{"id":135252,"date":"2022-09-13T08:19:36","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T12:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=135252"},"modified":"2022-09-13T08:19:36","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T12:19:36","slug":"dak-prescott-injury-caps-off-a-disastrous-week-1-for-the-dallas-cowboys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2022\/09\/13\/dak-prescott-injury-caps-off-a-disastrous-week-1-for-the-dallas-cowboys\/","title":{"rendered":"Dak Prescott Injury Caps off a Disastrous Week 1 for the Dallas Cowboys"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Many will attest that the aftermath of Week 1 is fodder for overreaction. All too often, fans and analysts must be reminded that week one doesn\u2019t make a season. The Green Bay Packers looked terrible in week one last year, getting demolished 38-3 by the New Orleans Saints. In 2014, Tony Romo threw three awful interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers in an ugly opening day loss. Both teams ended their respective seasons 13-3 and 12-4. Sometimes, however, week one gives the world a glimpse precisely into how a season is going to go.<\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;27145&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h2>Dak Prescott Injury Headlines a Disastrous Night in Dallas<\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s difficult to overstate just how horrific Sunday night went for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a>. A horror show of worst fears realized ended with numerous significant injuries, a pitiful offensive performance, and a fanbase\u2014still reeling from last season\u2019s disappointments\u2014left with one sharp realization:<\/p>\n<p>Everything that was a concern going into this season manifested itself on the field Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>All the optimism that the front office peddled during the off-season went up in smoke before halftime. Overall, the Cowboys looked like frontrunners for the worst offense in the league as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BradTo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Brady<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/buccaneers\/\" target=\"_self\">Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> steamrolled over them in a 19-3 victory that was much worse than the score indicates. To make matters worse, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/PresDa01.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dak Prescott<\/a> is out with an injury to his throwing hand for six to eight weeks at least.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From NFL Now: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Cowboys?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Cowboys<\/a> QB Dak Prescott is having thumb surgery, with the possibility of being back late in October or early in November. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M6WiaJBYcm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/M6WiaJBYcm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapSheet\/status\/1569372685448134658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Make no mistake, Prescott was playing terribly before the injury. Much of this was due to the off-season troubles that were played off as nonissues by the front office. The offensive line was about as bad as everyone feared it would be. Penalties are still a problem, especially on the line. There may as well have not even been receivers on the field outside of Dalton Schultz and a few flashes from Noah Brown.<\/p>\n<p>In short, the sky is falling in Dallas, and week one isn\u2019t even over yet.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Dak Prescott Injury<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For the third time in as many seasons, Dak Prescott will miss games due to injury. During the fourth quarter, Shaq Barrett <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jonmachota\/status\/1569160951680716800\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>twice got through the offensive line<\/u><\/a> (for what felt like the hundredth time) and collided with Prescott\u2019s throwing hand. After the first collision, Prescott was seen trying to work out his thumb and index finger. After the second, he came off the field and never returned.<\/p>\n<p>Dak had three and a half quarters of ugly play beforehand. He finished the night 14\/29 for 149 yards and a bad interception. Miscues with receivers and consistently being mauled in the pocket did not help matters. The fans in attendance were raining down boos onto the field long before Prescott\u2019s calamitous injury\u2014who could blame them?<\/p>\n<p>Seemingly by design, the Dallas Cowboys front office has placed responsibility for the team\u2019s offensive success squarely on the shoulders of Dak. He was the one that needed to elevate the receiving corps into a successful unit. He was the one that needed to overcome any offensive line problems. Fans then had to watch in horror as Prescott forced passes to smothered receivers while being harassed all game.<\/p>\n<p>With Prescott injured, the Cowboys now look to Cooper Rush as a replacement. Rush has a start and win under his belt from last year, but fans have seen enough of his play over five seasons to be understandably unenthused. Potential trade targets exist, but it\u2019s difficult to imagine Dallas making any moves when they have already shown their hand. The front office chose to leave the backup quarterback position as it is amongst raised eyebrows. Unless the Jones\u2019 uncharacteristically give up picks for a player they (hopefully) only need for a few months, they must face the position they willingly put themselves into.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Key Losses<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Dak Prescott wasn\u2019t the only Cowboy to suffer a significant injury on Sunday. During the first drive, left guard Connor McGovern had his ankle rolled on and left the game. Early reports point to a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/toddarcher\/status\/1569383809526931456\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>high ankle sprain<\/u><\/a> that will have the guard out for multiple weeks. Left guard was already a worry area <em>before<\/em> this injury for an already-questionable offensive line. The Cowboys will have to look to players like Matt Farniok unless they decide to slide Smith back to guard and place Peters at tackle. Considering the circumstances, this may have been the best option anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Jayron Kearse also suffered a lower-body injury during the game and is expected to miss <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/toddarcher\/status\/1569383809526931456\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>multiple weeks as well<\/u><\/a>. Kearse is a defensive captain and plays a uniquely specific role in Quinn\u2019s scheme. It is unclear who will step into this role in his absence, but the Cowboys, fortunately, have talent at safety. While his presence is bound to be missed over the next few weeks, the defense should be able to compensate.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Where are the Receivers?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The wide receiver unit has been a steady concern for most analysts and fans for the entire off-season. Fluff coming out of the front office attempted to sell a receiving unit that looked awful on paper. The new number one receiver CeeDee Lamb has not had to be \u201c<em>the<\/em> man\u201d yet in his short career. Tentative whispers during the off-season questioned if he could immediately step into the role left by Amari Cooper\u2019s departure. Michael Gallup is still not fully recovered from last year\u2019s injury, though his progress has been admirable. The rest of the group\u2014unknown, young, or both\u2014was sold as a pool of talent waiting to be unleashed.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to Sunday at AT&amp;T Stadium. As almost anyone could have guessed, the Bucs proceeded to smother Lamb all night. Predictably, names like Simi Fehoko and Dennis Houston were of no concern to Todd Bowles\u2019 defense. The Bucs were able to bracket Lamb in zones and keep safeties over the top of his routes. No other receiver gave them any reason to stop. Consequently, Lamb was targeted 11 times for 2 catches. When he <em>was<\/em> able to shed coverage he had several key drops, quickly turning those aforementioned whispers into genuine distress. Noah Brown led the team in receiving yards, but never truly threatened the defense. Lack of separation and sloppy route running by the receivers led to several moments when Prescott was left patting the ball in the pocket, eventually getting swallowed by the pass rush.<\/p>\n<p>Shipping off Cooper for peanuts was laughable enough in itself; watching the receiving unit Dallas fielded last night makes it borderline criminal. With Rush now presumably taking over, it\u2019s difficult to see a way this group gets on track if Sunday night was any real indication of their capabilities as a unit.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Offensive Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The narrative after Tyron Smith\u2019s injury was mostly focused on first-round rookie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/SmitTy02.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Smith<\/a>. His move from guard to left tackle dominated the conversation around the offensive line. So much, in fact, that many forgot about the unanswered questions across the rest of the line. Last night was a jarring reminder of how worrisome the entire line is outside of Zack Martin.<\/p>\n<p>Smith was not stellar in his debut but did better than many assumed he would. Deemed a \u201cflag magnet\u201d by some during the draft, Smith only had one penalty for a false start. There were misfires leading to sacks, and his whiff of Barrett led to Prescott\u2019s initial hand injury. Yet, all things considered, he was far from the main issue.<\/p>\n<p>Right tackle Terence Steele looked dreadful most of the night. Whether getting beat by the rush or committing <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/toddarcher\/status\/1569152821056110594\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>several penalties<\/u><\/a>, it was a bad night all around for a player riding into the season purely on the coaching staff\u2019s faith. The concern surrounding Steele was pushed to the back burner once Tyron Smith went down, but Sunday showed Dallas may be in trouble at both tackle spots.<\/p>\n<p>When McGovern went down during the first drive, Matt Farniok stepped in and was predictably overmatched. His struggles capped off an abysmal night for the offensive line, as he allowed multiple pressures and QB hits.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Per <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PFF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@PFF<\/a> Cowboys guard Matt Farniok allowed 6 pressures, 3 hurries, 3 QB hits and a 26.7 pass blocking grade.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\ude2c<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProfessorO_NFL\/status\/1569355943858651138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/PeteJa21.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Peters<\/a> waits in the wings, but for what role? Left tackle was the automatic assumption upon his signing, but that seems far from the biggest hole currently. Right tackle may prove to be the biggest area of concern, and neither Smith nor Peters is an ideal solution.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Feed Zeke?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ezekiel Elliott looked strong when running the ball on Sunday, getting several chunk gains early in the game. In a bewildering strategy, the coaching staff appeared unwilling to commit to the running game even as Elliott gained 5+ yards on seemingly every carry and Prescott struggled mightily. Running the ball effectively tends to open play action opportunities and force the defense to play closer to the box. The offense probably could have benefited from both of those things on Sunday night. The staff, however, appeared intent on having Prescott wing it into coverage under duress for the entire night until he was injured doing just that.<\/p>\n<p>Even more perplexing was the decision to continue sticking Tony Pollard in protection during obvious passing downs. One of Elliot\u2019s biggest strengths is his pass protection\u2014it\u2019s part of his value outside of rushing. Inexplicably, this duty was placed on Pollard far too often on Sunday night with expected results. Pollard is extremely talented but pass protection has never been his forte, which makes these decisions all the more baffling.<\/p>\n<p>Now that the quarterback position is significantly downgraded due to the Dak Prescott injury, will the coaching staff rely more on the rushing game moving forward? Will they have a choice?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A Defensive Team Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Brady was held to one touchdown pass all night. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/P\/ParsMi00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Micah Parsons<\/a> had two sacks, and several key stops during the game. Trevon Diggs appeared locked in and, outside of a <a href=\"http:\/\/: https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1569149837052096517\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>wild one-handed catch from Mike Evans<\/u><\/a>, had a great showing in coverage. The interior run defense looked strong for much of the night. The lackluster offensive showing would make almost any defense look elite in comparison, but Dallas\u2019 defense was truly impressive for much of the night. There were some areas to watch moving forward, though.<\/p>\n<p>Julio Jones was lighting up Anthony Brown early in the game while Diggs dealt with Evans. After halftime, Diggs was placed on Jones more frequently and Brady immediately began targeting Evans for big gains. It was obvious Brady was picking on Brown during their only touchdown drive. The narrative throughout camp was Brown looked primed for a stellar season and that may still be true. However, he will need to play better for this defense to be what it needs to.<\/p>\n<p>Parsons had two sacks in big moments, which is what fans have come to expect from the Young Lion. Outside of Parsons, the edge rushers combined for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Marcus_Mosher\/status\/1569355461647802368\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><u>only two pressures<\/u><\/a>. The pass rush will have to be better moving forward if the Cowboys hope to maintain the level of disruption Dan Quinn\u2019s scheme is meant to produce.<\/p>\n<p>Going into the season, many wondered if Dallas would become a defense-first team. Playmakers on all three levels have this side of the ball ready for success. After the developments on Sunday night, the defense must be outstanding if the Cowboys have any hopes of staying afloat during Prescott\u2019s absence. It\u2019s possible, perhaps even likely, that they will be excellent. The question of if it will matter is what looms large in Dallas.<\/p>\n<h3>Paying the Price<\/h3>\n<p>The Dak Prescott injury is far and away the most disheartening news to come out of last night. Week one is full of aberration, and perhaps his subpar play Sunday night would have been just that. Unfortunately, the injury makes this the only glimpse anyone will have until he returns. Looking at the outcome on Sunday makes it difficult to imagine a scenario where his return will matter as far as the postseason is concerned. It\u2019s not hyperbole to acknowledge Dak was Dallas\u2019 only hope at overcoming the roadblocks they placed in their own way.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s Week 1 and Cowboys fans booed and threw trash at Dak Prescott as he headed back to the locker room with an injury <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/h98iAOZoXc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/h98iAOZoXc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL_Memes\/status\/1569171424253984770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Undoubtedly, it&#8217;s bad taste to boo a player as they exit with an injury. They were boos of disappointment, sure, but they also came from a deeper place. A place of understanding that the mismanagement of this roster by an arrogant front office led the team directly to this point. Prescott was floundering before the injury\u2014there is no denying that reality. Yet, it\u2019s next to impossible to name a quarterback that could overcome the obstacles that have been allowed to manifest since the Cowboys were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs last season. Lack of passing, bad offensive line play, penalties, and regression\u2014it all showed up during Sunday Night Football. Everybody from the players to the fans is seemingly paying the price. Will the culprits who allowed it to happen pay any price? Doubtful.<\/p>\n<p>What happens next will go a long way in deciphering whether the plan is to punt on the season or try and salvage Prescott\u2019s return in any meaningful way. The defense looks ready to compete and keep games close. Will a compromised offense be able to hold up its end of the bargain?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no overreaction in Dallas after week one. The Cowboys are in serious trouble.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A bad offensive showing by the Dallas Cowboys was capped off by an injury to Dak Prescott as Tampa Bay beats Dallas on Sunday Night Football.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4297,"featured_media":135257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,54],"tags":[7972,302,6993,331,9136],"class_list":["post-135252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cowboys","category-editorials","tag-cowboys-featured","tag-dak-prescott","tag-micah-parsons","tag-tom-brady","tag-tyler-smith"],"modified_by":"Will Koshover, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}