The Dallas Cowboys are heading into a tough road matchup with the San Diego Chargers on Sunday and the offense might be a bit lacking, as wide receiver Miles Austin could be missing from the starting lineup after dealing with a hamstring injury, something that he has dealt with numerous times in his career.
According to ESPN.com, Austin likely will not be playing this week after missing multiple days of practice during the week and while he has not been officially ruled out of the game on Sunday, his chances of getting into the lineup is not looking very good. Jerry Jones said in an interview on the radio that team wants to be cautious with Austin and the team could use Terrance Williams and Dwayne Harris more in the offense if he can't go.
Dez Bryant obviously will remain the number one receiver, but the Chargers might be able to focus more on him if Austin is out of the lineup. Quarterback Tony Romo has been very good this season through three games and the Cowboys are 2-1, while the Chargers are 1-2 and each will be looking for the key victory in Sunday. Romo has been more accurate than usual, completing over 70 percent of his passes while throwing six touchdowns and one interception with over 750 yards passing.
Romo is fifth in the NFL in passing TDs, second in percentage and fifth in quarterback rating and with Austin out, he could take a hit. Romo has completed over 70 percent of his passes in all three games this season and he hasn't thrown a pick since the win over the Giants in Week 1. Romo went for three touchdowns and 210 yards against the Rams last weekend and that came after a 298 yard, one touchdown performance against the Chiefs the previous week in their 17-16 loss. Romo will be the key for the Cowboys on Sunday and with Austin out, things could get a bit tougher.
This season Bryant is leading the team in targets with Jason Witten second, while Austin is in third place with 21. Following him of the wideouts are Williams and Harris and while neither is expected to have a big day, if owners have Austin in deeper leagues, they could be solid choices. Williams has five catches this season for 60 yards, but he has two receptions of over 20 yards and he could be a solid deep threat for the team.
Harris has four catches this season for 40 yards and he also has a 20-yard catch and if he can use his speed on Sunday against the Chargers, he could have a good day filling in for Austin. Bryant obviously has been the best of the group, making 17 catches for over 200 yards and two touchdowns and even if he is covered on Sunday, Romo will continue to look for him.
