Cowboys News: Dak’s green light, penalty problems return, Elliott joins elite club
Expect Cowboys Nation to move on from Week 6 in record time. Not because the loss to Philadelphia wasn’t infuriating, but because there’s a quarterback decision to obsess about. News and Notes kicks off with the latest on Dak Prescott’s expected medical clearance, why Stephen Jones isn’t yet ready to commit to plugging him back in the starting lineup, and what Prescott himself has to say about his status. And if this closes the book on Cooper Rush, what does this chapter of his story actually say about him and what he did for the team?
Elsewhere, there is a divisional loss to dissect: who Micah Parsons says is to blame for coming up short, what happened to Dalton Schultz and what happens next now that Jake Ferguson is coming on strong, and what the Dallas coordinators had to say about the team’s 10 penalties. Ezekiel Elliott joins a super-exclusive club, the best Twitter reactions during Sunday night’s game, and Mike McCarthy finds a silver lining in getting punched in the mouth. That’s up next in News and Notes.
Dak expected to be medically cleared this week :: The Mothership
The official green light was expected to come either Monday or Tuesday, paving the way for Prescott to take on a “full throwing load” at practice. Then, maybe, the start against Detroit. “You’ve got to get the timing,” explained Coach McCarthy. “I think when you look at players that return to play, they’re cleared medically to play but if you don’t totally feel the timing’s quite there, they may need another week.”
Cowboys' Dak Prescott eyeing Week 7 return vs Lions: 'That's my plan' :: Cowboys Wire
Prescott is aiming for Sunday’s home date with the Lions as his coming-back party. He went through a scripted workout of about 50 passes to practice squad players prior to Sunday night’s game, in which Cooper Rush suffered his first loss after four straight wins. “Obviously disappointed I couldn’t be with the guys along, what, the past five weeks, I guess,” Prescott said. “But excited to move forward and happy as hell with the position that we’re in, and we can get rolling.”
Stephen Jones: Remains to be seen if Dak Prescott returns in Week 7 :: ProFootballTalk
“We’ll see what the week brings” and “we’ll go from there,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. Of utmost importance to Jones is Prescott’s confidence in throwing the ball “the way he needs to throw it to be successful.” He wouldn’t commit to Prescott playing Week 7 and praised backup Cooper Rush’s performance over the past month.
Cooper Rush has not failed the Cowboys, he’s left them in a better spot than he found them :: Dallas Morning News
Rush did far more than just scrape out a win or two so Prescott wouldn’t face an insurmountable task upon his return. He knocked off both of last year’s Super Bowl quarterbacks and guided the Cowboys to a record that’s bested in the NFC by only the Eagles, Vikings, and Giants. He completed over 57% of his passes along the way, came from behind in three straight games, and went 121 pass attempts without a pick. He put the team in a better position than anyone had a right to expect.
McCarthy savors Cowboys' fight in Week 6 loss: 'There's always value when someone cracks you in the jaw' :: Cowboys Wire
No one was happy about the 20-3 hole the Cowboys found themselves in at halftime. But the way the team clawed their way out of it in the second half to give themselves a chance to win could pay dividends down the road. “That’s what this league is about,” said Mike McCarthy, “and frankly, you can’t get to where we want to go without going through it.”
Coordinators address missed tackles & penalties :: The Mothership
Dan Quinn’s defense will focus on tackling this week after 10 or so missed tackles in Philadelphia and called the unit’s post-snap penalties “no-brainers” that can be controlled. Special teams coordinator John Fassel specifically called out Kelvin Joseph, saying he had a great “intentional mindset,” despite drawing two flags.
Micah Parsons says 'We let them down today', defense to blame for Cowboys loss to Eagles :: Cowboys Wire
The Dallas defense racked up some costly penalties in Sunday’s game; Parsons (who had a nitpicky taunting call go against him) says that had more to do with the loss than Cooper Rush’s three interceptions. The linebacker is already looking forward to the Christmas Eve rematch between the two rivals.
Cowboys' lack of discipline was obvious even to Eagles :: Jori Epstein (Yahoo Sports)
Eagles DE Brandon Graham: "I feel like the Cowboys lost their head a little bit on that unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and it cost them. There were a lot of penalties that cost them in this game especially in big moments, but we’ll take it."
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 17, 2022
Cowboys hope for Dalton Schultz's return after knee tweak; rookie TE makes most of extra opportunity :: Cowboys Wire
The franchise-tagged tight end “tweaked his knee” during Saturday’s practice, giving a late-notice start to rookie Jake Ferguson. The Wisconsin rookie responded with career highs in catches and yards, as well as his first NFL touchdown. While the club hopes Schultz will be back at work this week, Ferguson could be seeing more playing time based on his early performances.
Cowboys-Eagles postgame coverage :: Cowboys Wire
Turnovers, penalties make early hole, thwart comeback as Cowboys fall to Eagles, 26-17
Ezekiel Elliott’s performance in Cowboys’ loss to Eagles shouldn’t get lost in shuffle
Twitter reacts to Cowboys 26-17 loss to Eagles in Week 6
Ezekiel Elliott joins Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett in Cowboys' 10K club :: Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (Twitter)
Ezekiel Elliott has surpassed 10,000 career scrimmage yards, joining Emmitt Smith (20,174) and Tony Dorsett (15,468) as the only three running backs in franchise history with 10,000 scrimmage yards.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) October 17, 2022
