3 biggest concerns heading into the Cowboys vs Lions game
2. Dak Prescott’s Slow Start
After all of the talk about how well Cooper Rush played while Prescott was recovering from his fractured thumb, the time for Prescott to show why he is the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback is upon him.
He’s been handed an easy opportunity to silence his doubters when he takes on the worst defense in the NFL on Sunday.
But there is a caveat here, and that’s how much rust Prescott will have to knock off before he returns to form.
Last year, NFL fans saw a similar situation where Russell Wilson was coming back from a hand injury and, upon his return, his play wasn’t at the heights Wilson has played at in the past.
Mike McCarthy on @1053thefan on Dak Prescott: “Yesterday was his first padded practice. Frankly, it was more about the team periods, being around the action in the pocket. … He’s throwing the ball just fine.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 21, 2022
“You may work as much as Dak, but no one works more than he does.“
This has to make you wonder if this injury to Prescott’s throwing hand is going to have the same effect as it did on Wilson last season.
Is he going to be able to hold onto the football if he’s going down to the ground or getting hit as he throws? We’ve heard all of the positive spin from Prescott, his teammates, and the coaching staff on Prescott’s arm strength and hand. That’s great. But until we are able to see him in terms of his timing with receivers and ball placement, we aren’t going to know. Prescott has always been the leader of this football team when it comes to the offense, and you know he’s going to do whatever he can to help this Dallas team win games, but we still need to see if he’s going to be up for the task.
He’s been throwing to his receivers and had a full week of practice, but in those situations, he’s being protected. On Sunday, the speed of the game will change, and while the Lions aren’t sporting a top-10 defense, they still have NFL players opposite Prescott and they know he’s coming back from a hand injury. They are going to do whatever they can to test that hand.