Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse exits game versus Washington following hard tackle

The Dallas Cowboys’ performance versus Washington is ending the regular season on a sour note and it could be getting worse. Starting safety Jayron Kearse made a tackle in the redzone but after making the hard hit, he was slow to get up.

Kearse exited the field to get an evaluation for a concussion on the sideline with just over three minutes to play in the third quarter. The safety had three tackles in the game prior to getting banged up. He is the team’s third-leading tackler this season with 74 through Week 18. Kearse also has two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries this season.

Following Kearse’s injury, the Cowboys defense gave up a rushing touchdown to Washington rookie quarterback Sam Howell to make it 20-6 Commanders.

Kearse was able to return to the field, but not before the Commanders extended their lead to 23-6.

With the Philadelphia Eagles leading versus the Giants, however, Dallas has little to gain by continuing to battle it out full-go.

If Philadelphia keeps its lead, the Cowboys will remain in the No. 5 seed position and travel to Tampa to face the Buccaneers next weekend.

Cowboys Inactives

As expected, the Cowboys are fighting for win No. 13 without linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and center Tyler Biadasz. They are also missing defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna.

Cowboys return man KaVontae Turpin popped up on the injury report due to an illness on Thursday, as did lineman Connor McGovern on Saturday. Both were questionable heading into Sunday’s game but are active. McGovern is set to start in place of the injured Biadasz at center.

Also in the lineup for Dallas is running back Tony Pollard. Pollard returned to practice on Wednesday after sitting out of the Week 17 game. He was just 12 yards shy of hitting the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, which he did in the first half of the game.

Mike McCarthy’s squad made a couple of roster moves on Saturday to bolster the game day roster. They elevated safety Tyler Coyle and offensive tackle Alex Taylor from the practice squad. Dallas also added veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the practice squad to potentially help in the postseason.