In a season of relentless injuries, losing Zack Martin, Cam Erving hits Cowboys’ battered offensive line hard

ARLINGTON — Just in case it wasn’t enough.

Losing left tackle Tyron Smith for the year in September. Losing right tackle La’el Collins before the season began. Swing tackle Cam Erving missing much of training camp with a personal medical issue before spraining his knee in the first game. Backup tackle Brandon Knight needing knee surgery and landing on injured reserve for a few weeks, too.

In case the Cowboys were getting comfortable. In case they believed their tackle position had stabilized and turned a corner.

Thursday happened.

“Kind of this year in a nutshell,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said.

Erving and six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin started the Thanksgiving game at left and right tackle, respectively. Neither made it to the game’s second drive. A season of relentless injuries at the position continued, causing protection concerns that often stymied the offense in a 41-16 loss to Washington.

The two starters exited in a five-play span.

Knight replaced Erving. Undrafted rookie Terence Steele completed the game for Martin. The Cowboys had just slid Martin from right guard to tackle last week, a move that paid immediate dividends last Sunday in a 31-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Martin didn’t allow a single quarterback pressure that game.

Naturally, his absence was felt Thursday against one of the NFL’s most talented defensive lines.

“It definitely changes the way you do some things,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think that’s obvious. I can’t tell you how proud I am of those guys just jumping in there, Brandon and Terence. But you know, you make adjustments. Unfortunately, we have quite a bit of experience with that situation this year.

“I thought (offensive coordinator) Kellen (Moore) did a really good job managing the situation. I thought (offensive line coach) Joe Philbin did a good job managing that as well. So, it’s unfortunate that we had the injuries.”

Erving entered the afternoon sporting a brace over his left knee; he sprained his left MCL on Sept. 13 against the Los Angeles Rams. Now, his right knee is sprained after left guard Connor Williams incidentally finished a block into his right leg.

Martin appears to have aggravated a left calf sprain he first suffered on Nov. 16. He played through the injury last Sunday, but on a short week, the issue flared while executing his pass set. Martin fell to the ground in clear pain, clutching his left leg. Elliott expressed relief that it wasn’t a more serious injury, such as a knee issue.

But it’s still early.

On Friday, Martin and Erving are both expected to undergo an MRI, which will provide more information on their availability next Thursday at the Baltimore Ravens, presuming that game remains as scheduled following the Ravens’ COVID-19 outbreak.

Martin and Erving walked to the locker room for further evaluation and later returned to watch the game’s remainder from the sideline. Martin needed crutches to walk, wearing a protective boot over his left foot.

Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton was sacked three times for the game.

Late in the fourth quarter, Washington defensive end Montez Sweat ran unimpeded into the backfield, as Steele concentrated inside on a blitzing linebacker. Without any opposition, Sweat shot his hands into the air to deflect and intercept a Dalton pass intended for Elliott in the right flat.

He returned it for a 15-yard touchdown.

“You never want to lose two guys like Cam and Zack,” said center Joe Looney, who spent time on injured reserve this season himself with a knee sprain. “You never want to see that happen. And we just we got to play better as a unit. I think we just we got to go out there and give it our all, put our hearts into it. It’s about playing for that name on the back of your jersey and man next to you.

“And I think if we keep playing like that, no matter what the scoreboard says, no matter what our record says, that’s respect in my eyes.”

The 25-point loss to Washington was the Cowboys’ second-biggest defeat on Thanksgiving Day:

Margin Year Result 27 1989 Philadelphia 27, Dallas 0 25 2020 Washington 41, Dallas 16 23 2014 Philadelphia 33, Dallas 10 22 2017 LA Chargers 28, Dallas 6 21 1972 San Francisco 31, Dallas 10 19 2015 Carolina 33, Dallas 14

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