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It’s been a wild race in the NFC East this season, and things got a little more complicated for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants as they prepared to face off in Week 17. C ‘is a game both must have in the win column if they are to have a chance of stealing the division crown from the Washington football team, but COVID-19 issues have suddenly forced both teams out of business. ‘adapt on the fly – so as to determine who ultimately has the advantage in the fight.
Dave DeGuglielmo, the Giants’ offensive line coach who replaced Marc Colombo in mid-November, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the team announced on Friday. There were two more potential close contacts with DeGuglielmo, but if the Giants’ facility remains open they will be without their coach O-line when the Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Shortly after this news broke, the Cowboys themselves announced that they would operate virtually on Friday, through head coach Mike McCarthy, and it was discovered that the reason for the change was not the day of The year, but rather because a player had tested positive for COVID-19 – a source confirmed to CBS Sports.
“We use contact tracing and whatever protocols we use,” McCarthy told the media.
The team moved safety Darian Thompson and defensive tackle Justin Hamilton to the reserve / COVID roster on Friday, the former having previously been likely to miss the game due to a concussion suffered in the Week 16 win over Philadelphia Eagles, while the latter’s absence will impact the team’s already questionable ability to stop the race.
The Cowboys are expected to reopen their facilities for full practice on Saturday, but that can’t be formalized until the league’s front office gives the green light. Unlike other teams who have suffered from epidemics at different times this season, the Cowboys have been one of the best examples of how to follow the league’s COVID-19 protocol, this latest positive test result not being being only their third of the regular season – the others being quarterback Andy Dalton and defensive tackle Walter Palmore. Ezekiel Elliott tested positive over the summer in what served as a wake-up call for the team and the league in general and since then Dallas has been strict in its commitment to tackle the pandemic.
As for the upcoming battle of Week 17, there is no tomorrow for the loser. The winner would capture the NFC East, but only if Washington loses to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. The Giants must quickly identify who will take the reins as the O-Line coach in the absence of DeGuglielmo and in the face of a suddenly thirsty Cowboys’ defense for take-out, while McCarthy works under COVID-19 protocol and must replace two players – one expected and one not – the two key players in the defensive rotation.
And so on, that the dramatic season of the NFC East becomes even more buzzing.
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