Dallas Cowboys Notebook #DALvsLAR | Week 5

Rush Five

With Sunday's win -- his fourth straight successful start this season filling in for Dak Prescott (thumb) -- Cooper Rush joined more exclusive NFL company.

Rush is now the 14th quarterback in league history to win his first five career starts and the first since Kyle Allen (2018-19). Rush also became the fifth undrafted quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win each of his first five career starts, joining Kyle Allen, Mike Tomczak, Dieter Brock and Kurt Warner.

But Rush (10-of-16, 102 yards) continued to point praise toward his teammates, including the defense's latest dominant performance (holding a fifth straight opponent to a single touchdown).

"It's incredible to watch," Rush said. "They're able to do a lot because of how they communicate, how smart they are at all three levels. We see it in every day practice. It's tough. To get to see that on game day, what we kind of deal with (during the week), it's very fun."

-Rob Phillips (10/9/22)

Tank's Touchdown

DeMarcus Lawrence couldn't believe it.

After Dorance Armstrong knocked the ball loose from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford on the third play of the game, Lawrence saw a golden opportunity to give the Cowboys an early 6-0 lead. He scooped it up and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown.

"It was a surreal moment," Lawrence said. "When the ball came out and it hit my feet, I was like, 'This can't be true.'"

Touchdowns by defensive linemen might be rare, but this wasn't Lawrence's first career score. The last Cowboys defensive touchdown was Lawrence's 40-yard interception return for a touchdown against Washington last season. 

-Rob Phillips (10/9/22)

Dak's Update

There's still no firm return date yet for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, but he continues to make progress from Sept. 12 surgery to repair a fracture in his right (throwing) thumb.

"I'm day by day. There's a lot of growth right now," Prescott said after the Cowboys' 22-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. "We're uphill, things are happening fast. I'm taking it day by day."

Time will tell if Prescott could perhaps be ready to return as early as next Sunday night's showdown against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles (5-0). Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has said Prescott will need a full week of practice before returning to the lineup.

Prescott continued the rehab process this past week with the athletic training staff, keeping up his conditioning and working to regain enough strength in his hand to resume throwing the ball normally. After Sunday's game, he told reporters he can grip the ball again. Throwing consistently will be the next step.

Backup Cooper Rush has helped the Cowboys (4-1) win four straight games since Prescott's injury. Prescott is proud of, but not surprised by, the team's resiliency over the past month.

"Ultimate respect for Cooper and always have, from his rookie year being my backup to obviously last year getting to play," Prescott said. "Proud of him."

-Rob Phillips (10/9/22)