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The Dallas Cowboys were outscored in their Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, a 27-21 loss. And that was before quarterback Dak Prescott lost most of the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, and according to CBS Sports NFL Insider, the results indicated a more serious injury than initially feared, with Prescott expected to miss several weeks.
After the game, Prescott gave some insight into how his body felt before leaving the game.
“I felt something pulling,” Prescott said after the game, via The Athletic. “I felt something I’ve never felt before,” Prescott added, via ESPN. “It will cost a lot for me not to be there.”
Prescott was also seen shaking his right hand on the sideline, clearly compromised in both his upper and lower body. Therefore, Dallas concluded his day was over with 11:40 left in the game. He finished with 133 passing yards and a touchdown — a three-yard score to running back Rico Dowdle — on 18 of 24 passing Sundays.
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 wins 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 and passed for 115 yards while completing 13 of his 25 passes off the bench.
Regardless of who was the quarterback for Dallas on Sunday in Atlanta, beating the Falcons was not an option. The Cowboys went 3 for 13 on third down and 1 for 5 on fourth down. Missed tackles and miscommunication on defense also hampered the Cowboys’ attempts to play complementary football on Sunday afternoon.
Rush can be expected to take over at center while Prescott remains out, although the team could also opt to turn to third-string quarterback Trey Lance to see if he’s capable of being Prescott’s future backup .
