One week after surviving the Indianapolis Colts in a thriller, the Dallas Cowboys' hopes of winning the middling NFC East are still very much alive. But with a 4-5 record, they don't exactly have much margin for error. This Dallas team can't afford any more inexplicable or unacceptable losses, of which it has already suffered more than its fair share this season. It's time to start building some momentum or risk losing a golden opportunity at a division title.
With a home matchup against the heavyweight San Francisco 49ers on deck on Sunday, Dallas will have to soldier on without its starting tight end. Woof. It's not an ideal situation, to say the least!
Fifth-year NFL veteran Jake Ferguson is missing the 49ers game with knee and ankle injuries.
It won't be the only game Ferguson misses with the injuries, either. A brutal turn of events for Dallas:
PJ Locke (concussion) is immediately ruled out of Week 10 against the 49ers.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) November 9, 2026
Jake Ferguson (knee) and Tyler Goodson (knee) will both miss multiple weeks, per Brian Schottenheimer. #Cowboys
Multiple weeks could mean anything in the context of an NFL injury. Given how many lingering lower-body injuries Ferguson has, let's assume the Cowboys really let him rest up and give him at least three games off to recover.
That would mean we probably won't see Ferguson play again until a Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, December 7th. That could be the smartest play if the Cowboys want the best version of Ferguson for a stretch run featuring pivotal games against fellow NFC East contenders in the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders.
We'll see how the Cowboys fare without their starting tight end for a little while.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: When will Jake Ferguson come back to the Cowboys?
