This is extensive. The Cowboys had 11 players either miss practice or were limited in practice Wednesday, and that doesn’t include players on the injured reserve who are not eligible to play this week.
The 11 included the aforementioned linemen Smith, Guyton and Booker. Other players who didn’t practice included safety Malik Hooker (toe), receiver CeeDee Lamb (ankle), Sanders (knee/ankle) and receiver Kavone Turpin (foot).
Players who were limited in practice include cornerbacks Caelen Carson and Treyvon Diggs, receiver Jonathan Mingo and linebacker Kennety Murray, Jr.
Turpin and Lamb are both expected to miss the game at the Jets.
CeeDee Lamb
The Dallas Cowboys’ star receiver showed up at practice Wednesday and worked with the training staff, an indication he could return in the next game or two. He is almost certainly going to miss the game at the Jets, but hasn’t been completely ruled out.
Said coach Brian Schottenheimer about both Lamb and Booker: “Doing good. Progressing well. We’ll see how the week goes.”
Dak Prescott
Dallas’ quarterback is a huge bright spot, though it’s hard to say he’s putting up MVP numbers when his team is 1-2-1. But he’s not the reason Dallas is stuck on one win, as his numbers are through the roof.
Specifically, he’s leading the league in passing with 1,119 yards (5 more yards than Los Angeles Rams quarterback Brett Stafford) and he’s completed 72.9% of his passes.
Dallas Cowboys game today
The Cowboys play at the New York Jets Sunday at 11 a.m. MT/noon CT on FOX.
Dallas Cowboys stadium
The Dallas Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The 80,000-seat (expandable to 100,000) retractable-roof stadium opened in 2009 and cost $1.3 billion.
Dallas Cowboys record, standings
The Cowboys are 1-2-1 after tying the Green Bay Packers 40-40. They are third in the NFC East, behind 4-0 Philadelphia and 2-2 Washington, and a half game ahead of the 1-3 New York Giants.
Dallas Cowboys schedule
The Dallas Cowboys have kicked off their 17-game, 18-week 2025 schedule. Here is what it looks like.
Home games in bold
1 Thu. Sept. 4 at Philadelphia 24, Dallas 20
2 Sun. Sept. 14 Dallas 40, New York Giants 37, OT
3 Sun. Sept. 21 at Chicago, 2:25 p.m. MT/3:25 p.m. CT, FOX
4 Sun. Sept. 28 Green Bay, 6:20 p.m. MT/7:20 p.m. CT, NBC
5 Sun. Oct. 5 at New York Jets, 11 a.m. MT/noon CT, FOX
6 Sun. Oct. 12 at Carolina, 11 a.m. MT/noon CT, FOX
7 Sun. Oct. 19 Washington, 2:25 p.m. MT/3:25 p.m. CT, FOX
8 Sun. Oct. 26 at Denver, 2:25 p.m. MT/3:25 p.m. CT, CBS
9 Mon, Nov. 3 Arizona, 6:15 p.m. MT/7:15 p.m. CT, ABC/ESPN
10 BYE WEEK
11 Mon. Nov. 17 at Las Vegas, 6:15 p.m. MT/7:15 p.m. CT, ABC/ESPN
12 Sun. Nov. 23 Philadelphia, 2:25 p.m. MT/3:25 p.m. CT, FOX
13 Thu. Nov. 27 Kansas City, 2:30 p.m. MT/3:30 p.m. CT, CBS
14 Thu. Dec. 4 at Detroit, 6:15 p.m. MT/7:15 p.m. CT, Prime Video
15 Sun, Dec. 14 Minnesota, 6:20 p.m. MT/7:20 p.m. CT, NBC
16. Sun. Dec. 21 Los Angeles Chargers, 11 a.m. MT/noon CT FOX
17. Thu. Dec. 25 at Washington, 11 a.m. MT/noon CT, Netflix
18. TBD at New York Giants, TBD
Emmitt Smith
The Cowboys legend and all-time leading NFL rusher has suffered a business setback, as his Las Vegas steakhouse, Emmitt’s Vegas, has closed. A sign was posted last week on the door of Emmitt’s stating the locks were changed due to “delinquent payment of rent.”
“We regret to confirm that Emmitt’s Vegas is currently closed as we carefully evaluate the best path forward for the restaurant,” said Clarkway Entertainment, Smith’s management group, in a statement. “As you know, this is a challenging time for the Las Vegas hospitality industry. While we don’t have additional details to share just yet, we remain deeply grateful to our outstanding team and to the thousands of guests who have joined us since our opening.”
The restaurant’s website has been taken down.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.