Cooper Rush leads Dallas Cowboys to win in remaining minute, lessening sting of Dak Prescott loss, season-opening defeat

ARLINGTON, Texas — Cooper Rush is not one to indicate his feelings a lot publicly, and he wasn’t about to interrupt character after Sunday’s 20-17 win towards the Cincinnati Bengals during which the Dallas Cowboys‘ quarterback led a final-minute drive that led to a game-winning 50-yard discipline aim.

“Successful an NFL recreation is plenty of enjoyable,” Rush mentioned.

Making simply his second profession begin, Rush accomplished 19 of 31 passes for 235 yards and a first-quarter landing cross to Noah Brown, filling in for an injured Dak Prescott, who had proper thumb surgical procedure the day after the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Final October, with Prescott sidelined due to a calf pressure, Rush accomplished 25 of 40 passes for 325 yards with two landing passes, together with the sport winner to Amari Cooper with 51 seconds to play to beat the Minnesota Vikings, 20-16.

“You simply need to do your job, belief your teammates,” Rush mentioned.

In response to ESPN Stats & Data analysis, Rush turned the fifth quarterback since 1966 to guide a game-winning drive within the fourth quarter or time beyond regulation of their first two profession begins. The others? Houston’s T.J. Yates (2011), Seattle’s Jon Kitna (2007-08), Minnesota’s Wade Wilson (1983-84) and Chicago’s Virgil Carter (1968).

Final yr, the Cowboys had been 5-1 when Rush made his first begin. This yr, the loss to the Buccaneers was stinging, particularly for an offense that didn’t get contained in the Tampa Bay 30. It was made worse when it was revealed Prescott suffered a fractured thumb that might knock him out for a number of weeks.

Even proprietor and normal supervisor Jerry Jones knew how large Sunday’s win was, for the Cowboys and Rush.

“Anyone is aware of how disappointing our first loss was final week,” Jones mentioned. “We may level to the explanation why however that is not sufficient. However to return out right here with our identical residence crowd and beat a extremely advantageous younger quarterback and beat a crew that was taking part in within the Tremendous Bowl just some months in the past, that is a giant tonic for the frustration we had. And everyone knows how powerful these video games are that we have got arising however the principle factor is kudos to Cooper Rush. That exhibits me a lot about him and the precept of he stored a workmanlike foundation. He is executed that. He is gotten higher. He is aware of this offense in addition to anyone respiration and he stepped on the market and did some nice execution.”

After directing landing drives on the Cowboys’ first two possessions and accumulating 150 yards on offense, the Rush-led offense had simply 159 yards on the following seven drives, however with 57 seconds left in regulation and the rating tied, they answered.

Rush does not keep in mind something particularly that he mentioned earlier than the ultimate drive.

“It was most likely, ‘Let’s go. Right here we go. Because of this we do it. That is our time,'” Rush mentioned. “These guys, it is a enjoyable group, an excellent group, tons of leaders in all places. Not everybody must get overrated. They know their jobs. They know what do to, and also you simply go play ball.”

The one cross try Rush didn’t full on the ultimate drive was a spike to kill the clock with three seconds remaining. He opened the drive with an 8-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb, which was adopted by Brown’s diving 12-yard catch off a tipped cross. Lamb caught a 10-yarder to get the Cowboys to the Cincinnati 32.

After a 3-yard run by Tony Pollard, the clock ticked down, but in contrast to within the wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers final January, the Cowboys had been in a position to align themselves in time for Rush’s spike, and Brett Maher gained the sport with a 50-yard discipline aim as time expired.

“That was a giant one for us,” Rush mentioned. “You do not need to fall down 0-2. Want that first win. Protection clearly stored us in it tonight and Brett on the finish doing his job.”

And Rush did his, though Jones mentioned a loss wouldn’t have altered the Cowboys’ plan for Prescott’s return.

“When [Prescott] has power, which I do not know when that shall be, however it is going to be not a problem of caring about re-injuring the thumb,” Jones mentioned. “It will likely be a problem of his potential to grip the ball, and you already know Dak, he is beat each timeline I’ve ever seen or checked out. So he is bought an excellent probability to do it, however there isn’t any query that we did not put him on IR. I need to be actual clear about that — we didn’t put him on [IR], so he could possibly be working throughout these weeks. He could possibly be on the market, throwing, [and] actually concerned in the whole lot else. He could not have executed that had we put him there. I actually would look to hope that he simply could be accessible, however I am telling you, this efficiency out right here at the moment by Rush certain takes plenty of the angst out of that.”