“Dak Prescott’s Surprise Absence: How Will the Cowboys Navigate Without Their Star QB Against the Eagles?”

In a significant turn of events for the Dallas Cowboys, star quarterback Dak Prescott is set to miss this weekend’s highly anticipated showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles due to a hamstring injury. This unfortunate development not only affects the Cowboys’ playoff aspirations but also adds a layer of intrigue to a rivalry that’s been heating up in recent years. With Prescott sidelined following his exit during last week’s game against the Falcons, where he sustained the injury late in the third quarter, the stakes just got higher for the Cowboys as they try to snap a three-game losing streak. Now, backup Cooper Rush, who has seen his fair share of ups and downs, will step into the spotlight. While the Eagles roll into this clash with a robust 6-2 record, they haven’t tasted victory in Dallas since 2017, a statistic that surely weighs on the minds of players and fans alike. As we dive into the intricacies of this matchup, one thing is clear: the implications of Prescott’s absence are far-reaching, and the Eagles are determined to seize the moment. LEARN MORE.

Prescott has had six games with a passer rating over 100 against the Eagles. Only Jim Hart of the St. Louis Cardinals and Tony Romo have had more.Dak Prescott, who’s beaten the Eagles five straight times at AT&T Stadium, will miss Sunday’s Eagles-Cowboys game with a severe hamstring injury that’s expected to sideline him for multiple weeks.Prescott got hurt near the end of the third quarter of the Cowboys’ 27-21 loss to the Falcons Sunday in Atlanta and left the game. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Monday, “This is not looking like a short-term injury.”The Eagles-Cowboys rematch at the Linc is Dec. 29.In his career, Rush is 5-1 as a starter with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. His only career loss as a starter was to the Eagles at the Linc in 2022 when he was picked off by C.J. Gardner-Johnson twice and Darius Slay once in a game Prescott missed with an injury.The Eagles are just 2-4 against the Cowboys under Nick Sirianni and 0-4 at AT&T Stadium. They’re 9-15 in their last 24 meetings going back to 2012.Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTubeThe Cowboys’ backup is Cooper Rush, a 30-year-old veteran who’s been on and off the Cowboys’ practice squad and active roster since 2017.The Eagles haven’t swept the Cowboys since 2011, when Michael Vick beat them twice.They face the Eagles at 4:25 p.m. Sunday in Arlington, Texas. The Eagles are 6-2 and have won four straight. But they haven’t beaten the Cowboys in Dallas since 2017, when Carson Wentz threw TD passes to Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith and Ronald Darby, Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod all picked off Prescott.Jalen Hurts is 2-0 vs. the Cowboys at the Linc with four TDs and no interceptions and 0-3 in Dallas with three TDs and four interceptions.After replacing Prescott Sunday, Rush went 13-for-25 for 115 yards and a TD pass with 92 seconds left.Since then, Prescott is 8-2 vs. the Eagles with 22 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last six games against the Eagles.The Cowboys won the NFC East last year, but they haven’t won the division in consecutive years since 1995 and 1996. No team has won consecutive NFC East titles since the Eagles won four straight from 2001 through 2004.The Cowboys haven’t reached an NFC Championship Game since 1995 and they’re 4-12 in the postseason since 1998.Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Rush and Prescott shared a quarterback room in Dallas in 2017, and Moore was Rush’s quarterbacks coach in 2018 and offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2022. Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nuessmeier was also on the Cowboys’ staff with Rush and Prescott from 2018 through 2022, first as tight ends coach and then as quarterbacks coach in 2020 and 2022.Prescott is 76-46 in the regular season with a 98.1 passer rating, but in nine NFL seasons he’s only won two of seven playoff games, one over the Seahawks in 2017 and one over the Bucs in 2022.The Cowboys are 3-5 and 0-3 at home and they’ve lost three straight games for the first time since 2020.Dak Prescott to miss Eagles game with hamstring injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia