Attrition Taking Toll on Dallas Cowboys, but NFC East Still Wide-Open

The injury bug struck the Dallas Cowboys hard well before Sunday Night Football, but the injuries have continued to pile up and decimate their roster after a 26-20 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Somehow, the Cowboys turned the most forgettable of offensive performances into a late touchdown drive to tie the game at 20. But considering the lack of players they had left, perhaps going for two and the win would have been smarter.

Hindsight is 20/20 considering C.J. Spiller caught an 80-yard game-winning touchdown 10 seconds into overtime. But the injuries were truly that bad for Dallas. 

Star linebacker Sean Lee went down with a concussion. Explosive playmaker Lance Dunbar went down with what looked to be a serious knee injury, as the Dallas Morning News' Brandon George reported. Reserve wideout Brice Butler—who had a 67-yard catch—also went down.

By the end of the game, most of the Cowboys' best players from both sides of the ball were on the sidelines, as Fox Sports 1 noted:

For a team already playing without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant for the foreseeable future, the Cowboys did quite well to stay in Sunday's game. Brandon Weeden made plays in the passing game and got a strong outing from his backs, stepping up in Romo fashion to deliver a late game-tying drive.

The defense more than did its part as well, holding the Saints to 13 points up until an 11-play drive where Dallas simply looked unable to slow Mark Ingram and New Orleans' rushing attack. The Saints ran downhill at a Cowboys defense that looked lost without Lee in the middle.

After keeping the Cowboys in the game for more than 60 minutes, however, the injuries proved too much, as a rookie reserve linebacker was on Spiller for the game-winner, per Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com:

When it comes down to it, the defense has still looked much-improved from last year, and Lee's concussion could be a short-term injury. But the blows Dallas is taking on the other side of the ball are turning brutal.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

That proved itself on the opening kickoff of the second half, when Dunbar fell to the turf and grabbed at his knee. After racking up 54 yards on the ground Sunday prior to that, his absence proved costly immediately as the Cowboys failed to move the ball.

The Cowboys might be without Dunbar for an extended period of time if owner Jerry Jones' comments to David Helman of DallasCowboys.com are any indication:

A team can handle injuries to one side of the ball so long as the other unit is reared and ready to deal with the extra responsibility. Well, the Cowboys lost just about everything that made their offense click and are now losing the pieces on defense to make up for it.

As the injuries continued to pile up surrounding key playmakers, folks like Ben Rogers of 105.3 The Fan couldn't help but wonder "what if":

"

This would be a different D with Scandrick, Lee, Hardy, McClain, and Gregory. And a different O with Romo, Dez and now Dunbar. Holy moly

— Ben Rogers (@BenRogers) October 5, 2015"

Of course, there's one silver lining amid all of the treachery and madness going on in the locker room—playing in the NFC East.

That's right, one of the league's most feared divisions now appears to be the most winnable. Dallas is still tied atop it at 2-2 after the defeat, neck-and-neck with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, while the Philadelphia Eagles, once considered contenders, have sputtered to 1-3.

Plus, all the Cowboys have to do is hold on until the triumphant returns of Bryant and Romo. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Sunday that Bryant expects a Week 7 return, while Romo's target remains Week 11, so there's a conceivable end in sight to this nightmare for Cowboys fans.

With that duo in the fold, there's little doubt the Cowboys are the beast of the NFC East. But can they muster up some wins without them to keep hope alive?

Most importantly, can the rest of the team stay healthy for when Romo and Bryant do return?

After getting the early injury bug, Dallas had shown enough—albeit in a short time frame—to suggest it could still stay afloat until they return later in the season. After losing countless other key pieces Sunday night, however, the Cowboys are really up against it.

In that regard, losing to the previously winless Saints in prime time isn't a good look when the New England Patriots, Giants and Seattle Seahawks are on the horizon.