4 surprising stars who helped Cowboys upset the Bengals in Week 2
2. Cooper Rush, QB
We know Cooper Rush had the victory against Minnesota last year, but it was hard to have full faith in the backup after his rocky preseason performances for Dallas. But, the calm, cool, and collected man proved us wrong on Sunday.
The first drive of the game was some of the most efficient and effective offense we have seen from the Cowboys in a long time. In just his second NFL start, Rush now has two game-winning drives.
The first half was excellent for the backup. Rush led the team to two touchdowns on the first two possessions, a feat they haven’t completed since 2019. At the half, Rush was 12-for-18 with 162 yards and a passing touchdown.
Good stat from ESPN Stats & Info: Cooper Rush had 116 passing yards in the first quarter. Dak Prescott had 134 yards vs. Tampa Bay in three-plus quarters before the thumb injury.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 18, 2022
The second half wasn’t as pretty for No. 10. You can blame that on some questionable throws that almost got intercepted or you can blame it on Kellen Moore not adapting his game plan in the second half. Moving forward, Rush will need to play with the same carefulness and preciseness that he did in the first half.
However, when it mattered most, the 28-year-old was there to make it happen. With a tie game, the QB put together a six-play, 33-yard drive to set up Maher for the game-winning kick. This was an excellent outing for Rush.
The quarterback went against Burrow, who is known for his clutch moments, and outplayed him to get a victory. That’s a huge win.