Dak Prescott is out for the year after it was announced Tuesday morning that the star quarterback would undergo season-ending hamstring surgery.
While Prescott wasn’t expected to face off against the Houston Texans at AT&T Stadium next Monday night, there was speculation that the Dallas Cowboys could have an ensuing battle for QB1 entering the weekend.
That’s no longer the case. Cowboys coach McCarthy announced Monday evening that Cooper Rush would remain the starter for the standalone outing on ESPN.
“We have a lot of faith in Cooper,” McCarthy told reporters in Frisco. “Like I stood up here last week, everybody believes in him. How can you not based off the way he’s performed? But that fumble and the recovery attempt, that was off to a rough start. Just felt like he never really got into a rhythm.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on @1053thefan said they are sticking with Cooper Rush at QB because “he does give us our best chance.”
Jones added that Sunday’s loss to the Eagles “was out of character” for Rush. “He was not the Cooper Rush we know. A lot of things went wrong for us…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 12, 2024
Rush, a longtime backup in Dallas, started in Sunday’s loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. The seventh-year completed 13-of-26 passes for 45 yards and lost two fumbles while being sacked once.
Perhaps the most significant takeaway was Dallas did not score a touchdown in their first game without Prescott, who left in the fourth quarter of Week 9’s loss against the Atlanta Falcons.
“Everybody has confidence in Coop,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “Again, it wasn’t our best performance yesterday as an offense, for sure. Wasn’t all him. We’re all involved in that.”
The Cowboys might have named Rush the starter, but it wasn’t a forgone conclusion entering the fourth quarter. Former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance played the final 15 minutes, finishing 4-of-6 passing for 21 yards. He was sacked twice and intercepted once.
#Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday on his injured hamstring and is out for the season, owner Jerry Jones told @1053thefan.
It’s Cooper Rush — and maybe Trey Lance — the rest of the way for Dallas, while Dak rehabs for a 2025 return. pic.twitter.com/IrNgtZXT6c
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 12, 2024
Lance, who some believed would transform into the long-term answer for the San Francisco 49ers, also ran three times for 17 yards. Sunday marked his first regular-season action since being acquired by the Cowboys in 2023.
