Rush wins his third start
Filling in for the injured Dak Prescott and getting consecutive starts for the first time in his career, Cooper Rush led the Dallas Cowboys to a 23-16 victory over the New York Giants on Monday. He was assisted by a ferocious defense that caught quarterback Daniel Jones five times and pressured him 24 times.
When the Cowboys needed Cooper Rush the most in the second half, the quarterback was at his best. After the Giants took a 13-6 lead in the third quarter, Rush completed 12 of his next 13 passes for 129 yards on consecutive touchdown series. The first series ended with Ezekiel Elliott scoring one against New York for the fifth consecutive game to tie it.
The second series ended with Cooper Rush throwing a perfect pass to the corner of the end zone where receiver CeeDee Lamb made a one-handed reception with 8:30 to play. Rush and Lamb converted a key fourth-and-4 and then connected on a 26-yard pass to the Giants goal line.
Cooper Rush’s final numbers weren’t amazing (21 of 31 for 215 yards and a touchdown), but they were good enough to win. Rush is only the third Cowboys quarterback to win the first three starts of his career.The other two? Jason Garrett, his former head coach and Hall of Famer Roger Staubach. And all three wins have come on game-winning series in the fourth quarter and overtime, making him just the second quarterback to do so in the Super Bowl era.
Cooper Rush, filling in for the injured Dak Prescott and starting for the first time in his career, led the Dallas Cowboys to a 23-16 victory over the New York Giants on Monday. He was assisted by a ferocious defense that caught quarterback Daniel Jones five times and pressured him 24 times.
When the Cowboys needed Cooper Rush the most in the second half, the quarterback was at his best. After the Giants took a 13-6 lead in the third quarter, Rush completed 12 of his next 13 passes for 129 yards on consecutive touchdown series. The first series ended with Ezekiel Elliott scoring one against New York for the fifth consecutive game to tie it.
The second series ended with Cooper Rush throwing a perfect pass to the corner of the end zone where receiver CeeDee Lamb made a one-handed reception with 8:30 to play. Rush and Lamb converted a key fourth-and-4 and then connected on a 26-yard pass all the way to the Giants goal line.
Cooper Rush’s final numbers weren’t amazing (21-of-31 for 215 yards and a touchdown), but they were good enough to win. Rush is only the third Cowboys quarterback to win his first three career starts. The first is Jason Garrett, his former coach and Hall of Famer Roger Staubach. And all three wins have come on game-winning series in the fourth quarter and overtime, making him just the second quarterback to do so in the Super Bowl era.
Promising trend: Cowboys have 13 catches in three games, lead NFL. They chased Daniel Jones all game long. Everyone knows about Micah Parsons. DeMarcus Lawrence made his presence felt against the Giants with the third three-catch game of his career before suffering a left foot injury. The 13 catches came from six defenders. They have varied pressure that can stay fresh during a game, which drains an offensive line.
Mind-blowing Next Gen stat: CeeDee Lamb smiled afterward, but a second incomplete pass was killing him. Had he caught Rush’s pass he could have scored. Instead, he became the first player to drop a wide-open pass of at least 30 yards down the field this season. He had 6 yards of separation, making it the fourth such drop since 2020, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But on the go-ahead series in the fourth quarter, Lamb was stellar, hauling in a fourth-down reception, racking up 26 yards and then making a one-handed touchdown reception that sent fellow No. 88 Dez Bryant into a frenzy in one of the suites at MetLife Stadium.
Underrated Stat: Ezekiel Elliott is the first player in Cowboys history to have a touchdown on the ground in five consecutive games against the Giants.
