The Dallas Cowboys were out-physicaled by their NFC East rival Giants on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. The defense allowed 394 total yards, including a clean 23-of-29 passing performance for 230 yards and three touchdowns from Jaxson Dart. The Cowboys' offense, meanwhile, failed to do much against the Giants' loaded front seven.
But one of the biggest question marks coming out of the game for Dallas was the status of starting safety Malik Hooker, who left the game with a forearm injury and never returned. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Hooker suffered a fractured bone in his forearm and is currently consulting with a specialist to determine his recovery time. Rapoport noted that forearm fractures can take up to six weeks to heal, if not longer, but there's optimism he'll be back sooner than that.
More news: Michael Irvin Sounds Off on Cowboys After Brutal Loss to Giants Hooker didn't do much before the injury in Sunday's game, but he's still one of the longest-tenured Cowboys players and a proven veteran presence on defense. A former first-round pick in 2017, Hooker spent his first four seasons with the Colts before signing with the Cowboys in 2021, now entering his sixth season with the franchise. Last year, he posted 52 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, and one pass breakup across 12 games, missing time with a toe injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Across six seasons in Dallas, he's tallied 290 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups, and seven interceptions. More news: Rams HC Sean McVay Admits Costly Mistake With Myles Garrett More news: Eagles Rookie WR Makai Lemon Had Historically Bad NFL Debut Caleb Downs, Jalen Thompson, and P.J. Locke will all need to step up in the weeks ahead with their veteran safety likely set to miss at least the next month of action.
The Cowboys host the Commanders in Week 2 before matchups against the Ravens, Texans, and Bucs. That's a manageable schedule on paper, but it also includes some high-powered offenses that'll have to be kept in check without one of their starters on defense.
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