The 12-5 Dallas Cowboys have clinched the NFC East Division title and the 2nd seed in the NFC.
The Cowboys face the 9-8 Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on January 14 at 3:30 P.M. central time.
Their defense will likely have their veteran cornerback available on Sunday.
The Dallas Cowboys veteran cornerback injured his shoulder last week.
Stephon Gilmore suffered a right shoulder injury when he attempted to make a diving interception on a pass intended for Terry McLaurin. Gilmore ended up dislocating his shoulder on the play when he hit the ground hard with his right arm extended. The medical staff popped his shoulder back in place and he was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
#StephonGilmore
Reinjures right shoulderhttps://t.co/JjYFjEqULv pic.twitter.com/H80reN6nUG— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) January 7, 2024
The MRI delivered good news.
Gilmore underwent an MRI on Monday, revealing that he didn’t suffer any significant damage to his right shoulder. ESPN’s Todd Archer revealed that Gilmore avoided a major injury:
“Stephon Gilmore escaped more serious injury without damage to his rotator cuff. The belief is he will be available Sunday and wear a harness for extra support for his right shoulder.”
Gilmore is ready for their matchup against Green Bay, saying:
“It feels great now. I’m excited for next week.”
Will Gilmore be 100%?
There is a possibility that Gilmore will not be 100% this week. Richard Sherman went into detail about how it might be difficult for a cornerback to play with a shoulder brace on:
“That limits your range of motion and your mobility and flexibility, you know because they’re trying to protect you. They’re trying to keep you out of certain ranges so that you don’t pop it back out again.”
The Cowboys pass defense will be tested this week.
Even though the Dallas Cowboys allow the 5th-least passing yards in the league, their pass defense will be tested against Green Bay because Jordan Love is having a solid first season as their starting quarterback. Love is 7th in the league in passing yards and 2nd in passing touchdowns with the youngest offense in the NFL.
Don’t be surprised if Love targets Gilmore in their first few drives to see if his shoulder affects him in coverage.
Will Stephon Gilmore be an asset or a liability in the passing game?