Cowboys must bench Cooper Rush for Trey Lance after horrid turnover vs. Panthers

The Dallas Cowboys were in cruise control in the first half against the Carolina Panthers. CeeDee Lamb has been unstoppable as per, Rico Dowdle is putting together yet another strong performance on the ground and the defense has forced two turnovers.

All of that led to the Cowboys having a 10-0 advantage on the scoreboard. They were poised to add to that lead after driving into the red zone. Then, the bad Cooper Rush showed up.

On what seemed like a zone read (?), Rush fumbled after faking a handoff to Dowdle. The Panthers recovered and Bryce Young fired an 83-yard touchdown to tight end Jalen Coker on the ensuing play to make the score 10-7 before halftime.

The Cowboys tried a 70-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but it wasn't close. Rush's turnover was a potential 14-point swing and the Panthers get the ball out of halftime. If there was ever a time for Dallas to take the training wheels off with Trey Lance, it's now.

Cowboys must bench Cooper Rush for Trey Lance after horrid turnover vs. Panthers.

Whether it be an exchange or otherwise, that marks Rush's fourth fumbled snap in six starts. Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official website asked Mike McCarthy about the issue a few weeks ago and the head coach was understandably despondent.

That it is still an issue proves Rush must be benched.

The Trey Lance discourse was laid to rest for weeks as Rush's performance improved ever-so slightly and Dallas won back-to-back games. It should absolutely make waves again after Rush's costly turnover.

It is beyond clear that the Cowboys don't think Lance is good enough to lead them to wins. That's the only explanation for Rush continuing to start. But what does Dallas have to lose at this point? Their pride? They're all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention

Rush can't complete passes to anyone but CeeDee Lamb and he is essentially a statue in the pocket. On the first drive of the game, Rush took an awful 15-yard sack on third down. He saw the Panthers defender coming the entire way and just went down.

The 31-year-old was almost intercepted before halftime. He looked Brandin Cooks' way on a crossing route, but the pass was luckily batted at the line of scrimmage. FOX color analyst Greg Olsen noted that Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn had already jumped the route as Rush released the ball.

Four dropped snaps in six starts is absolutely worthy of being benched. The latest could cost Dallas this game, but we're told that Rush gives them the best chance to win. That doesn't seem to be the case.

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