While Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is still hopeful, it's Thursday, and he's still having trouble breathing and stuff. So unless he's Wolverine, it's not likely the NFC leader in receptions will be on the field against the Giants. Even if he does suck it up, he'll probably be too tender to make a serious impact on the game.
You can add his name to a list that includes QB Tony Romo, safety Roy Williams, and CB Terrence Newman amongst others, meaning the 'Boys roster which is usually filled with more talent than Scarlett Johansson's bra, will be sending a shell of itself into Giants stadium this Sunday.
For the Giants, facing a sure-to-be feisty Dallas squad, it might just be the edge they need. The same way a dilapidated Steelers team helped Big Blue come out on the good side of an uneven performance last week in Pittsburgh.
Ben Roethlisberger and Co. were without a host of starters including Fast Willie Parker, wideout Santonio Holmes, and of course, now-infamous long snapper Greg Warren who essentially threw the victory into the Giants hands with his botched snap late in the fourth quarter.
In no other sport is discussion of the schedule more important than in the NFL; with parity reigning supreme, and only 16 games to work with, the strength of an NFL schedule is largely based on who's playing whom at what time.
The Giants were entering the tough part of their schedule, but tons of injuries to these playoff-contending clubs are making it a little easier for them at the moment.
And funny enough, while the Giants are mostly benefiting, even the one loss suffered in Cleveland was frequently attributed to a Browns team finally getting healthy again.
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As for the Giants themselves, they suffered a huge loss when Osi Umenyiora went down, but in a league where everyone deals with injuries, the fact it came early in the preseason, and their mostly picture-perfect record of health since means their luck with the injury bug has generally favored them. Hence, 6-1 and looking for an almost-perfect first half of the season.
But with most of their divisional games still in front of them, they'll just need to cross their fingers and hope it stays that way in the second half of the season.
