FRISCO, Texas – You're not happy.

You are ready to give up.

They can't. This is their job, not their pastime. And the job just got more difficult. A lot more.

The Cowboys Picasso ain't painting for at least a month. Probably more. Can't hold his paint brush. Left-handed is out of the question.

So, no Dak Prescott starting Sunday against Cincinnati at AT&T Stadium. The leaves might start falling before he returns.

Problem gets worse. No Jayron Kearse, last year's leading tackler. The safety has a sprained MCL. Those usually take two to four weeks to heal. For me and you, more like two to three months.

No Connor McGovern. The starting left guard has a high ankle sprain. This will cause a reshuffling of not just the offensive line but the roster, too. They now need a backup to the backup, and there really isn't a backup to that backup on the 53.

No Tarell Basham, one of the veteran rotation defensive ends. Significant thigh bruise. Who knows how long? But at least the Cowboys have reinforcements there.

Some way to start the season, right? But no one is feeling sorry for them. They had the first of three practices here Wednesday to start fixin' what ails them before Joe Burrow and them, the defending AFC North champs, show up a little red around the neck after faltering as well in their 2022 debut, 23-20 in overtime to the dreaded Steelers.

"It's going to be a 12-round fight," says Micah Parsons. "It's going to go the distance."

Yep, the show must go on. Can't take comp time in this NFL. Got to just go out to give it your best shot. So, let's go.

And this week's last word belongs to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy when asked how his young receivers handled the amount of press coverage they predictably received from Tampa Bay since rookies Dennis Houston and KaVontae Turpin were playing in their first NFL games, Simi Fehoko only had seven offensive snaps in his rookie year last season and Noah Brown played 61 of 69 snaps in the first game of his sixth NFL season (88.4 percent) when last year he ended up playing a season-high 33 percent of the offensive snaps.

"I think when you look at our receiver group, when you see youth, you see more bump and run," McCarthy said of those receivers who totaled nine catches against the Bucs. "That's been going on as long as I've been in the league. When you're a younger, less experienced receiver group that's what defenses do to you.

"Hey, if you can't defeat bump and run, then the NFL is not for you. That's the ultimate mano y mano situation from the perimeter, and it's definitely a focus for us."

And even more so now needing to get open for a backup quarterback.

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While we know Dak Prescott will not play against the Bengals Sunday at AT&T Stadium, there will be at least other key players not on the field as well, further adding to the team's injury issues.

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