Cowboys Week 2 studs and duds: Cooper Rush remains undefeated

The Dallas Cowboys’ hopes were at an all-time low following their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. Not only did they get defeated in every phase of the game, but they lost Dak Prescott for roughly two months.

Those hopes shot back up as soon as they took the field against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 as they were attacking from the start. An opening-drive touchdown set the tone, and America’s Team ended up winning 20-17 on a last-second Brett Maher kick.

Here, we look at who stood out in the surprising win.

Cowboys Week 2 studs and duds in win vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Stud: Noah Brown, WR

Much has been asked of Noah Brown thus far and he’s been up to the task. Against the Bengals, he started out hot, making a clutch 17-yard reception on fourth-and-two. The ball was slightly behind him but Brown adjusted and made the play to extend the drive.

He was then repaid for his work as Cooper Rush found him again later in the drive, this time for a touchdown. The nine-yard score was the first of his career and set him up for a day to remember. He kept delivering throughout the game, hauling in five receptions for 91 yards, including a huge 12-yarder on the final drive, helping to set up the winning kick.

Dud: Kellen Moore, Offensive Coordinator

Kellen Moore was much better in Week 2 than he was in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean he was without fault. After taking a 17-3 lead into the half due to the offense taking chances downfield, Moore got conservative with his play calling.

He also made the win harder than it needed to be. After Rush hit CeeDee Lamb for a 24-yard gain late in the fourth, he called an ill-advised pitch to Ezekiel Elliott that lost them four yards. Again, he was better than their last game but there are still some areas to clean up. For starters, he needs to make better adjustments at halftime.

Stud: Micah Parsons, LB

Micah Parsons continues to cause problems for opposing defenses.

In their loss to Tampa Bay, he twice sacked Tom Brady on third-down to end a drive and force the Bucs to settle for three instead of a touchdown. It wasn’t third down but he killed a promising drive again on Cincy’s first possession.

With the Bengals moving down the field, he sacked Burrow at the Dallas 28, setting up a third-and-14. It proved to be too much to overcome and they settled for a field goal to make it 7-3. Once Dallas was up 14-3, the linebacker got the offense the ball back once again as he came in unblocked and ruined Burrow’s throw on third-and-short to force a second punt.

Throughout the game, Parsons was in the backfield and finished with two more sacks — giving him four on the season. He continues to set the tone and is going to be on the shortlist for Defensive Player of the Year if this keeps up.

Dud: Anthony Barr, LB

After DeMarcus Lawrence single-handily stopped the Bengals’ opening drive, Anthony Barr made a play to keep it going for the road team. Burrow was tackled five yards shy of the first down by Lawrence on a third-and-eight, but Barr came in and delivered a late hit, which gave Cincinnati 15 yards and a new set of downs.

Barr finished with six tackles, one of which went for a loss, so he redeemed himself, but this was a play to forget.

Stud: Cooper Rush, QB

During the preseason, Will Grier was making a push for the No. 2 job behind Dak Prescott, but in the end, Dallas stuck with the guy they trusted. They knew that if Prescott went down, Rush would be able to keep the offense moving, and that’s what happened on Sunday.

In just his second career start, Rush came out firing, leading Dallas to an opening-drive touchdown. They kept attacking from there, heading to the half with a 17-3 lead.

The play-calling was less aggressive in the second half but once Cincinnati tied it, Rush went back to work and set up a game-winning field goal. He finished 19-of-31 for 235 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

He’s not flashy but he doesn’t get rattled — ever —  and just does his job. With that approach leading the way, Rush is now 2-0 as the starter for Dallas in his career.

Dud: Dalton Schultz, TE

With so many wideouts missing, Dallas needed Dalton Schultz to step up. He did that in the first game of the season but not as much against the Bengals.

Schultz had just two receptions for 18 yards and lost a fumble on his final catch. The defense forced a punt after that, so no points were scored by Cincy, but the fumble came at the Bengals’ 26, so it likely took points away from their own offense.

Stud: Brett Maher, K

When Jonathan Garibay made it obvious he wasn’t the answer, Dallas brought back a familiar face as they signed Brett Maher to be their kicker. Maher was with Dallas in 2018 and 2019 — right after they released Dan Bailey.

In those two seasons, he struggled as he missed 17 field goals and one extra point. Dallas moved on and brought in Greg Zuerlein. He was out of the league in 2020 but Maher joined the Saints last season when Will Lutz was hurt and made 16-of-18 kicks.

That gave the Cowboys hope that he turned a corner, and so far, it seems he has. He’s made all three kicks so far this season and all have been from 50-yards or farther. The latest was exactly from 50, and it was the one that sent Cincinnati home with a loss.

Maher seems to have found redemption with Dallas and if he keeps this up, he could be around much longer than anticipated when he re-joined the franchise.

Stud: Dorance Armstrong, DE

After losing Randy Gregory to the Broncos, Dallas re-signed Dorance Armstrong to a two-year deal. Armstrong was coming off his best season as a pro, recording 37 tackles and five sacks in 2021.

This year, he was quiet against Tampa Bay but took advantage of the struggling Bengals’ line in Week 2. Armstrong finished with four tackles and two sacks, helping the Cowboys take Burrow down six times behind the line of scrimmage.

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