Cooper Rush faces challenge in eighth start filling in for Dak as Cowboys hope for redemption against Texans
Cooper Rush's eighth career start filling in for Dak Prescott as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys will be his first trying to bounce back immediately from a poor performance in a loss.
Rush won his first four starts in 2022 as the backup to the franchise QB sidelined at the time by a broken thumb, then threw three interceptions in a loss at Philadelphia prior to Prescott's return.
Now, Prescott is out for the season with a torn hamstring, and Rush is coming off an anemic passing performance as the Cowboys play host to AFC South-leading Houston (6-4) on Monday night.
Dallas (3-6) is on a four-game losing streak and 0-4 at home, fading fast in the NFC East as a defending division champion with a three-year playoff streak. The visit from the Texans will come five days after Prescott's season-ending surgery.
"We'll be thinking about him, but as for us, we got to go out there and compete for him as if he is there, as far as competitive spirit and leadership and everything," 2023 All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb said. "We got to step up and then (do) the things that we expect out of ourselves."
A lot of it will start with Rush, whose 45 yards passing in last week's 34-6 loss to the Eagles were the fewest for a Dallas starting quarterback since Matt Cassel had 37 before getting benched in a 19-16 loss to the New York Jets late in another lost season in 2015.
The third blowout loss at home this season for the Cowboys was the first game since Prescott injured his hamstring in a 27-21 loss at Atlanta.
"I think Cooper has to get us in and out of the runs and passes and get us into the flow of the game," coach Mike McCarthy said. "You have to distribute the ball 53, 54, 55 times a game to your perimeter playmakers whether you're handing it off or throwing it. We have to get back to that functionality on offense."
Rush took a shot to the head when he dropped a snap and lost a fumble inside his 20-yard line, a miscue that gave Philadelphia a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The undrafted 31-year-old in his eighth NFL season has always been unflappable but might have been a bit rattled by the unforced error as he finished 13 of 23 with a paltry average of 1.96 yards per attempt.
"Obviously, I was frustrated by it," Rush said. "It was spotting them that field position. It was frustrating, but the next drive we did go right down the field. Think we ran it really well that drive and did get points so I was happy to see us bounce back that way."
Rush has lost his past two starts — both against the Eagles — after winning the first five, including one in 2021 when Prescott had a strained calf.
The Cowboys succeeded with Rush in 2022 because he protected the ball, going without an interception while throwing for an average of 194 yards during the four consecutive victories.
That was also one of three consecutive seasons in which Dallas finished with a turnover margin of at least plus-10.
The Cowboys are at minus-10, which is 29th in the NFL, and have committed five turnovers in each of the past two home games. Rush didn't throw an interception against the Eagles but lost two fumbles.
"We've got a lot of faith in Cooper," McCarthy said. "Everybody believes in him. How can you not based off of how he has performed? That fumble and the recovery attempt was off to a rough start, and I just felt like he never got into a rhythm."
Two of Rush's five touchdown passes in his five-game stint two years ago were to Lamb, but that was before Lamb's breakout 2023 season.
His career highs of 135 catches, an NFL best, for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns led to a long holdout that ended with Lamb signing a $136 million, four-year extension in August.
Now any hope of a recovery that would keep Dallas' fading playoff hopes alive rests with getting the Rush-Lamb combination going.
"I take full responsibility in getting in sync with him," Lamb said. "Obviously we're going to ride this thing out for the rest of the season. I have the most confidence in him. I don't care what happened last week."
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