The Dallas Cowboys will be without one of their key starters on offense this Sunday when they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper was placed on the COVID list on November 19, ruling him out for the game and potentially longer.
New rules in place this season to mitigate the threat of a COVID outbreak apply differently to vaccinated and unvaccinated players. Cooper’s vaccination status is unknown.
Cooper has been a big part of the success of the league-leading Cowboys offense this season. Cooper has 44 receptions so far this season and 583 yards with five touchdowns.
He only trails behind CeeDee Lamb in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. His best game of the season came in Week 1 when he hauled in 13 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns. It was his only multi-TD game this year.
With Cooper ruled out against the Chiefs, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will rely on Lamb along with Noah Brown and Michael Gallup, who only returned to action last week. Malik Turner, who had two TDs versus Denver this season, will likely play a role with Cooper out.
Tight end Dalton Schultz, already one of quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite targets, will also likely factor into the game plan.
Prescott stands to find some of his less-experienced receivers open against the Chiefs, who have one of the league’s worst pass defenses. According to ESPN, only two teams have given up more yards throughout the season, the Tennessee Titans and the Miami Dolphins.
The Chiefs defense currently averages giving up 24.1 points per game and has let opposing offenses average 373.2 yards per game in 2021.
In comparison, the Dallas offense is averaging 433.9 yards per game and scoring an average of 31.6 points per game behind a makeshift offensive line that has seen numerous players rotating in and out of action this season.
On November 19, the Cowboys announced that Connor McGovern would start at left guard this Sunday. McGovern has started nine games this season at right guard while Zack Martin was injured.
McGovern and fellow lineman La’el Collins have teamed up several times this season in the Cowboys unique “Hulk” formation as blockers for running back Ezekiel Elliott.
McGovern has also lined up at receiver, including a play early in the game against the Vikings when he served as a lead blocker for Lamb, who caught a 37-yard pass on the play.
McGovern will replace Connor Williams, who has started at right guard this season. Williams currently leads the league in penalties with 13, 10 of which have been accepted.
The decision to start McGovern over Williams looks to be motivated by the unusual number of penalties. Last season, Jedrick Wills led the league with 11 penalties in 15 games.
The Cowboys will face the Chiefs on Sunday for America’s Game of the Week. The Cowboys enter the game at 7-2 and hold firm command of the NFC East, while the Chiefs are struggling to find the success they enjoyed in 2020.
Kansas City holds a minuscule one-game lead over all three AFC West opponents and currently sits at 6-4.
