Dallas’ Demarco Murray Has Surgery to Repair Broken Hand

The Dallas Cowboys running back and NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray will need surgery after suffering a broken metacarpal in the closing minutes of Sunday night’s victory over the Philadelphia Eagles that gave the Cowboys control of their own playoff destiny. He underwent surgery Monday and now the wait and the healing begins.  Dallas executive vice president Stephen Jones says it is difficult to expect Murray to play Sunday against Indianapolis.  Murray currently has 1,687 yards rushing and needs just 87 yards over the next two games to break Emmitt Smith's franchise record for rushing yards in a season which sits at 1,773 yards.

Murray’s hands and legs have allowed the Cowboys to control the ball and the clock for more than 32 minutes each game, which is third best in the league behind Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.  Murray has provided a security blanket for both Romo and his defense.  With the increase in offensive emphasis of Murray, quarterback Tony Romo is now averaging only 29 passes per game compared to 40 per game last season. That has reduced the times that Romo has been hit and sacked.  He has been even better for a defense that has lacked a pass rush and play makers for the majority of the time this year.  The ball-control element that Murray has provided has minimized the exposure of that defense allowing the defense to play less than 28 minutes per game.  The less a defense plays, the better it plays.

Dallas now has a match up against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday as they still need to win their final two games to secure their spot a top the NFC East.  The Cowboys will wrap up the regular season next week on the road against their divisional foe in the Washington Redskins.