The Cowboys offense stumbled throughout itself for nearly the whole thing of Sunday evening’s opener in opposition to the Buccaneers, even with Dak Prescott at quarterback. However not even Prescott may survive the night working alongside substitute blockers and receivers, exiting Dallas’ 19-3 loss with about six minutes left after taking a number of hits to his throwing hand. Not solely did Prescott not return, with backup Cooper Rush ending the sport beneath heart, however he will not be accessible for extra video games. Crew proprietor Jerry Jones instructed reporters afterward that Prescott would require surgical procedure for a hand fracture and miss a number of weeks.
The QB’s handcrafted contact with Bucs defenders on a number of performs within the second half, together with on a follow-through that hit cross rusher Shaq Barrett. He was evaluated by staff doctor Dan Cooper, per ProFootballTalk, earlier than leaving for the coaching room, the place he underwent X-rays. Formally, per Jerry Jones, the damage occurred above the thumb and behind the joint of Prescott’s throwing hand.
“I assumed it was a jammed finger,” Prescott instructed reporters after the sport, “however I could not grip the ball. … I used to be instructed it was (a) a lot cleaner (break) than it may’ve been. … Clearly it isn’t what you wanna hear. It isn’t the worst factor that is occurred to me. It is simply one other bump within the highway, and I’ll hold shifting ahead. … Let’s not panic. It is one sport.”
Prescott got here into Sunday’s Week 1 matchup contemporary off the damage report after hurting his ankle earlier within the week, and his late-game departure got here a yr after his famous return from each ankle and shoulder accidents forward of the 2021 season. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy talked early this offseason about using Prescott’s legs extra in 2022, with the QB lastly wholesome, nevertheless it seems the Professional Bowler wasn’t even in a position to set up a passing rhythm in opposition to Tampa Bay. Behind a makeshift line that includes rookie Tyler Smith at left deal with, he was sacked twice, hit loads extra and completed simply 14 of 29 throwing earlier than his exit.