Cowboys at Eagles: How Dak Prescott’s injury will impact the game

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was limited in practice this week due to a shoulder injury. How will this impact their game against the Eagles on Sunday?

The injuries are starting to pile up for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Already dealing with an injury to his right index finger and a sprained left wrist, Prescott suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter of last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

While he was able to play through the pain and lead the team to a much-needed 44-21 victory, the injury limited him in practice on Wednesday. ESPN reported that Prescott took part in the stretching portion, but did not do jumping jacks. He also didn’t throw a pass.

Now before we hit the panic button, not everyone in the Dallas locker room seems as concerned with the injury. Dak’s teammates repeatedly reminded the media of his toughness. Running back Ezekiel Elliott told reporters that Prescott had suffered a sprained AC joint and while he acknowledged it’s painful to play through, he seemed confident that Dak would be ready to go.

Still, though, Prescott hasn’t missed a single game or been anything less than a full participant in practice during his entire four-year career thus far. For him to be limited this week — as the Cowboys prepare for their biggest game of the season — has fans understandably worried. Is the injury more serious than we’re being let on?

Head coach Jason Garrett told reporters that Prescott underwent an MRI after last week’s game and that everything seems to be okay. However, ESPN reporter Ed Werder specifically noted that Garrett would not comment on Prescott’s availability for the game.

"“Garrett had two opportunities at minimum to say that despite the injury, that he does expect that Prescott will start the game on Sunday. He declined to say so not only in this room, but outside afterward, I asked him again and he said, ‘We just have to get him through these next few days and see where he is.'”"

For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’s missing Sunday’s game, not with the playoffs on the line. But for the Dallas Cowboys, it’s more than just Dak being able to suit up and play. They need him to be effective — at least effective enough to discourage the Eagles from stacking the box.

Against the Rams, Prescott only threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys relied heavily on their run game. Both Ezekiel Elliott and backup running back Tony Pollard rushed for over 100 yards apiece as the Cowboys cruised to a blowout win.

Even in Dallas’ previous Week 7 matchup against the Eagles, Prescott was limited to 239 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Yet they still managed to win convincingly, 37-10, by riding the back of Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 111 yards.

The Cowboys don’t need Dak Prescott to be Superman for them to have a chance on Sunday against the Eagles. They need him to be healthy enough to give the running game a chance to succeed.

If the Dallas Cowboys can establish the run game and their defense plays as well as they did last week, there’s no reason why they can’t come away from Sunday’s game as champions of the NFC East.

However, should Prescott not be able to play on Sunday, then the Cowboys will be forced to hand over the reins to backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who has attempted just three passes in three seasons. If that turns out to be the case, then it’s time to hope for another Christmas miracle.