Getty Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys aren’t the least bit worried about Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys’ franchise quarterback, nursing a sprained left hand and an injury to his right (throwing) index finger, was a full participant Wednesday as the team began full-scale preparations for their Week 15 home showdown with the Los Angeles Rams.
On Thursday, head coach Jason Garrett noted Prescott “doesn’t seem to have any issues” entering the game.
Dak Prescott (hands), Amari Cooper (knee), Tyron Smith (Achilles) were all full participants in today’s practice.
Limited: Michael Bennett, La’el Collins, Jeff Heath, Byron Jones, Zack Martin, Tony Pollard, Antwaun Woods.
Did not practice: Sean Lee, Leighton Vander Esch.
Prescott suffered his injuries during last week’s loss to the Bears, when he completed 27-of-49 passes (55 percent) for 334 yards and a touchdown. The stat line wasn’t as gaudy as it sounds. A majority of his air yards came in the fourth quarter, with the Bears on cruise control, comfortably leading by multiple possessions.
Dak was inaccurate for the duration of the defeat and hampered by a sieve-like offensive line, sans starting guard Connor Williams, allowing continual pressure. Chicago racked up eight hits and two sacks on Prescott, along with countless hurries.
ESPN’s Ed Werder was told that Prescott’s accuracy initially was “diminished” by his bum hands, but it’s now “progressing” and “not expected to impact him” against the Rams.
Prescott’s hurting paws add a level of difficulty to a matchup with 8-5 Los Angeles, who own the league’s eight-best defense in total yards and the 10th-ranked secondary, which limits opponents to 221.2 yards per game.
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Dak Not Sweating Status Ahead of Week 15
Prescott is battered and bruised but all systems go for Sunday’s tilt. The two-time Pro Bowl passer echoed Garrett’s previous claim that Dak emerged from Week 14 in “OK” shape despite the maladies.
“Just part of the game, honestly,” Prescott said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “My hands, they usually take a beating. That is the one place … I don’t know if it’s when I throw, I bring them back in and then I get hit or I’m protecting myself, whether it’s throwing a stiff arm or not. But my hands are usually what gets beat up and just got beat up a little bit more.”
Prescott should practice in full on Thursday and Friday and be taken off the final injury report when it’s released Friday. He’s in no danger of missing what amounts to a must-win versus an equally-desperate NFC foe.
“Just a couple of bruises. I’ll probably wear the same tape in the game. But that’s it, nothing serious,” he said Thursday.
Garrett Shrugs Off Question on Prescott’s Play
It wasn’t long ago that Prescott was being hailed as an NFL MVP contender, if not front-runner, by the national media. For good reason, too, as he’s in the midst of a career season, currently leading the league in passing yards (4,122) and tied for fifth in touchdown tosses (24).
However, there’s been a sharp downturn over the last three games in which Prescott’s combined for just three TDs and two interceptions. His QB rating hasn’t crept above 91 after four consecutive weeks (7-11) of logging 100-plus ratings.
It’s an obviously noticeable difference that’s beginning to cost the club in the win column. But Dallas’ issues extend far beyond Prescott, who’s angling for a record-shattering contract extension and, for the most part, justifying it. Garrett shut down a recent question which implied the former could cancel out the latter.
“I don’t want to spend too much time on what’s happened up to this point,” he said Wednesday, via The Athletic. “We haven’t played well enough in any phase of our team. We’re all gonna try to learn from those experiences and get better.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL