IRVING, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys signed Darren McFadden, expectations were low after his seven-year run with the Raiders that was mostly filled with injuries.

After five games this season McFadden had 129 yards rushing on 27 carries. Yet with two games to play, McFadden needs just 102 yards to reach 1,000.

“It definitely would mean a whole lot, something I would definitely like to have,” McFadden said. “It’s a long football season, it’s been a long season so it’s one of those things that you just have to keep grinding and grind the rest of these games out.”

With a 4-10 record all that is left is individual goals, and the offensive line would like to see McFadden reach 1,000 yards, too.

“Even though we’re in our situation, no one wants to mail it in,” guard Zack Martin said. “Everyone wants to continue to play this year and so that would be a great thing for (McFadden) and we’re hoping to get it there for him.”

The only other time McFadden ran for 1,000 yards came in 2010, when he finished with 1,157 yards. He also had a career-high 223 carries that year.

McFadden needs 16 more carries this year to set a new career high. If he makes it through the final two games, he would play in every game for the second straight season.

“My main thing was just wanting to go out there and be healthy and just show people that I can run the ball the way that I can,” McFadden said.

Martin said McFadden has been “exactly what you want in a teammate in how he approaches things every day.” Coach Jason Garrett said McFadden’s toughness has impressed him the most.

“He’s a real pro,” Garrett said. “We saw that coming out of school, we evaluated him and we’ve given him an opportunity this year and he’s taken full advantage of it. He’s prepared. He’s ready. And then when the game starts, he plays the way you’re supposed to play. He’s physically tough. He’s mentally tough. He’s been a very productive player for us throughout the season.”