Cowboys vs Saints gets even more difficult to predict with latest injury news

The Dallas Cowboys are listing tight end Jake Ferguson as "doubtful" for the upcoming Week 2 matchup against the Ne Orleans Saints, via The Athletic's Jon Machota.

The news should be of no surprise to fans who have been paying attention as Ferguson has yet to practice after suffering a knee injury against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.

The designation means it's highly unlikely Ferguson suits up on Sunday for what is a game that will be more complicated than it looks like as the Saints displayed an efficient offense with the Shanahan DNA , a scheme that has given Cowboys defenses trouble in the past. Klint Kubiak is a creative playcaller and Mike Zimmer's defense will be put to the test. He has done better than Dan Quinn against these type of offense, making this an intriguing battle.

Additionally, the Cowboys offense will be tested by the Saints third down defense, which held the Carolina Panthers to one conversion in 10 attempts and finished as the fourth best in the NFL last year, which Dak Prescott recently discussed .

This isn't to say the Cowboys shouldn't be favored, but it's a tighter game than first meets the eye and the offense being down a weapon like Ferguson will be felt.

If he can't go, which is expected, the coaching staff will be forced to line up Luke Schoonmaker and undrafted rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford for a big task on Sunday, as replacing Ferguson on this scheme isn't easy. It took the latter one season starting full time to show he can be a dangerous blocker, in large part thanks to his enthusiasm to get his hands dirty, and his knack for consistently obtaining yards after the catch.

Additionally, the Cowboys might turn to fullback Hunter Luepke for relief at tight end as the team awaits the regular season debut from John Stephens Jr., who didn't play last week and has yet to practice this week as of this writing.

Saints @ Cowboys Final Injury Report

Stephens Jr. was officially ruled out by Dallas with Kneeland carrying no game designation, meaning he's healthy and ready to go. Meanwhile, the Saints have a couple of question marks as left tackle Taliese Fuaga and cornerback Marshon Lattimore are questionable, both significant players for the visiting team.

Related: Dak Prescott puts the right kind of pressure on Cowboys teammates with latest comments ahead of Week 2