Dallas Cowboys top 3 studs in shocking win vs. Bengals

The Dallas Cowboys, coming off the heels of a loss in Week 1 as well as losing starting QB Dak Prescott to a thumb injury, were not exactly the biggest favorites heading into Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season. Fortunately for them, betting odds don’t make a single difference once you actually get out there between the lines and play a 60-minute game. The Cowboys trotted out Cooper Rush at the quarterback position against the reigning AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, which was sort of crazy to everyone because of the fact that Dak Prescott was the only QB the Cowboys kept on their initial 53-man roster.

No, seriously, Cooper Rush was a practice squad player just over a week ago. Going up against Joe Burrow and company with — let’s just say it — a practice squad quarterback? It was going to take a herculean effort for the Cowboys to get to 1-1, and that’s exactly what they did.

Although this team effort certainly involved strong games from a lot of different players (and the coaching staff in Dallas doing a great job of preparing the team) there were a few players, in particular, that stood out in a big way.

Dallas Cowboys stud vs. Bengals: Cooper Rush, QB

You’ve got to give credit where it’s due, right? Cooper Rush may not be making the Pro Bowl with games like we saw against the Cincinnati Bengals, but his performance in a game the Cowboys needed to win (0-2 teams historically have a horrendous chance at the postseason) was admirable, to say the least. Was Rush perfect? No. He completed 19-of-31 passes for 235 yards.

Again, those are modest numbers, but Rush was sacked just one time and he threw a touchdown, keeping the offense on schedule And putting the Cowboys in a position to essentially play keep away for the entire second half. Well, that didn’t exactly work as the Cowboys allowed the Bengals to tie the game back up at 17, but then Rush and the offense were able to drive late in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning 50-yard field goal by Brett Maher.

Replacing Dak Prescott is not really possible. Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and Cooper Rush was probably considered on the low end of backups heading into this week of action. But he went out and helped the Cowboys win. They didn’t win despite him, he actually had to overcome a horrendous fumble by the team’s franchise player Dalton Schultz and get this team down the field late.