By now, most fans are aware that Dak suffered a calf strain during the final drive versus the Patriots two weeks ago. Luckily, they had a bye week the following week and he was able to rest. However, Prescott didn’t play in the week 8 game versus the Vikings either, so maybe the injury is a little more serious than most people originally thought. Backup QB Cooper Rush played in Dak’s place, leading the Cowboys to a close victory. It wasn’t pretty, but they still managed to pull off the win.
The Cowboys play in what is widely regarded as the least competitive division in the NFL, so even if they were to lose a game it wouldn’t hurt them too badly. This seemed to be what Mike McCarthy thought as well, when him and the rest of the Cowboys’ coaching staff made the decision not to play Prescott. So far, Dallas leads the NFC East by 3 wins, and is the only team in the division to have a bye week so far. Making playoffs shouldn’t be a difficult task for this loaded team.
Reports have said that Dak should be good to go for the week 9 matchup against Denver. Truthfully, America’s Team could probably pull off the win without him. Minnesota has far more talent on their team than Denver does, and its no use risking the team’s backbone for an easy regular season win. Perhaps if Prescott begins showing signs of discomfort, McCarthy will have him split snaps with Cooper Rush. Prescott has voiced that he wants to play, but of course the decision has to be made in the best interest of the team’s future, not just right now.