Oct. 28--IRVING -- Better things await the Dallas Cowboys after the Nov. 9 bye. At least that's the theory.
Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo should be able to play with his fractured right pinkie. Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman should be recovered from groin surgery. Explosive rookie running back Felix Jones should be back from his hamstring injury. Same with linebacker Anthony Spencer, which would help the pass rush. And left guard Kyle Kosier, who has missed all but one game with a foot injury, should also return.
Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten and cornerback Anthony Henry might miss Sunday's game with rib and thigh injuries, and if so, the bye week will give them an additional week to get healthy.
Technically, even suspended cornerback Adam Jones could be back after the Nov. 16 game at Washington.
All of that has made it seem as if this week's game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants at the Meadowlands is an afterthought.
Coach Wade Phillips has to guard against letting this team feel it can wait for the calvary to arrive now that it is 5-3 at the midway point of the season after Sunday's beautifully ugly 13-9 win against Tampa Bay.
Even with less than a full roster, what happens against the 6-1 Giants is, in many ways, more important than what happened Sunday against the Buccaneers.
"I think that was the feeling [last] week: 'Hey, it doesn't really matter who's coming back after the bye; we've got to play now and we've got to do our best right now,' " Phillips said. "I think that's what our feeling was, and I think that will carry over to this week, also."
A loss to the Giants would all but leave the Cowboys chasing a wild-card playoff berth, and they could possibly find themselves in last place in the division with seven games to play.
It would also be their fourth conference loss, which would hurt in tiebreaker scenarios.
With a win, the Cowboys would remain in the NFC East title race and build even more momentum with the injured players returning.
"Regardless of whatever we've been through, it was good to get that win [against Tampa Bay]," Pro Bowl safety Ken Hamlin said. "It was good to play strong defensively and pick up another game before we get to our official off week. But to go into the halfway part of our season at 5-3 is pretty good."
ASTORIAWARRIOR 
