FRISCO, Texas — Somebody call Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker because "Rush Hour" is coming to AT&T Stadium.
(I had to, I'm sorry. Actually, I'm not sorry. Kids these days will never appreciate the Rush Hour movie series like their Gen X or millennial parents. We must preserve and honor its legacy through stupid puns in columns about football.)
Cooper Rush is now the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, after QB1 Dak Prescott fractured his right thumb during Sunday night's season opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Prescott had surgery on Monday afternoon and is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks.
The almost two-month stretch includes road games against the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams and division rival Philadelphia Eagles, as well as a home showdown this Sunday against the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
“First and foremost, we’ve got to get Coop ready," said Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. "That’s the priority.”
Prescott did not miss one game over the first four years of his career. Over the last three years, he has missed at least one regular season game in each of them.
The one game Prescott missed in 2021, due to a calf injury: the Cowboys won. Dallas went into Minnesota and defeated the Vikings, 20-16.
Cooper Rush led them to victory.
The backup quarterback completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 325 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked three times.
Trailing 16-13 in the 4th quarter, Rush hit receiver Amari Cooper for the go-ahead 5-yard touchdown with 51 seconds left.
With the Cowboys running game largely terrible against the Vikings (24 carries, 78 yards, 3.3 yards per carry), Rush supported both Cooper (8 catches, 122 yards) and wideout CeeDee Lamb (6 catches, 112 yards) to 100-plus yards receiving.
The Cowboys defense, which was a sacking and turnover-forcing machine in 2021, accounted for just one sack and no takeaways.
The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 0-2 and racked up 11 penalties for 96 yards.
Yet, they won. And Rush deserves a ton of credit for that victory.
The 28-year-old's knowledge of the offense and the schematics are critical to quickly assimilating into the starting role, which Rush is expected to hold until Prescott returns.
“Cooper knows our system inside-out," said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday. "He gives us the ability to keep going."
Keep on keepin' on.