With quarterback Dak Prescott out of commission for a significant amount of the season, the Dallas Cowboys faced questions as to whether backup Cooper Rush could fill in swimmingly.
It appeared – on Sunday, at least – that the offense was in good hands as Rush threw for 235 yards and a touchdown on 19-for-31 passing to Dallas to a 20-17 home win over the Super Bowl LVI runner-up Cincinnati Bengals, per a report on the Cowboys’ website.
Kicking off the Week 2 matchup to an offensive explosion that netted 227 yards at the break, the report said, the Cowboys then had to stave off a Bengals rally that turned a 17-3 lead into a 17-17 knot.
Defensively, Dallas made life miserable for third-year Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to the tune of six sacks on the evening, with sophomore linebacker Micah Parsons accounting for two takedowns, according to the report.
Kicker Brett Maher’s successful 50-yard kick with not much time left in the contest delivered Dallas its first win of 2022.
Citing The Associated Press (AP), Dallas Fort-Worth ABC affiliate WFAA reported that Rush, whom the Cowboys signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017, has a 2-0 mark when taking over under center after Sunday.
“It’s actually exciting to see him be excited after he won a game,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said postgame, the AP reported. “To get a charge out of it because he is so, so consistent.”
According to the report, the Cowboys won at the last minute in each of Rush’s victorious appearances.
The usually stoic Rush was seen flashing a smile and hugging offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after Maher nailed the go-ahead field goal.
“Winning an NFL game is a lot of fun,” the field general told ESPN. “You just want to do your job, trust your teammates.”
To hear Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tell it, the win was what the organization and the fans needed after a disastrous start to the season.
“To come out here with our same home crowd and beat a really fine young quarterback and beat a team that was playing in the Super Bowl just a few months ago, that’s a big tonic for the disappointment we had,” Jones said, ESPN reported.
