Most Dallas Cowboys fans were probably sitting on the couch watching a primetime matchup between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the game didn't go in Dallas' favors, as the Eagles won an ugly one on their home turf.
During the game, Eagles' star right tackle Lane Johnson suffered an apparent lower body injury and hobbled to the locker room. According to NFL Network reporters Ian Rapaport and Mike Garafolo, Johnson will be out for 4-6 weeks with a Lisfranc sprain.
In other words, Johnson has damage to the ligaments and bones in the middle part of his foot. He won't play this coming Sunday when the Cowboys host the Eagles at AT&T Stadium. It's impossible to overstate how big of a break that is for Dallas.
Eagles' Lane Johnson injury gives Cowboys the break they needed
The arrival of Quinnen Williams couldn't have come at a better time for Dallas. There's finally some hope for the rest of the season that the defense can make some noise to get back into playoff contention. The Eagles are running away with the NFC East at 8-2, but there's a path for the Cowboys to reenter the Wild Card race if they're able to string some wins together.
It's no secret how talented Philadelphia is on offense, but Johnson is its most indispensable player. The entire offensive line performs better when he's at right tackle. According to pro Football Focus, Johnson has yet to allow a sack or a quarterback hit this season on 262 pass-blocking snaps.
In the first meeting between Philly and Dallas this season, the Cowboys' defense didn't get any pressure on Jalen Hurts in the first half. That changed in the second half, and we saw what was possible when they can bring some heat consistently against Hurts, who has struggled when faced with pressure.
Donovan Ezeiruaku had a tough time against Lane Johnson in Week 1, but he's really started to come alive over the last month. With Jadeveon Clowney also starting to get his sea legs underneath him, the Dallas defense has a real chance to stymie an offense that has been out of sync for weeks.
That doesn't mean the Cowboys will win, but they will take every competitive advantage they can as the lesser talented side.