The Dallas Cowboys earned a much-needed win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night, and Dak Prescott was in the middle of it. The Cowboys’ quarterback threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns in the 33-16 victory and provided some optimism that Dallas could make noise in the NFC playoff picture.
But as the NFL shows so often, nothing brings a bucket of cold water to momentum like injuries. ESPN’s Todd Archer noted that Prescott was listed on the Cowboys’ injury report with “a hip issue” coming out of Monday’s win against the Raiders. Archer also added that the Cowboys are “in a walkthrough mode” due to the short practice week and Prescott would take “a normal workload.”
While The Athletic’s Jon Machota added that Schottenheimer called Prescott’s injury “nothing major,” it adds a twist to Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which might end up being their biggest game of the year.
Dak Prescott’s Hip Injury Adds Intrigue Into Showdown vs. Eagles
The Cowboys currently enter Sunday’s game with a 4-5-1 record and are well behind the Eagles’ 8-2 mark, which is the best record in the NFC entering Week 12. While the Cowboys aren’t out of the playoff picture, they need to start stacking wins, as NFL.com sees their playoff probability increase to 12% with a win and drop to 3% with a loss on Sunday.
Because the Cowboys are still breathing, Jerry Jones went all in at the trade deadline, acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets and linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite those additions, it would also be imperative to have Prescott under center.
Through 10 games, Prescott is completing a career-high 69.9% of his passes for 2,587 yards, 21 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He is also the fulcrum of an offense that ranks second in the NFL with 29.6 points per game and fifth with 5.9 yards per play this season. But that unit has also had to make up for one of the worst defenses in the league, as Matt Eberflus’s unit ranks second-to-last with 29.3 points allowed per game and fifth-to-last with 5.9 yards per play.
While Prescott’s injury isn’t deemed to be major, it could also become a problem if it deteriorates as the week continues. The Cowboys are 13-13 all-time without Prescott, including a 4-5 record after he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury last season.
Cowboys fans know they have a better shot of winning Sunday’s game with Prescott at quarterback instead of Joe Milton III, and Schottenheimer’s comments make it seem like there is nothing to worry about. But it does add one more thing to be concerned about as the game draws closer and the Cowboys need their franchise quarterback to topple the best team in the NFC.