Why DeMarco Murray Injury, Lack of RB Depth Will Kill Cowboys' Playoff Hopes

Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray broke his right ankle during the team's 37-34 loss to the New York Giants last night. As a result, the dynamic rookie runner will have surgery and miss the rest of the season. That leaves Felix Jones as the team's only healthy running back, and that could doom their playoff hopes.

Murray had 897 yards and two touchdowns on 164 rushing attempts, with another 183 yards on 26 catches. He had developed into a key weapon in the Cowboys offensive attack.

While Dallas currently ranks sixth in the NFL in total offense (averaging 390.1 yards per game), they rank 14th in the league in rushing offense (116.7 yards per game) and sixth in passing offense (273.4 yards per game). That means the rushing attack has been incredibly important to what they've done this season. 

Right now, the Cowboys are tied atop the NFC East with the Giants at 7-6, but after Murray burst onto the scene in Week 7 against the St. Louis Rams with 253 yards on the ground, they won five of their next six games. After losing the past two weeks with Murray bottled up against the Arizona Cardinals (38 rushing yards) and injured last night against the Giants, it's obvious how important he is to the team's offense.

After losing his starting job to Murray, Jones will have to step up and try to win it back over the final three games of this season. He went for 106 yards on 16 carries last night, but that was against a weak Giants rushing defense and that kind of performance will probably need to become a weekly thing if Dallas wants to reach the postseason.

The Cowboys are now scrambling to fill out their roster with another tailback, as Chauncey Washington (who was signed on Nov. 30) is currently on the practice squad. Veteran Sammy Morris could also sign on with the team, as he is expected to be in Dallas on Tuesday.

But without Murray's explosiveness, Dallas has become a whole lot less dangerous offensively. And his absence could sink the team's playoff hopes.