You don’t often see a 1-2-1 record. It’s not a loss, not a win, just a statistical shrug hanging in the air, and after a brutal Sunday against the Packers, the Cowboys are caught somewhere between injured and intact, hoping for good news that only seems to come with a catch.

The exhale Cowboys fans were waiting for came via a tweet from UnderdogNFL quoting HC Brian Schottenheimer: “Schottenheimer: CeeDee Lamb (ankle) ‘trending in the right direction’; currently no plans to place him on IR. ” Look, in the world of coach-speak, ‘trending in the right direction’ is basically saying getting better, but not sure. The follow-up? no IR. That’s huge.

Placing him on IR would’ve meant a mandatory 4-game timeout. This, instead, is a signal that he could be back on the field as soon as Week 5. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Lamb’s absence leaves a CeeDee-sized hole in the offense. In the two games he played, he put up 222 yds on 16 catches. The rub? Zero TDs.

He’s the engine that gets the team down the field, but he hasn’t yet been able to get in the end zone. Without him, the whole offense looks a bit lost. The Cowboys might not need him for the Jets and Panthers, but they’ll need every weapon they have for the Commanders and Broncos. 

Dallas will deploy a reshuffled receiving corps during CeeDee Lamb’s absence:

1. CeeDee Lamb (injured)
2. George Pickens
3. Jalen Tolbert
4. KaVontae Turpin
5. Ryan Flournoy

George Pickens becomes Dak Prescott’s primary target, while Jalen Tolbert slides into Lamb’s former role as the second option. The reshuffling forces Dallas to rely heavily on Pickens’ ability to command defensive attention and create separation.

After establishing himself primarily as a special teams contributor, KaVontae Turpin has carved out an offensive role that should expand by necessity. However, Dallas hopes Lamb’s absence won’t extend long enough to require Turpin to carry a significantly larger offensive workload.

The depth chart reveals a concerning lack of proven receiving talent beyond Pickens, creating pressure on Prescott to distribute the ball effectively among less experienced options while the offense adjusts to life without its star receiver.

George Pickens delivered a breakout performance against Green Bay, catching eight passes for 134 yards and one touchdown while assuming the top receiver role. His emergence as a legitimate number-one option demonstrates Dallas has a rising star who can carry the offense during Lamb’s absence.

The positive news for Dallas is that Lamb wasn’t placed on injured reserve, suggesting his recovery timeline should be measured in weeks rather than months. Avoiding IR indicates the ankle injury, while significant enough to sideline him, doesn’t require the mandatory four-game absence.

When both receivers return to full health, Dallas will possess one of the NFL’s most formidable receiving tandems. The combination of Lamb’s route-running precision and Pickens’ explosive playmaking ability gives Prescott elite weapons that should elevate the entire offensive attack and create matchup nightmares for opposing secondaries.

Schottenheimer will be concerned with the injuries he has to deal with while testing the depth charts.

Schottenheimer’s other concern

Just as a little optimism creeps in for the offense, the defense springs a leak. Calvin Watkins laid out the situation from the locker room: “A few players are awaiting results from some testing. Safety Malik Hooker said he’s got some ligament damage in a toe. It’s been bothering him for a while. He didn’t wear a protective boot in the locker room today. “

The specifics of how it happened are even more unnerving. Patrik (No C) Walker of DallasCowboys.com got the detail that really stings, tweeting: “add-on: I asked Malik Hooker if his toe got jammed into the turf in some way, and he said that it was actually re-aggravated when he planted to change direction on the offending play vs. Packers. “

It wasn’t a bone-crushing hit or a freak collision. It was a routine cut. The kind of movement a safety makes a hundred times a game, a thousand times a season. His body just gave. That’s the unnerving part. Walker’s tweet continued, noting Hooker “can’t definitely say if he’ll miss time, but clearly dealing with some pain/discomfort when walking.”

Before he left the Packers game, PFF had Hooker graded as the 4th-best defender on the field for Dallas. He’s not just a jersey number out there. After a career year last season with 81 tackles and 2 INTs, he’s become the steady hand in a secondary that’s seen more than its share of turmoil. If he’s out for any extended period, it’s Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas who are suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

So they wait for an MRI on Hooker’s toe and for Lamb’s ankle to get better. While the whole franchise is holding its breath, stuck with that strange 1-2-1 record in a slow mend (here’s what Jerry and Dak said), hoping the healing is faster than the fall.