NFL

In Big D, Jerry Jones-ing for Cowboys RBs to heal

IRVING, Texas — Phillip Tanner and Lance Dunbar could very well be splitting the carries for the Cowboys this weekend.

Gulp!

No wonder Jerry Jones was citing injuries as the main reason for backtracking furiously about his preseason talk of expecting Dallas to contend for a Super Bowl.

The announcement of season-ending toe surgery cost the Cowboys the services of Pro Bowl inside linebacker Sean Lee yesterday, and their top two running backs — DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones — both missed the first practice of the week in preparation for Sunday’s NFC East rematch with the Giants at Cowboys Stadium.

Murray appears likely to miss his second consecutive game with a sprained foot, while Jones is looking iffy to suit up against Big Blue because of a bruised knee. If Jones doesn’t recover enough to practice by tomorrow, the not-so-illustrious combination of Tanner and Dunbar would get the call.

It would feel like a mayday call for Tony Romo, who likely turns into a sitting duck against the Giants’ fearsome pass rush with a running game behind him consisting of a pair of former undrafted free agents, one of whom (Dunbar) is a rookie.

“I’ve said all along that I think this team has an opportunity to be a [Super Bowl] contender, but that one exception that I made was — as we’re seeing right now — injuries can make a difference in the NFL,” Jerry Jones said Wednesday, trying to take the pressure off his injury-ravaged team.

At least the backfield injuries don’t appear to be long-term problems for 3-3 Dallas. Jerry Jones said the Cowboys don’t expect Murray’s sprained foot to be season-ending, and Felix Jones isn’t being ruled out Sunday despite leaving last week’s win over the Panthers with a bruised knee.

But if neither can go, even a shaky Giants run defense that ranks 23rd in the league wouldn’t seem to have much to fear from Tanner and Dunbar. Tanner took over for Jones against Carolina and got a career-high 13 carries but mustered just 30 yards, while Dunbar’s lone NFL carry came two weeks ago in Baltimore for 11 yards.

Anything’s possible in today’s parity-riddled NFL, of course, but Tanner and Dunbar instead of Murray and Jones would probably just put Romo in the crosshairs.

It certainly would boost the Giants’ confidence, considering Murray and the rest of Dallas’ running game gouged them for 143 yards on the ground last month in a 24-17 win at MetLife Stadium in the season opener.

Then again, that running game hasn’t done much since then (the Cowboys rushed for more than 84 yards in just one of their next five games) and yet Dallas has still managed a .500 record and is just a field goal away in a 31-29 loss to the Ravens from being 4-2.

A green backfield certainly wouldn’t have the Cowboys feeling sorry for themselves. Just ask veteran fullback Lawrence Vickers, who was a member of the Texans last season when they reached the playoffs despite a flood of injuries.

“Last year in Houston, it seemed like we had somebody go down every week,” Vickers said. “But after a while, we got used to it. When a guy goes down, the next guy steps up and it becomes his job. And you keep on ticking. Everybody’s a starter, man. That’s how you’ve got to prepare.”