SEATTLE – Cowboys coach Jason Garrett did what he could to ease concerns about Tony Romo's health at halftime on Thursday night.

Romo's night ended after just three plays against the Seahawks, when he appeared to hurt his back – thought Garrett said it doesn't seem to be a serious problem.

"His back was bothering him a little bit after that play," Garrett said. "We don't think it's a serious thing, and we just felt better keeping him out."

On a 2nd-and-7 on the game's opening possession, Romo scrambled to his left out of the pocket and was dragged down from behind by Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril. The veteran quarterback appeared to land oddly on his back on the play, and he was tended to by team athletic trainers for several minutes on the field.

Romo eventually got up and walked to the sideline, where he remained – in uniform – for the rest of the half. The team classified it as a coaching decision to keep the 36-year-old signal-caller out of further action.[embeddedad0]

Considering the effect that Romo's collarbone injury had on the Cowboys' 4-12 campaign in 2015, it's easy to understand why it felt like Thursday's game came to a standstill after the injury. Fans and media alike seemed to pay far more attention to Romo's status on the sideline than anything happening on the field for the majority of the first quarter.

Dak Prescott didn't, though. On short notice, the rookie quarterback entered the fray and continued his strong start to the preseason. Prescott completed 15-of-19 passes for 106 yards in the first half, including a 17-yard touchdown strike to Jason Witten. Playing mostly against Seattle's first-team defense, he led the Cowboys on two scoring drives and moved the offense into position to tie the game, 10-10, entering halftime.

"You just keep playing," Garrett said. "Everyone goes out there and just does their job. It's something we preach, our guys understand that, and they handled it well."