Dallas Cowboys: Preseason Highlights

The Cowboys played their first preseason game against the L.A. Rams, and there were plenty of positives and negatives on both sides of the ball.

The Dallas Cowboys played their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams and there are several positives to take away from the game.

If the Cowboys were looking for a veteran backup quarterback to incumbent Tony Romo, that thought might be on hold for now.

The Cowboys rookie quarterback is the reason why.

The Positives (Cowboys QB Dak Prescott)

When backup quarterback Kellen Moore broke his ankle a few weeks ago, the Cowboys were looking for a veteran signal caller to play behind Romo; most notably, Nick Foles. Instead, the former Rams quarterback signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. Then in a desperate measure, the Cowboys tried unsuccessfully to trade for Cleveland QB Josh McCown.

Well, after witnessing Dak Prescott start the game at quarterback, the Cowboys might not want to sign a veteran backup anytime soon. The fourth rounder out of Mississippi State torched the Rams secondary for 139 yards on 10/12 completions, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions in the first half.

The two incompletions were dropped passes by tight end Geoff Swaim. Prescott connected on touchdown passes to All Pro Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.

The ultra-cool, rookie quarterback completed two passes to Bryant, one a back-shoulder fade that Bryant turned into a fantastic catch. On the touchdown pass, Prescott threw another back-shoulder fade that only Bryant could catch.

The Pro Bowl receiver leaped over the back of the corner and caught the ball as if he were picking cherries off of a tree.

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Prescott threw the ball perfectly, where only Bryant could catch it. The rookie’s second touchdown pass was impressive, as Prescott threw an awesome 32-yard pass to Williams, which he caught over the shoulder going into the end zone.

On the previous play, Prescott threw a 22-yard strike to Brice Butler, a pass with the hallmarks of a veteran quarterback: speed, velocity, and accuracy.

Prescott was by far the most impressive player on the field. The signal caller out-played and looked more comfortable playing quarterback than his counterpart, fellow rookie signal caller, Jared Goff.

Prescott played with poise and accuracy. His eyes were in the right position as he displayed total command of the offense. Simply put, Prescott can play, regardless if it’s a preseason game against the lowly Rams. Prescott played with the number one offense and produced on a high level.

The rookie quarterback finished with a 154.5 quarterback rating.

Prescott is going to be a bad boy!

Lucky Whitehead took the opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown that set the tone for the offense. That helped Dallas jump out to a 24-7 lead.

Running backs Alfred Morris and Darius Jackson played significant minutes and played well, especially the rookie Jackson. Both power backs hit the holes with quickness and proved that they can bring the hammer to opposing defenses.

Overall, the wideouts played extremely well. Undrafted rookie wideout, Andy Jones, dropped two easy passes. Jones and Swaim have the talent to make the Cowboys roster, and they still probably will, despite the easy drops.

Third string quarterback Jameill Showers went 8-16 for 99 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Showers didn’t have the benefit of playing with first team players, but the second year player has one cannon of an arm.

Showers made the play of the game by escaping a sack like houdini and completing a 47-yard completion to wide receiver Vince Mayle. For the record, the Cowboys have some really good back up quarterbacks.

The Dallas Cowboys offense will definitely be potent this up coming season.

The Negatives (Cowboys Defense)

The Cowboys defense, who consisted mostly of reserves, were unable to stop the the Rams offense, who scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to win the game 28-24.

Rams quarterback Sean Mannion was able to connect on a game-winning, 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Aaron Green with 1:54 left in the game.

That sealed a victory for the Rams, whose defense forced the Cowboys offense to go four and out.

On the offensive side of the ball, offensive lineman Chaz Green played miserably, getting called for several holding penalties and allowing sacks.

The defense didn’t play well, giving up big plays and allowing the Rams to come back and win the game 28-24. The defense did have a few highlights with interceptions by linebacker Mark Nzeocha and corner Deju Olatoye.

For the first four quarters until the last three minutes of the game, the Cowboys played good enough to win. If not for the lackluster production from the second string wideouts and defense, the Cowboys could have walked away with a victory.

Next: Cowboys: Time For Running Back Darius Jackson to Prove Himself

With the magnificent play of rookie Dak Prescott and the offense, the Dallas Cowboys have a more positive outlook for 2016.

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