When the Cowboys lost Dak Prescott at the end of the third quarter of Sunday’s game versus Atlanta, a hamstring injury was the official reason given.
But it may not be the only costly hit the quarterback took in the 27-21 loss.
TV viewers saw the team’s training staff tending to Prescott’s throwing hand on the sideline as the fourth quarter got underway, with blood visible around the knuckle where the right pinkie meets the hand bones. Within minutes, Prescott was announced out of the game… but with a hamstring issue.
Prescott himself told reporters about a sensation he felt while trying to evade a sack by Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss on the final drive of the third quarter.
“I felt it when I was getting it up from the run,” Prescott said in his postgame press conference. “I can’t even say that I felt it running. Maybe the tackle, maybe something on the tackle, I don’t know. But standing up from that, I felt something, but actually, I didn’t think it was much.”
Prescott seemed to realize otherwise, however, on the very next play. As he stepped through a throw to the far sideline- a 10-yard completion to Jalen Brooks- he pulled up noticeably. Replays show Prescott’s face contorted in pain.
“I felt a pull, felt something I’ve never felt,” he explained.
He dumped out of a pass on the next snap, a third-down play, and looked rather gimpy doing it.
“Tough to walk on it at that point,” Prescott would say later. “Saw the medical team and asked, ‘Could I make it worse?’ At that point, they said I wouldn’t be able to protect myself, and they made the call to hold me out.”
The quarterback had been under fire for weeks for not using his rushing and scrambling skills more often. Prior to the injury on Sunday, he was credited with three runs for 30 yards, his highest ground total since Week 6 of last season.
Prescott was scheduled for an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the leg injury, but the apparent harm done to his throwing hand is worth following up on as well.
Dak Prescott being checked for an injury to his hand on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/muUfnGxppn
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 3, 2024
Prescott was not asked about his hand during his Sunday afternoon presser, nor did he bring it up. But the few images broadcast from the sideline seemed to show a very swollen right hand. The passer missed five games in 2022 after breaking the thumb on that same hand in a Week 1 game versus Tampa Bay.
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
The bigger worry is that hamstring. Owner Jerry Jones told reporters, “I am concerned about that. It concerned me when I saw the play, or saw him have a reaction to any weakness there.”
Backup Cooper Rush came on in relief and went 13-for-25 passing, compiling 115 yards and a touchdown in a comeback effort that fell short and sent the Cowboys to 3-5.
Rush has a 5-1 career record as the Cowboys starter. His only loss came in his most recent start, 2022’s Week 6 visit to Philadelphia, the last game that Prescott’s thumb injury caused him to miss.
The Cowboys are set to host the Eagles next Sunday. No matter what Monday’s tests reveal about Prescott hamstring and hand, Rush will almost certainly be taking extra snaps as a precaution.
Prescott, for his part, hopes to be able to suit up without missing any time at all.
“I would say that I’ll be out there next week. I’ve got to see. Luckily, I can say I’ve healed fast, I’ve progressed fast on injuries and things, so I’m thankful for that,” Prescott said.
“It’ll take a lot for me not to be out there, I’ll tell you personally.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[lawrence-newsletter]