ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys offense under their starting quarterback didn’t look that much different than it did under the backup.
The first reason the Cowboys improved 5-2 on Sunday is the Detroit Lions.
The second reason is the Cowboys defense.
If the Cowboys had played even a decent team, instead of one of the worst in the NFL, they would have lost in Dak Prescott’s return.
Cooper Rush’s time as the starting quarterback had to end, and Dak has to be better than Cooper Rush.
Dak’s return to the starting lineup after missing the previous five games from a thumb injury he sustained in the team’s Week 1 loss was mostly a bowl of “Take it back.”
The Cowboys did defeat the Lions 24-6 on Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium, and are 5-2.
The Cowboys defense was again too much; it forced five turnovers in the second half, including a fumble that it recovered at their own 1-yard line when the game was still in question.
Rookie defensive end Sam Williams also had strip sack late in the fourth quarter of Lions quarterback Jared Goff that ended any point-nothing chance that Detroit would comeback.
The Dallas Cowboys defense is really good.
The Detroit Lions, overall, are really bad.
The Cowboys host the Da Bad Bears next week, and should be 6-2 when they travel to Green Bay for the Mike McCarthy-Aaron Rodgers “Of Course We Don’t Hate Each Other” reunion.
By that time, the Cowboys offense should be playing better than it did against the Lions.
Should.
Dak’s line is not bad. He wasn’t some bum stealing money.
Against Detroit, he completed 19-of-25 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.
“Some of those throws were overconfident, and I need to guard against that,” Prescott said in his post game press conference.
He really didn’t come around until the fourth quarter, when, for the first time this season, he played to the standards both he, and his team, set.
In the fourth quarter, Dak played well.
In that fourth quarter, Dak completed 7 of 9 passes for 75 yards with a touchdown.
Thanks to a running game that went for 139 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry, at no point did Dak need to carry this offense with his right arm.
At some point in the future, he will.
Cooper Rush can’t do that.
Dak must.
“I think Dak played better as the game went on,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after the game. “The operation was really good. He just needs reps. A full week of practice will really help him. He had a winning performance today.”
Remember, Dak wasn’t good in the team’s Week 1 loss to Tampa. He sustained that thumb injury late in that game.
This is about Dak playing better, and executing throws, that an upper tier starting quarterback is supposed to make. About the type of throws that Dak has completed in his career.
On Sunday, Dak made one throw that Cooper Rush would not have completed, much less attempted.
It was a throw on the move in the first half that he flipped down field for a nice gain to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. That throw is the difference between a Rush and a Prescott.
That throw is the reason there is no “quarterback controversy” with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys need a few more of those types of passes from their starting quarterback.
And he will have to do against opponents a lot better than the Detroit Lions.
