TE John Stephens tears ACL again in Cowboys' latest hurdle - ESPN

FRISCO, Texas — A lot has happened with the Dallas Cowboys, and they have not played since their 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions on Oct. 13.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones threatened the jobs of the hosts on 105.3 The Fan. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas that Cowboys receivers run «terrible» routes. This week, Jones questioned the plays and concepts on The Fan. Quarterback Dak Prescott got engaged. Kicker Brandon Aubrey was selected for jury duty and will miss practice. And tight end John Stephens Jr. suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the second straight year.

Oh, and the 3-3 Cowboys have a critical game Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers.

«I just think it's part of our industry,» coach Mike McCarthy said. «Injuries are clearly the worst part of this game, in my opinion. So yeah, the other things that happened in an individual's personal life, that's a part of life. It's never going to stop. I think just the most important thing is just to be there, make sure the energy and focus and everything stays constant and at the end of the day it's about winning against San Francisco. That's all we're really worried about. Yeah, these things happen sometimes more than others.»

Pro Bowl pass rusher Micah Parsons is trending toward missing his third game with a high left ankle sprain as he continues to work with the rehab group in practice.

«There's always a threshold of return to play. He's not over that threshold yet. Until he can get out there and cut it loose,» McCarthy said. "… I think when you have veteran players, the general [rule] is if they don't practice on Saturday, they're not going to play in the game. So, if you're looking for a finish line, it