Trick or treat? Dak Prescott’s temporary replacement definitely a treat

The Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, was sidelined during the week 8 NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings, leaving Cooper Rush to fill in as the backup quarterback.

Cowboys fans waited in anticipation for this Sunday night game as the team pondered whether Prescott would play or not. “I hope Dak plays. I think the Cowboys have a good shot. As a Cowboys fan, it’s fun to see them doing well,” Clayton Kershaw, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Dallas native, said before the game.

Despite Prescott being cleared to play and in good health after suffering a calf strain two weeks prior, head coach Mike McCarthy and staff made the decision to withhold the starting quarterback from playing at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Halloween night.

Both teams were able to score field goals in the first half but with a seven point lead, the Cowboys trailed behind with only three points as the Vikings took the first half. Minnesota wide receiver Adam Thielen scored a touchdown in the first quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter, Rush made a low pass, and as fetching of a spiral as it was, it was nonetheless “intercepted on the 28 yard line by Xavier Woods and the former Cowboy comes back to haunt his team,” Al Michaels called out as one of the commentators during this primetime game.

Woods wasn’t the only familiar face on the scene that night though. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, a previous NFC East contender, had met the Cowboys in many games prior, back when he was the starting QB for the Washington Football Team.

The Cowboys headed into the second half, and with only three previous pass attempts and one completion on his NFL resume over the past five years, Rush surprised Cowboys fans by throwing for 325 yards, including two touchdowns.

Rush hit wide receiver Cedrick Wilson with a 73-yard pass who caught it while on the run and carried it all the way to the end zone for his first successful TD pass. Accompanied by a field goal made by kicker Greg Zuerlein, the Cowboys tied the game at 10 by the end of the third quarter.

A field goal made by both teams in the first half of the final quarter tied them at 13 until the Vikings scored their third successful field goal with about three minutes left to go, giving them a three point edge.

Rush struggled somewhat, but demonstrated that even after being thrust into a nightmare scenario of losing the starting QB, he was fearless, stepping into the role of team leader.

With two minutes and 40 seconds left on the clock, Rush passed the ball to wide receiver Amari Cooper. Cooper’s catch, resembling a catch made by famed Dez Bryant against the Green Bay Packers (Cowboys fans know the one), was juggled in the air as it ricocheted off Vikings cornerback Bashaud Breeland’s chest before being secured by Cooper at the 40 yard line propelling the Cowboys nearer the endzone in the final seconds of the game.

Cooper and Ezekiel Elliot each got a first down, which carried the play to the four yard line with only 57 seconds left. At this point in the game, the Cowboys had been trailing or tied the whole night.

Then Rush passed to Cooper, who reached over the Vikings’ Cameron Dantzler in the far left corner of the endzone to catch the game winning touchdown pass with only 51 seconds left on the clock, a feat that was immediately accompanied by an echoing sound from the stadium as Cowboys fans chanted an elongated “Coop”. Cooper raced to the sideline to embrace Prescott as both celebrated.

Fans witnessed several “Cooper to Cooper” connections in the fourth quarter as Cooper Rush’s game-winning touchdown pass to Amari Cooper was the first touchdown in NFL history in which the passer’s first name and receiver’s last name were an exact match, according to Around the NFL staff writer Marc Sessler. He remarked “That’s kind of insane.”

The Cowboys could’ve chosen to tie the game with a field goal to take it into overtime, but with the confidence the players had in each other, they were able to triumph over the Vikings in regulation.

This was a very impressive game for the Cowboys, especially for Rush. Though he may no longer fit the title of a rookie, this was his first starting game. Rookie quarterbacks such as Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow last year have seen far more field time in one year than Rush has in the past five years, yet he played like a veteran when his performance allowed the Cowboys to continue their winning streak, coming home with a 6-1 record.

“Do not ever count out Cooper Rush! I love this Cowboys team, I do! And I think a lot of people feel the same way. Even people who hate the Cowboys are like, ‘man, this team knows what it’s doing,” said NFL writer Dan Hanzus.

Rush did something that hasn’t been done since 1984. He got his first win on the road during a primetime game and became the first QB to do so since Gary Hogeboom.

This was truly a treat for Cowboys fans, as the team reminded everyone just how scary it can be to play against them.