The Dallas Cowboys were overmatched in their Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons, a 27-21 defeat. And that was before losing quarterback Dak Prescott for the bulk of the fourth quarter due to a hamstring injury. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback had an MRI on Monday to determine the degree of the injury, and according to CBS Sports NFL insider, the results indicated a more serious injury than initially feared, and Prescott is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t offer any timeline for Prescott’s absence except to say he won’t play in Week 10, via ESPN; injured reserve might become an option, barring more tests and information.
After the game, Prescott provided some insight into how his body felt before leaving the contest.
“I felt something pull,” Prescott said postgame, via The Athletic. “I felt something I’ve never felt,” Prescott added, via ESPN. “It’ll take a lot for me not to be out there.”
Prescott was also seen shaking his right hand on the sideline, clearly compromised in both his upper and lower body, which why is Dallas concluded his day was done with 11:40 left in the game. He finished with 133 passing yards and a touchdown — a 3-yard scoring strike to running back Rico Dowdle — on 18 of 24 passing on Sunday.
Prescott was replaced by backup quarterback Cooper Rush, an eight-year NFL veteran. Rush has won five of his six starts in place of an injured Prescott, including victories in four of his five starts in 2022 when Prescott was out with a thumb injury. Rush threw a 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert in addition to passing for 115 yards while completing 13 of his 25 passes off the bench.
No matter who the quarterback was for Dallas on Sunday in Atlanta, beating the Falcons didn’t appear in the cards. The Cowboys went 3 for 13 on third down and 1 of 5 on fourth down. Missed tackles and miscommunication on defense also hamstrung the Cowboys’ efforts to play complementary football Sunday afternoon.
Rush should be expected to take over under center while Prescott remains out, though the team could also elect to turn to third-string quarterback Trey Lance in order to see if he is capable of being Prescott’s future backup.
