FRISCO — Over the last two days, defensive ends Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence have missed portions of practice because of illness. Gregory missed the last two days, and Lawrence was absent Thursday.
The lack of practice reps is significant with the Cowboys facing a Vikings team Sunday that runs off the edges with the league’s leading rusher in Dalvin Cook (954 yards).
With the Cowboys not practicing on Fridays, they won’t get a clear understanding of where Gregory and Lawrence are with their health until Saturday, their last practice before departing for Minneapolis.
The Vikings don’t hide what they do, and that’s run the ball.
“Absolutely. You know what you’re going to get,” inside linebacker Jaylon Smith said. “It’s like, as I said, it’s about aligning correctly, and it’s about bringing our physicality and our intensity. And that’s what we’re focused on. We’re looking forward to a battle.”
According to Football Outsiders, the Vikings average 5.99 yards per carry on runs to the left end, third in the NFL and just 3.47 yards toward the right end, 26th in the league. The Vikings will run off their left and right tackles almost equally. The Vikings, led by Cooks’ 174 carries, run 15% of the time off left tackle and 16% off right tackle.
One of the Cowboys’ better run stoppers is Lawrence, who possesses the unique ability to set the edge on the outside, forcing ball carriers inside, and he’s able to tackle running backs from the backside.
“It’s a big reason why he’s making the bucks he’s making,” Smith said of Lawrence, one of the highest-paid players on the team. “Being able to pass rush, being able to stop the run, attention to detail. I definitely love having him on my corner. Makes a lot of it easier for me.”
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