Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn pushed all the right buttons against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defense was flying around all night, forcing incompletions, negative plays, and mistakes.

Dallas held Brady and the Buccaneers to 14 points and a lackluster offensive outing in the game. Brady was pressured in the pocket, the run game never got going, and the secondary held up against a receiver corps that has Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

The one downside to the game was safety Jayron Kearse getting injured late in the game. Kearse is one of the key players on the Cowboys’ defense, even grabbing an interception off of Brady on Monday night. Dallas cannot really afford to lose another member in the secondary.

Fortunately, it appears that Kearse will be okay moving forward. He put the worries about his status to rest. The safety will be in uniform when the Cowboys take on the 49ers.

That is a significant development for the Dallas Cowboys. Kearse is so vital to Quinn’s defense thanks to his ability to play the run and match up with tight ends and bigger wideouts. Which is especially important with a game against George Kittle looming.

Losing Kearse for any amount of time would have been a devastating blow for the Cowboys. Dallas will need all hands on deck versus the 49ers as they look to slow down the high-powered attack from San Francisco.

Kearse tweaked his MCL earlier this season, which caused him to be sidelined for three games. This time, he isn’t going to let the injury prevent him from playing. He knows what is ahead for the Cowboys.

“We want to win it all,” said Kearse. “We’re craving a Super Bowl, that’s enough motivation for us.