
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Adam Hunger/AP/Shutterstock (13425833a) Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (10) warms up before playing against the New York Giants in an NFL football game, in East Rutherford, N.J Cowboys Giants Football, East Rutherford, United States – 26 Sep 2022
Rush builds on mythical start to season
The legend of Cooper Rush continues to grow.
Rush has now won four straight starts for the Dallas Cowboys.
This run has public affection for the Cowboys’ backup quarterback at an all-time high.
Hard to believe that he was close to being one of the final cuts coming out of training camp.
Regardless, Rush has become a fan favorite over the last four weeks, as he should be. He has done something no other quarterback in franchise history has done – win the first five starts of his Cowboys’ career.
So, leading Dallas (4-1) to a win over the defending Super Bowl champs on Sunday afternoon has done nothing to extinguish those feelings.
But let’s not get lost in the excitement of winning.
Rush’s performance today at SoFi Stadium left a lot to be desired.
He was so pedestrian in the Cowboys’ 22-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams that he tied an NFL record.
Rush equaled Buffalo’s Josh Allen as the only game-winning quarterbacks in the last ten years not to complete a pass to a tight end or running back.
Allen and the Bills did it last season in a Week 17 win over the Falcons.
But unlike Allen, who completed passes to four receivers in that 29-15 win over Atlanta in the snow at home, Rush found just three receivers for his victory in perfect conditions.
In his 10 completions for 102 yards on Sunday, Rush completed five passes to CeeDee Lamb, four passes to Michael Gallup, and one to Noah Brown.
The lack of continuity and consistency in the passing game really showed up on third downs.
The Cowboys were a very poor five of 15 on those crucial game snaps. Of those 15 third downs, 10 of them were pass plays. Rush, who was sacked on one of those, completed five of nine passes on the others, but only two of those completions resulted in a first down. One of those completions that went for a first down was also his biggest pass of the game, a 27-yard floater to Michael Gallup, who had to work his toe-tapping magic on the sidelines to move the chains.
It wasn’t his best performance, far from it.
But like in wins over the Bengals, Giants, and Commanders, Rush still did more to help the Cowboys’ chances than hurt them.
He’s actually done more than anyone could have asked of him, winning four straight while starter Dak Prescott heals, which is still touch and go as the schedule enters Week 6.
If Prescott is ready to go, then Rush takes his place as the backup with the ultimate goals for 2022 still intact.
If Prescott is not ready, Rush will again be asked to do exactly what he has done the last four weeks – just enough to get a win.
Easier said than done. Next up, the Eagles and a packed Lincoln Financial Field full of rabid full-throated die-hard Philly fans on Sunday night.
Leave the City of Brotherly Love with another victory on his resume and the top spot in the NFC East for the Cowboys, and the legend of Cooper Rush will only grow.