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.

Dallas Cowboys stud in win vs. Bengals: Noah Brown, WR

After Week 1, a lot of Cowboys fans were complaining or at least worried about the team’s wide receiver position beyond CeeDee Lamb, who is undoubtedly a WR1 but certainly had a tough time being the only receiver for the team. Well, in Week 2, in desperate need of someone to step up, the Cowboys got a huge boost from Noah Brown.

Brown, yet another former Ohio State Buckeyes receiver having success in the league, caught all five of his targets for a team-leading 91 yards, over 18 yards per reception. He caught the lone touchdown pass from Cooper Rush early in the game:

Although the touchdown was impressive, it was Brown’s clutch catch late in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were trying to get in position for the game-winning field goal that takes the cake for me in this game. He was being covered extremely well by the Bengals’ defensive back but he came up with the catch anyway and the Cowboys were able to get into Brett Maher’s field goal range.

The question at this point becomes whether or not Brown can sustain this type of success. Obviously, the Cowboys would love to see him emerge as a true WR2 or WR3 option when Michael Gallup is healthy. If he can continue to make plays, this Dallas offense has a chance to weather the storm while Prescott is out.

Dallas Cowboys stud no. 3 in win vs. Bengals: Micah Parsons, EDGE

It wouldn’t surprise anyone if Joe Burrow ended up having nightmares all week long about Micah Parsons. Parsons has to be one of two or three of the most disruptive defensive players in the entire NFL right now. Against the Bengals, Parsons was nothing short of outstanding.

• 4 total tackles
• 2 sacks
• 2 tackles for loss
• 5 QB hits

Every time the Cowboys’ defense was on the field, it felt like Parsons was in the backfield. Keeping this guy at bay is much easier said than done but Parsons continued to help highlight the fact that the Bengals really need to do better at protecting Joe Burrow, and at other times, Burrow has to do a better job at protecting himself.

What are you even supposed to do about Parsons at this point, though? He’s going to start getting prime Von Miller treatment off the edge with multiple players chipping before he even gets to the offensive tackle. Teams are going to have to start taking drastic measures to protect their quarterbacks against Parsons because not only is he winning his matchups, he’s punishing quarterbacks every chance he gets.

The camera crews can barely even keep up with Parsons’ speed off the edge. He’s just winning way too easily when you consider the fact he’s going up against fellow NFL starters.

In a game where the Cowboys were without their starting quarterback, Parsons made the kind of impact that you need from a defensive MVP type of playmaker. The Cowboys obviously did well as a team in this game, but it’s not far off to say that Parsons arguably made the biggest impact of any player out there on the field.

Five quarterback hits against one of the best quarterbacks in the league at navigating the pocket? Five quarterback hits against a team that invested all its primary assets in the 2022 offseason into upgrading the offensive line? Parsons is a star, which is news to no one. The question now is, how high does this ceiling go?