Injury updates on Cowboys stars CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott ahead of Thanksgiving game

The Dallas Cowboys are set to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday afternoon in a Thanksgiving Day showdown. Ahead of the matchup, the Cowboys have received some updates on key injuries to offensive stars Ezekiel Elliott and CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb suffered a concussion last week, and returning on a short week from concussion protocols will be difficult. It is possible he plays, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the window will be tight for him to gain clearance.

“One of the more difficult things is trying to predict when a player with a concussion is going to play,” Rapoport said Thursday morning. “So you do have a situation where CeeDee Lamb is in the NFL’s concussion protocol. He practiced on a limited basis yesterday (Wednesday). That is very good. Generally if you play on Sunday, practicing on a limited basis on Wednesday would usually surely mean you were going to be cleared by Sunday. But this is not a lot of time.

“So the fact that CeeDee Lamb does not have any issues, the fact that he is feeling good, the fact that he was in meetings and practice is great news for the Cowboys. But he’s listed as questionable. We will see if he’s able to get full clearance in time for today’s game. It’s going to be awfully tight but still theoretically possible.”

Rapoport: Elliott will be battling pain, but will play for the Cowboys

If Lamb was forced to miss Thursday’s game, the Cowboys would be shorthanded on offense, with or without Elliott on offense. Wide receiver Amari Cooper remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list and will miss the game. Lamb missing the game would mean Dallas is without its top two receivers, which would be risky with the Cowboys having other injury issues across the offense.

Elliott was a full participant on Wednesday’s practice, which means he is likely to suit up. Rapoport followed his Lamb update with an Elliott update, saying he will be active for the Cowboys.

“And then a player who is going to play is Ezekiel Elliott, their bell cow, their star running back,” Rapoport said. “But he is battling a bone bruise in his knee. Was limited early in the week and had a full practice to end the week. He is going to play. But if you watch Zeke the last couple of weeks, you wonder why does he not quite look right.

“This is the reason why. He is going to play. Stopping was not an option. But he is going to be battling through pain.”