The Cowboys face the prospect of missing Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence during the bye week

Some victories come at a higher cost than others.

The Cowboys’ victory over the New York Giants falls into this category.

Dallas got the win it desperately needed to get back to .500 and curb the alarms that were starting to ring, many of them in the locker room. But the coming weeks will be even more challenging without two of the team’s best defensive players.

Pass rusher Micah Parsons suffered a severe ankle sprain. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is dealing with a midfoot sprain. While both expressed optimism after the win, the MRIs revealed a more sobering reality.

The time frame for Parsons is two to four weeks, a person with knowledge of the injury said. Two people with knowledge of his status said Lawrence faces several weeks.

Both get second opinions. Lawrence becomes Dr. Gene Curry is visiting to find out how long he will be out, a person close to the veteran defensive end said.

Curry performed the surgery on Dak Prescott’s ankle in 2020.

Conclusion: There is a prospect that the Cowboys will have to face Pittsburgh and Detroit before the bye without the services of Parsons or Lawrence.

After: To be determined.

“D-Law is worse than Micahs,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “But I don’t have a specific schedule. We’ll go into this a little more deeply on Monday.

“They are worse than we expected.”

McCarthy declined to discuss how the Cowboys will handle the loss of their two best players on defense. This will be discussed over the weekend and a plan drawn up when the players return from a long weekend on Monday.

The options are limited. The most likely scenario is that freshman Marshawn Kneeland and veteran Chauncey Golston take their place in the starting lineup. Tyrus Wheat and veteran Carl Lawson, currently on the practice squad, should take on larger roles behind them in the rotation.

McCarthy was asked about Kneeland and Golston.

“Well, I think the most important thing is to use the experience and prepare to play more,” McCarthy said. “Kneeland not only played more on defense, but also on special teams. I thought he was having a good day.

“And I thought Chauncey was very consistent and solid in the run game. Overall, especially with these two injuries, we need to get the coordination and effectiveness of our pass rush going.”

Solving this mystery will take the organization’s time this weekend. McCarthy will meet with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and other staff members to determine the best course of action.

When McCarthy was asked how worried he was about losing two players of the quality of Parsons and Lawrence, he seemed to take it in stride as best he could.

“It’s part of the game,” he said. “(Injuries) will come. “It’s just a matter of when.”

As the end of September arrived on a sultry evening in the Northeast.

“I definitely think they will come back,” McCarthy said.

“I just don’t have a schedule.”

Staff writer Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding every Wednesday during the Super Bowl from 7 to 8 p.m. on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM).

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