"Adding insult to injury,'' as the cliche goes, the Dallas Cowboys limped out of Buffalo on Sunday following a crushing 31-10 loss with All-Pro guard Zack Martin dragging along an injured quad wrapped in ice. ...
And a wish that the problem is not as serious as Dallas' overall problems as a road team seem to be.
“I’m hoping this week, treat it and get it ready to go on Sunday,'' Martin said in the postgame locker room at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo. "I feel good about that.''
If the veteran Martin "feels good,'' maybe Cowboys Nation can do the same about an offensive line that struggled mightily against the Bills ... even before Martin's first-half injury.
There was really only one moment in this entire game in which the the Cowboys - still 10-4 and having clinched a playoff berth, which ultimately are two things that Dallas should "feel good'' about - sort of stood up for themselves.
In the early going, the Bills defense took a head-first dive at the sliding Dak Prescott, a potential monumental cheap shot that earned Buffalo a flag ... and earned Martin's ire.
The future Hall of Famer stood up for his quarterback and for his team, getting in the face of the Buffalo offender ...
But that is about as much "fight'' as the Cowboys could manage to drum up on this day.
Martin was later injured when it was still early in the game, and at one point as he moved to the blue medical tent was listed as "questionable'' to return for the game. But after halftime, he was downgraded to being out.
At one point in the game, the medical team and equipment guys guided Martin to remove his pads ... but to keep that injured quad wrapped up.
With Martin unavailable, young T.J. Bass was inserted into the lineup. ... and while the Cowboys coaching staff might come away giving Bass a passing grade for his emergency work at right guard, there is nothing quite like having the security of one of the game's greatest players available ...
As Zack Martin hopes is the case on Christmas Eve in Miami.
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