Sunday performance proves Cowboys miss Dak

“Winning is a great deodorant.”

The great John Madden said it long ago, and it could not be truer today regarding what the Cowboys have been putting forward over the last few weeks offensively.

Despite several sub-par performances from a backup quarterback working slight-of-hand magic, they had won four straight.

For all the good he has done, Cooper Rush’s tricks and illusions finally eluded him in the Cowboys’ road loss on Sunday night in Philadelphia.

So, let’s leave all talk about a quarterback controversy that either was or wasn’t real in the City of Brotherly Love.

The moment has come for Dak Prescott to return.

No time like the present for the Cowboys starter to make his way back to the lineup after missing the last five weeks with an injury to the thumb on his throwing hand that required surgery.

Rush kept his seat warm, grabbing lightning in a bottle with those four straight victories. But that bottle burst.

It took just 60 minutes of below-average quarterback play for the shine to come off the fairy tale story Rush had authored to this point.

The Cowboys backup showed exactly why he was not a full-time starter in the NFL coming into the season on Sunday night, completing just 18 of 38 passes for 181 yards, with three interceptions and one touchdown, in his first loss as a starter.

And honestly, Sunday was no anomaly.

Despite winning four straight, Rush’s play had slipped of late as defenses adjusted their game plans.

After finishing with quarterback ratings of 95.5, 98.2, and 107.5 during wins over the Bengals, Giants, and Commanders in weeks two through four, the Rams made life difficult for Rush.

In the Week 5 win over Los Angeles, his rating fell to 80.7 because of a very facilitator-type performance with just 102 yards and no touchdowns.

Against the Eagles, Rush stunk early, and his rating bottomed out because of it. He finished the night with a 37.3 rating, a marked improvement from the 1.0 number he posted at halftime.

That mark is more than 20 points lower than Prescott’s 57.4 rating in a Week 10 road loss at Kansas City last season, where he threw for 216 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. By far the lowest rating in any of the games in which Prescott started and finished the game under center since the start of the 2017 season.

It was a rough night; no way to sugarcoat it.

But hey, cheer up.

The Cowboys are 4-2, even after losing their starting quarterback in a Week 1 loss.

Dallas has a top 5 defense, which helps cover up some of their offensive shortcomings.

And despite what I said above, Rush did a bang-up job as the starter.

The Cowboys’ season could have been circling the drain at this point, but instead, all their goals are still attainable thanks to the backup.

But now, a major piece of the puzzle is ready to return.

Welcome back Dak.