Miles Austin Injury: What to Expect from Austin on Sunday Night

With the emergence of key offensive contributors such as Laurent Robinson and DeMarco Murray this season, it's made life without Miles Austin easier than expected for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas pass attack is back to full strength this week, with Austin returning to action after missing the majority of 2011 with a recurring hamstring injury. That being said, Cowboys fans must have reasonable expectations for their No. 1 receiver in their team's most important game of the season.

Last time Austin returned to action, we saw what can happen when a wideout comes back to early from this injury. So it's very possible that head coach Jason Garrett will decide to ease him back into the fold offensively.

Fans and the front office alike want to see the old Austin back out there for this huge game against the New York Giants, but despite how healthy the Monmouth alum may be feeling, game time is a whole lot different than warming up on the practice field.

Expect to see Garrett call on No. 19 for a few short slants or curl routes early in the game to see how his receiver responds and go from there. Austin has the ability to be an ace up Dallas' sleeve so to speak, considering there's little game tape on their receiver for this year.

The G-Men will also be without some of their key starters on the defensive side of the ball, such as Osi Umenyiora and Kenny Phillips, which should help a Dallas offense that has struggled putting points up in the past few games.

While the Giants are a divisional opponent and know Austin better than most teams, that element of surprise could be just what the Cowboys need in the first of two meetings between their divisional rivals this month.