The wait is finally over for Cowboys fans as the team appears set on starting quarterback Dak Prescott against Detroit on Sunday. The Cowboys quarterback has missed five games after suffering an injury in Week 1. The Cowboys have gone 4-1 in his absence, with backup Cooper Rush earning credit for winning several tough games, including victories over the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier this week that Prescott would return to a different team than the one he led in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We’re a better team than we were five weeks ago,” Jones said. “We have improved the right way. We’ve done it with repetition, we’ve done it with young players. We’ve done it with players that have worked on the kind of things the coaches want them to do. We’ve had a lot of depth that has gotten a lot of reps. We’re a better team than we were in that loss against Tampa, period.”
Rush got four out of five wins but only managed to score five touchdowns. Rush was able to go without an interception in four games, but turned the ball over three times against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, a significant part of the reason the Eagles were able to pick up the win and deal Dallas its first divisional defeat of the year.
Detroit comes into the match with a dismal 1-4 record but is performing above their record. The Lions are averaging 28 points per game on the strength of a solid running game and consistent performance from quarterback Jared Goff who joined the club in the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles.
Jamaal Williams is the team’s leading rusher with 77 carries for 332 yards and six touchdowns. Josh Reynolds leads the team in receptions with 23 but has only found the endzone twice in 2022. After losing a shootout in which the Lions scored 45 points and lost to the Seahawks two weeks ago, the Lions got blanked against the New England Patriots last week and will come into the game looking for redemption.
Winning against the Cowboys will be a tall task for Detroit. The Lions are particularly poor against the pass, surrendering an average of 269 yards per game through the air. With the Cowboys expected to have CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz at full speed, Prescott will have a range of weapons available that could turn this contest into another shootout. In Prescott’s only start of the season, he was without receiver Michael Gallup who has since returned. Gallup will be available on Sunday, along with Lamb, and this year’s breakout receiver, Noah Brown.
The Biggest challenge for Goff and the Lions’ offense will be overcoming the dangerous pass rush the Cowboys bring. Led by linebacker Micah Parsons, the Dallas defense uses numerous stunts along the line that have spelled disaster for every offense this year. The Cowboys have nine sacks so far this season, with Parsons accounting for six.
The Cowboys and the Lions will kick off from AT&T Stadium in Dallas at 12:00 pm CST on October 23.
