Notes: 4th-And-2 Call; Schultz Injury; Dak’s Status

Going For It

Friday, head coach Mike McCarthy indicated the Cowboys might lean toward a more conservative offensive gameplan without quarterback Dak Prescott (thumb surgery) Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The opening series was far from playing it safe. On the sixth play from scrimmage – a fourth-and-2 from their own 44-yard line – McCarthy elected to go for it.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore dialed up a pass call, and quarterback Cooper Rush delivered a 17-yard completion to wide receiver Noah Brown for a first down. Six plays later, Rush found Brown again in the end zone for a touchdown.

"Really just trusting the ebb and flow, the momentum of the game," McCarthy said. "Fourth-and-3 and less is something you go in thinking. I thought we had our pads down, I thought the first couple runs leading up to that we were getting the apex that you look for. I just had confidence in the situation, confidence in the call and obviously it was excellent execution."

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones thought McCarthy's decision was a confidence builder for the offense and team in an eventual 20-17 victory at AT&T Stadium.

"I think that did inspire. I really do," Jones said.

-Rob Phillips (9/18/22)

Balanced Attack

With quarterback Dak Prescott (thumb) inactive Sunday, it became clear early that the Cowboys planned to lean on their run game.

By halftime, the offense had match their carry total from Week 1 (18) and finished at almost a 50/50 split between the run and pass: 27 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown, 31 pass attempts by fill-in starter Cooper Rush.

The Cowboys opened the game with seven runs for 39 yards on their 12-play touchdown drive. Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for 96 yards on 21 carries.

"We were committed to the run game today (and) had the shot plays (downfield) come off of that," head coach Mike McCarthy said. "I thought (offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore did an excellent job and stayed the course with the gameplan. We didn't overreact to last week."

-Rob Phillips (9/18/22)

Schultz InjuryStarting tight end Dalton Schultz did not play on the Cowboys' final drive Sunday after appearing to injure his right knee on the previous series.

After a few moments on the field with the athletic training staff, Schultz exited the field on his own and stayed on the sideline, testing out his mobility on the knee. Although it didn't appear to be a serious injury, the Cowboys are expected to reevaluate him Monday.

Rookie Jake Ferguson filled in for Schultz on the final drive.

-Rob Phillips (9/18/22)

Turpin Time

After appearing in only two offensive plays against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, rookie KaVontae Turpin got the first touch of his career on offense – a jet sweep for three yards on the Cowboys' opening touchdown drive against the Bengals.

But just like preseason, Turpin's biggest impact was on special teams. He had two punt returns for 34 yards, including a 14-yarder to set up the Cowboys' offense at their own 35-yard line before the winning touchdown drive that ended with Brett Maher's 50-yard field goal.

"I was thinking, 'Great job by Turp getting us not backed up.' He got us out there a little bit," quarterback Cooper Rush said. "Brett's got a big leg. His range is pretty out there. You knew you just had to get a few first downs."

-Rob Phillips (9/18/22)

Dak's Timetable?

After Sunday's game, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones reiterated that the team will not rush quarterback Dak Prescott back from thumb surgery.

The Cowboys opted not to place Prescott on short-term injured reserve, which indicates there's hope he can be back sometime within four weeks (the minimum time a player must stay on in-season IR).

Jones didn't want to speculate on a firm timetable for Prescott's return but discussed one of the primary benchmarks in his recovery.

"When he has strength, which I have no idea when that will be, but it will be not an issue of being concerned about re-injuring the thumb. It will be an issue of his ability to grip the ball," Jones said. "And you know Dak. He's beat every timeline I've ever seen him look at. He's got a good chance to do it, but there's no question that we didn't put him on IR – I want to be real clear about that – we did not put him on so that he could be working during these weeks."

-Rob Phillips (9/18/22)