DeMarcus Ware was already hurting, and it only got worse.
But Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday he expects his star pass-rusher to play Sunday in the loser-leaves-town game against the Redskins.
Ware, who was already battling other problems, missed the entire fourth quarter and only played one snap of overtime against the Saints with a shoulder strain.
“Somehow, some way, DeMarcus is going to get himself right to play in this Washington game,” Garrett said, via Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He’ll battle through anything.”
Ware’s never missed a game, but played just 59 of 95 snaps against the Saints. He has 11.5 sacks this season, but just 2.5 the last seven games.
Garrett said trainers will make sure Ware’s “functional and can protect himself,” but he also stressed he’s counting on Ware against the Redskins with the playoffs on the line
“DeMarcus Ware is such a talented athlete, I think a lot of times, people lose sight of the kind of person he is and how mentally and physically tough that he is,” Garrett said. “He’s a very willful guy. . . . He wants to get out there and help our football team.
“He just somehow, some way gets himself ready to play in a ballgame. He hasn’t had the gaudy numbers that he’s had in the past in terms of sacks, but he’s certainly been a productive player for us. I think a lot of that goes to his will and his passion for playing, his passion for his teammates and his love for the game.”
In a one-game season, there’s little choice.
But if the Cowboys were to win and get in the postseason, you wonder what Ware would have left.