Dallas Cowboys All-Pro offensive guard Zack Martin missed the first game of his career last week due to an aggravated sprained MCL in his left knee.

Despite that injury still lingering, Martin has voiced that he believes that he will be able to play in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.

“I'm feeling better and I'm hopeful for this week,” Martin said of Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. “I'm going to keep listening to the trainers.

“I've still got a couple of days to keep getting better, but I'm hopeful.”

Martin has continued to make progress from the injury over the last several days that prevented him from playing in Sunday's 23-0 shutout loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He had returned to practice on Thursday on a limited basis that was followed up on Friday with the same level of participation. This is a situation that the Cowboys will continue to monitor closely given the type of injury he's dealing with.

The Pro Bowler had re-injured himself during the second half of the 29-23 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 9. His absence has been a significant loss as he has proven to be one of the anchors of their offensive line along with being arguably the best player at his position in the league.

The Cowboys are currently in the midst a strong playoff push with the potential to win the NFC East and lock up a playoff spot if they can beat the Buccaneers on Sunday.