Joe Soriano
O.J. LewisCowboys Ware and Barber deemed to be okay after MRIs.
The Dallas Cowboys and their fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when the MRIs for Demarcus Ware and Marion Barber revealed no significant damage to Ware's knee or Barber's toe. Barber and Ware are two of the more critical players for the Cowboys, and they could not afford to lose either of them during the stretch run for the playoffs. The Cowboys moved into a half game lead for one of the two wildcard slots with their convincing defeat over the Seahawks on Thanksgiving Day. In that game, Ware recorded three sacks to take over the league lead with fifteen on the season. Marion Barber did not have his usual outstanding performance, gaining only 32 yards on 10 carries and catching one pass for 13 yards. But Marion Barber's importance cannot be overstated. One drive this season in the Cowboy's game versus the Redskin's illustrates that point. With 6:40 remaining on the clock and the Cowboys clinging to a 14-10 lead, the Cowboys took possession of the ball and simply ran Barber ten straight times. After those carries, Tony Romo took two kneel downs. Game over.
