Cooper Rush makes Cowboys history by beating Commanders for fourth win

Three weeks ago, most Dallas Cowboys fans were petrified that this team was doomed after Dak Prescott went down with a hand injury in Week 1. No one had faith in backup Cooper Rush after his dismal preseason performance, but Jerry Jones was not interested in looking externally.

Now, the man who literally wasn’t even on the initial 53-man roster when the season first started, has made Cowboys history as a starting quarterback in Prescott’s place.

With the victory on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, Cooper Rush is the first Dallas quarterback to ever go 4-0 in his first four starts. This is his third win in a row this season, which has been added to his impressive victory against the Minnesota Vikings from last season.

Rush entered this league as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan in 2017 and has had a long ride with the Cowboys ever since. He’s been in and out of the organization for the last five years and has clearly used his knowledge of this team and its roster to his advantage.

Last week’s victory against the New York Giants made Rush the first undrafted QB to win his first three NFL starts and throw for 750+ yards since Kurt Warner did so in 1999.

The Week 3 victory also made him one of three Cowboys quarterbacks to go 3-0 as a starter (Roger Staubach, Steve Beuerlein, and Jason Garrett).

Now, he surpasses all three of those names to be etched in franchise history. Talk about a Cinderella story.

Cooper Rush makes Dallas Cowboys history as the first starting QB to ever go 4-0 in his first four starts

The Cowboys offense didn’t start strongly on Sunday. In fact, Brett Maher was the only person to put points on the board until less than two minutes to go in the first half. However, Rush was there to make plays happen and get the victory.

The backup QB ended Week 4 with 223 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a 107.5 passer rating.

What feels most impressive about the 28-year-old (and also proves his familiarity with this team) is that he’s found success with several of his teammates. He’s completed passes to CeeDee Lamb, Noah Brown, Tony Pollard, Peyton Hendershot, Ezekiel Elliott, Jake Ferguson, Dalton Schultz, Jalen Tolbert, Simi Fehoko, and Michael Gallup.

Sunday’s highlights included a big 45-yard pass to Noah Brown, a beautifully executed touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb, and making Michael Gallup a big part of the game in his first game back since his ACL tear.

Rush has been more than any of us expected (except maybe Skip Bayless). It’s unlikely he will get to stay a low-paid backup in the near future. It may be worth the front office discussing keeping Rush around. Clearly, this position is far more important than this team ever expected it to be. Could the Joneses open their wallets to keep him around?

Should Cooper Rush continue to start when Dak Prescott is ready to play?

Cooper Rush has been a stellar backup QB for the Cowboys. But should he continue to start when QB1 Dak Prescott is ready to return from injury?