Cowboys defense is in deep trouble with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence injury updates

It wasn't pretty, but the Dallas Cowboys got back in the win column and back to .500 after beating the New York Giants 20-15. The Cowboys gave the Giants multiple opportunities to run away with the game, but their rivals just couldn't, whether it was Brian Daboll settling for field goals, or Daniel Jones' missed deep passes downfield. But Week 4 was a disaster for the Cowboys.

Star linebacker Micah Parsons left the game multiple times, first with a neck injury. But late in the fourth quarter, Parsons was carted to the locker room with a left ankle injury. Then there was edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who stood on the sidelines for most of the second half due to a foot injury. The Cowboys were handed some bad news on both players on Friday.

According to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport, Parsons has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, but there is no idea as to how long he could be sidelined for.

Things were much worse for Lawrence, as NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that Lawrence is set to miss "multiple weeks" due to his foot injury. Pelissero floats the idea that both could be sidelined through the team's Week 7 bye week.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler notes that Lawrence is dealing with a sprain.

Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence receive bad injury news after Week 4 win

Even though both injuries aren't season-ending, this is still really brutal news for the Cowboys. The defense is already struggling, and not having your two top stars on the defensive front for multiple weeks? That's not going to help their chances in the NFC.

It certainly doesn't help that the Cowboys are set to face the currently undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5 and the Detroit Lions in Week 6 before their bye. Upon the Cowboys' return? They face the San Francisco 49ers. Just an absolutely brutal stretch of games for the Cowboys.

This season, Parsons recorded 14 combined tackles (11 solo, three assisted), six quarterback hits, and one sack through four games. As for Lawrence, the pass rusher posted 14 combined tackles (seven solo, seven assisted), five quarterback hits, three sacks, and one forced fumble in all four games.

If this season has shown us anything, it's that the Cowboys are in for a challenging year. That became more evident after they lost their top two pass rushers due to injury.