The Dallas Cowboys are expected to be without two top defenders in Week 6 against the Lions

The Dallas Cowboys evened their season record to 2-2 with a win over the New York Giants on Thursday night, but injuries to star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence could cost them in the near future.

Both Cowboys defensemen’s injuries were examined more thoroughly on Friday, and that’s bad news on both fronts. According to NFL Network reporters, Parsons suffered a severe ankle sprain – which typically takes a month to recover from – while Lawrence injured his foot and is expected to be out for several weeks.

“Dallas will now likely be without two of its top defenders until after the Week 7 bye,” Tom Pelissero said.

“Micah and DeMarcus are the two best pass rushers on the Cowboys roster and the group lost Sam Williams to a torn ACL in the early days of training camp,” Blogging the Boys RJ Ochoa wrote. “To say that the team is currently doing poorly in this position would be the understatement of the year.”

Marshawn Kneeland (Grand Rapids native and second-round pick from Western Michigan) is expected to replace Lawrence, but there is no clear replacement for Parsons. According to the Cowboys’ depth chart, it’s possible that Chauncey Golston (a Detroit native) or third-round rookie Marist Liufau could fill the role of hybrid edge rusher on the opposite side, but Parsons isn’t a complete package.

In Week 5, the Cowboys travel to Pittsburgh to take on the undefeated Steelers, then return home in Week 6 to take on the Detroit Lions, who have a bye in Week 5 and will hopefully see some of their injured players return to the stadium see align.

This could potentially be a big breakthrough for the Lions. Not only do they have to deal with two less star edge rushers, but they also have the entire bye week to get everything ready so they can take full advantage of a reeling Cowboys team.