Rush to the rescue indeed. Cooper Rush light up the Bengals defense early on as the Dallas Cowboys staved off the Bengals by winning 20-17 and picking up their first win of the season.
I never thought I’d be saying these words: Cooper Rush outdueled Joe Burrow at quarterback in a professional NFL game. It just doesn’t make sense how Cooper Rush, who started this season as Dak Prescott’s backup, outperformed the reigning AFC Champion QB, who would have been the Super Bowl MVP if his team won.
Yet, here we are as Cooper Rush has taken the Dallas faithful by storm.
Throwing for 235 yards, 1 TD, and completing 19/35 (54%) of his passes, Cooper Rush single-handedly inspired this depressed, out-of-sync Dallas team to come together and unite behind the backup QB.
And, boy, did Dallas rally behind Rush. Especially WR Noah Brown.
It was very clear early on that Rush and Brown, who have spent the past few seasons on Dallas’ practice squad, had an innate connection with one another. Whenever Dallas had an important 3rd or 4th down situation, Rush looked for his fellow practice squad teammate to bail his team out. Which Brown did and then some.
Finishing the game with 5 REC, 91 yards, and 1 TD, Brown outperformed some of the best WR in the league in this game, such as Jamar Chase Tee Higgins, and Ceedee Lamb. I thought Dallas had traded/released most of their best depth wide receivers in the offseason, but they obviously kept Noah Brown and his talent hidden from me.
If he continues to play like he did today, then he should rise up the depth chart and become the second WR on this team in no time.
Another player who was really impressive today was Tony Pollard. The heir to Ezekiel Elliott’s RB throne was fantastic in both the passing and running game as he finished with 9 CAR for 43 yards and 4 REC for 55 yards. Obviously, his breakout play was that 40-something-long run (which actually counted as a pass, even though Rush tossed him the ball in the backfield) that he nearly took to the house.
I’m glad Mike McCarthy did something right and gave Pollard the ball on the very next play, which ended up being a rushing TD that put the Cowboys up 14-0 midway through the 1st quarter. He deserved a touchdown.
Now, the Cowboys offense was very impressive all game long with Rush under center, but it was the Cowboys defense that stopped Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Led by the phenom that is Micah Parsons, the Cowboys defense had 6 sacks, 9 QB hits, 8 tackles for a loss (TFL), and 4 passes defended (PD).
Like I said, Micah Parsons carried this team again as he had 2 sacks, 5 QB hits, 2 TFL, and 4 tackles by himself. The guy (well, more like a young adult as he’s only 23) is an absolute monster that has wrecked nearly every offense he’s gone up against in his NFL career thus far.
Is he the next Lawarence Taylor? Probably, if he keeps these stats up.
It’s no wonder Joe Burrow couldn’t get anything going on offense when he’s getting rag-dolled close to twenty times a game. Usually, Burrow is able to overcome his horrific offensive line, but today the Dallas defense was too much for him as he only threw for 199 yards, 1 TD, and went 24/36 (67%).
Nevertheless, if there’s one thing that Burrow never does and that’s giving up.
After going down 17-9 mid-way through the 4th quarter, Burrow led the Bengals on an 83-yard TD drive from his own 17-yard line as he zipped a sideline-tight pass to Tee Higgins (and converted on the ensuing 2-pt conversion) to tie the game for the Bengals with 3:45 to play.
It was here I was sure the Cowboys were about to blow ANOTHER primetime/important game as all of the momentum was slowly shifting towards the Bengals. How was Cooper Rush, a backup QB with very little game experience, going to lead the Cowboys down the field for a game-winning field goal attempt?
Well, he didn’t…at least not on the first attempt.
Rush went 3-and-out on the ensuing possession. However, the Dallas defense stepped up big time as they stopped the Bengals with under a minute to go, giving Rush the ball back.
And this time the backup delivered as he drove the ball into Bengals territory to set up a 50-yard game-winning field goal that Brett Maher converted, sending the Dallas fans into an uproar as their team overcame all the odds to defeat the defending AFC Champions.
I still not too sure about Dallas’ chances of making it far in the playoffs with the roster as it is currently, but if they continue to rally behind Rush and get carried by Parsons, then maybe they have a chance to pull off a few upsets come January (though, I wouldn’t count on it; it’s still the Dallas Cowboys after all).
As for the Bengals, their fans should be ready to hit the panic button soon. Two losses to start off the season is tough, especially when they are games against teams that they should have beaten. If the defending AFC Champions want a chance to retain their crown this January, then they need to start picking up wins. Fast!
The AFC is too good this year to fall behind early in the season.
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