ESPN is reporting now that Dallas Cowboys running Marion Barber did not take the team's charter to Pittsburgh and will not play Sunday against the Steelers.
Reeling from a dislocated right pinkie toe, Barber did not practice all week. Team trainers fiddled with his shoes and tried to come up with something that would help relieve any pain Barber is having, but nothing worked.
Even worse, ESPN reports that DeMarcus Ware is now questionable because team trainers and coaches fear the cold weather could cause problems with Ware's knee joint that he hyper extended last week.
Ware and Barber did not practice all week, but Ware told reporters earlier that he was ready to go "full blast" against the Steelers. However, there is enough concern that he could damage his knee in the cold weather, predicted to be below freezing and a 50 percent chance of snow.
The news is incredibly damaging to the Cowboys chances of winning this game Sunday to keep pace to make the playoffs as the last wildcard team. The Cowboys trail the Falcons, Buccaneers and Panthers in the playoff hunt and are only a game ahead of the Redskins. A loss would certainly come close to killing the Cowboys chances, even if they swept the last three games against the Ravens, Giants and Eagles.