After getting the best of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, the Dallas Cowboys had put themselves back into the playoff picture in the NFC with a chance to clinch the NFC East division title. Although the Cowboys were seemingly back on track and on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth in the NFC, the win over the Bengals came at a cost with the team’s best offensive threat in wide receiver Dez Bryant suffering a broken left index finger.
The injury was severe enough to require season-ending surgery and potentially jeopardize the rest of his career if not treated properly. Bryant elected to play through the pain in order to help the team clinch a playoff berth and potentially make a deep run in the postseason.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Dallas failed to capitalize on their opportunity to punch their ticket to the playoffs. The division rival Washington Redskins won the regular-season finale against the Cowboys and clinched the NFC East division title as a result.
With the season officially over for Dallas, Bryant has scheduled to have surgery to repair the finger on Tuesday according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com:
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will undergo surgery on his broken left index finger on Tuesday.
Bryant was considering postponing the surgery if chosen as an alternate for the Pro Bowl, but the up-and-coming wide receiver decided to go ahead with the surgery.
Bryant is coming off the best season of his career since being drafted out of Oklahoma State back in 2010. The 24-year-old finished sixth in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,382, tied for 10th in receptions with 92 and third in receiving touchdowns with 12.
All of these numbers are career-highs for Bryant and a great sign for the franchise moving forward.
