The Cowboys' holiday performance encountered a cast change early on.
Dallas lost Zack Martin (calf) for most of its Thanksgiving loss to Washington. Martin needed to be helped to the locker room near the end of the first quarter after suffering the injury, which was the second sustained by a Cowboys lineman in the first quarter of Thursday's game.
Cameron Erving (knee) returned from the locker room with a brace on his injured knee and was ruled out ahead of the second half.
"It definitely changes the way you do some things, I think that's obvious," Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said of his linemen's early injuries. "It's unfortunate that we had those injuries."
Martin moved to right tackle because the Cowboys needed a more reliable option at the position following the departure of usual starter La'el Collins due to injury. Martin has proven to be a natural at the position, and his exit produced a slight decline in performance, no matter the replacement. Terence Steele took Martin's place at right tackle in the first half, and Dallas took the lead on a 54-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper on the ensuing drive.
Injuries weren't limited to the offensive side of the ball. Defensive end Randy Gregory sustained an eye injury and was listed as questionable to return, but re-entered the game in the second quarter.
