Cowboys Vs. 49ers Injury Update: Are George Pickens & Joey Porter Playing In Week 10?

The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers enter their rivalry matchup in Week 10 on opposite sides of the NFC standings, but facing similar personnel challenges.

San Francisco boasts a 7-1 record, the best in the conference, despite limited depth at wide receiver. Deebo Samuel (hamstring) and Mike Evans (Achilles strain) are uncertain to be available this week, and former Pro Bowler Brandon Aiyuk was just reinstated, though he is still tangled in an off-the-field dispute that head coach Kyle Shanahan has shrugged off.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys are 4-5 after pulling out a win last week in Indianapolis. Though there remains a path for Dallas to reach the playoffs by winning the underperforming NFC East, the team will be tested if its own injury woes persist.

After standing pat during Tuesday's trade deadline, the Cowboys' earlier acquisition, former Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr., proves to be Dallas' biggest move of this cycle. He's been solid manning the boundary ... except he hasn't done so consistently.

Porter is still managing a foot/ankle problem that forced him to miss last Sunday's game against the Colts. The secondary, which has already been without big offseason signing Jalen Thompson, took another blow as P.J. Locke returned from injury only to get hurt again; he needed help off the field with a concussion and is expected to miss several weeks.

"It’s been a disappointment because we know what a difference he makes,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said about Porter on his 105.3 The Fan radio show this week. "He’s easily a shutdown corner."

This side of the ball - Dallas' defense versus San Fran's offense - is likely to be the most significant part of the matchup. The Cowboys' much-maligned defense has steadily improved, and the Brock Purdy-led attack will be its toughest test yet, even amid the clunky wide receiver play.

Purdy commands the NFL's third-highest-scoring offense at 29.4 points per game. The 49ers have the highest percentage of red zone trips ending in touchdowns at nearly 85 percent.

San Francisco has remained efficient with tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffery - the team's first- and third-leading receivers - carrying the load through the air to complement McCaffery's prowess as a rusher.

Defensive back Caleb Downs became the first Cowboys rookie in nearly four decades to record a sack and an interception in the same game. At the line, Quinnen Williams has brought consistent pressure on the backfield and leads the NFL in tackles for loss with 14.

But will that be enough?

Sunday's affair will feature plenty of offensive star power with Dallas' Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb on the opposite side. The pair connected for 195 yards and a touchdown for Dallas last week.

The Cowboys could deploy even more with wide receiver George Pickens, who is looking to come back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him in Indy.

So, what's the injury update from Wednesday at The Star?

Porter was a DNP. 

Pickens was "limited.''

This week, San Francisco boosted its interior with a trade to bring back veteran D-tackle Deforest Buckner. The move looks poised to pay off as the 49ers present a formidable challenge not only to pull away in the NFC West but also turn down the home stretch as a Super Bowl favorite.

"I’m very comfortable in our team," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer as the trade deadline went by quietly at The Star.

Instead of adding new players, Dallas hopes better injury luck helps field a lineup that can hold its own against one of the league's best.

"When he's out there, it's a big difference. We have missed him when he's not out there. So, we hope he'll be out there this week," Jones said.

"Secondly, Pickens - it goes without saying. Although we did have a pretty good receiver (Ryan Flournoy) make a big play at the end of that game that contributed mightily to the ultimate win.

"Having said all of that, both those players you're talking about (Porter and Pickens) are right there in the top handful of players that we have. You miss when you don't have them on the field."

Their injury concerns have stirred rumors about their uncertain futures in Dallas, but Jones has dismissed any talks of their departures, as partly shown in his trade deadline inactivity.

That point will be proven even more if the two can return to the field against San Francisco.