Cowboys hit by seasonal bug; key DL and team’s lone punter questionable for Sunday
NFL players may seem nearly invincible, capable of superhuman feats as well as astonishing recovery times.
But even the most talented athletes on the planet, apparently, are susceptible to cold and flu season.
The Cowboys’ end-of-week practice report lists six key players as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the 8-1 Vikings. While Ezekiel Elliott, DeMarcus Lawrence, Anthony Barr, and Anthony Brown are considered iffy based on injuries, two of their teammates got the same designation for something else.
Nose tackle Quinton Bohanna and punter Bryan Anger sat out Friday’s walkthrough due to “illness.”
Add punter Bryan Anger to injury report. A bug is going though the team and he missed Friday walkthrough. DT Quinton Bohanna missed practice a second consecutive day with illness.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) November 18, 2022
While the exact nature of the ailments wasn’t specified, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, in his press conference earlier in the day, chalked it up to basic winter crud.
“Some stuff going around, you know?” he told reporters.
Then he noticeably sniffled and raised his own hand. “It happens.”
Does that make McCarthy questionable, too? The coach had to miss a late-season game against the Saints in 2021 after testing positive for COVID; would he be ruled out of the trip north to the Twin Cities because of a wintertime bug?
“No,” McCarthy scoffed. “Everybody else in my house has it, but I’m not allowed to have it.”
Bohanna’s massive 360-pound frame would figure to be among the keys to stuffing the Vikings’ run game and lead back Dalvin Cook. While the Kentucky product has now missed two straight days of practice, McCarthy said he expects his eight-game starter to suit up again in Week 11.
Friday’s absence was the first for the veteran Anger, who is currently averaging 42.5 net yards per punt and was last season’s Pro Bowl specialist at the position. He is the only punter the team has on the roster and is also their holder on field goal and PAT attempts.
Cowboys fans will hope that Bohanna and Anger are able to load up on chicken noodle soup and vitamin C in time to sufficiently rebound for Sunday’s late-afternoon kickoff.
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