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A third positive case of the coronavirus has forced the Dallas Cowboys to work remotely two days before their must-win regular-season finale.
An unnamed Cowboys player on the active roster contracted COVID-19, head coach Mike McCarthy revealed Friday, prompting the team to conduct a virtual practice.
“All the virtual meetings are occurring with the coaches and players, and we’ll back to, I guess, what you would call a standard Saturday schedule in the morning,” McCarthy told reporters, via SI.com.
As part of intensive COVID-19 protocol, which includes contact tracing, all Cowboys players are prohibited from entering the facility until Saturday, while the coaches remain in the building.
Although Dallas was impacted by the pandemic this season — look no further than their Week 13 Tuesday night game against the Ravens — the organization has done an admirable job keeping the virus at bay. Prior to Friday’s news, only two players (quarterback Andy Dalton, defensive lineman Walter Palmore) tested positive in 2020.
“I just think just the whole combination of the commitment from the organization, players and staff commitment and diligence has definitely kept our numbers very, very low,” McCarthy said Thursday, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. ” … I think the players and everybody, staff included, should be commended on the job that we’ve done to date.”
The undisclosed player, rumored to be safety Donovan Wilson, won’t play Sunday against the New York Giants as the Cowboys aim to secure the NFC East with a win and a Washington loss to Philadelphia. Depending on future tests, it’s also possible that this player fails to get cleared in time for Wild Card weekend, provided the club punches its playoff ticket.
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Zeke’s Playing Status Unveiled for Week 17
Despite a calf issue that continues to nag, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will be available for Sunday’s finale. McCarthy revealed Wednesday that the three-time Pro Bowler is expected to play in Week 17 at New York.
The calf injury, which forced Elliott to sit out Week 15, appeared to be a thing of the past in last Sunday’s 37-17 stomping of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys’ third straight victory, in which he converted 19 carries into a game-high 105 rushing yards. Elliott looked like a man reborn, averaging 5.5 yards-per-tote and busting a 31-yard fourth-quarter scamper he punctuated with his signature “feed me” celebration.
“With the way the year has been going, and honestly it’s been tough this year to celebrate when you don’t have that many fans,” he said after the game. “But that one run just definitely felt good. I think just the biggest thing for me is just that I felt, I feel healthy. I’ve been feeling a little dinged up past weeks and this week I feel healthy, and I felt like myself.”
Elliott needs 64 yards to notch his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. And he’ll attempt to cross the mark against the Giants’ 11th-ranked run defense, which surrenders 111.6 YPG.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL