4 things we learned from Washington’s hard-fought loss to Cowboys

3. Injuries may derail playoff hopes

Washington knows how to overcome adversity.

They started the year 2-6 and rattled off four straight wins to catapult themselves back into the playoff picture. They fell behind 24-0 to the Cowboys, didn’t score their first points until two minutes left in the third quarter and were a late touchdown away from sending the game to overtime.

However, at some point, injuries begin to take a toll.

On Sunday, we learned just how badly Washington is missing some of their starters and even depth pieces. The already-depleted offensive line was embarrassed by Micah Parsons and Co. and will now be without Tyler Larsen for the foreseeable future, as the third-string center is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles.

Here’s some more for ya: Charles Leno left with a back injury, Logan Thomas just landed on season-ending IR, Terry McLaurin has to clear concussion protocol for next Sunday vs Philly, and Heinicke suffered two separate injuries, the second of which (a knee issue) knocked him out for good in the fourth quarter.

Are we missing anybody?

Washington has the requisite resilience to make the playoffs in the crowded NFC. That’s not a concern. The question is whether they’ll have the necessary manpower, on both sides of the ball, to pull it off.