DALLAS — Dak Prescott was going to play through his calf strain and beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football in Week 8. After all, Troy Aikman had a calf strain in 1995 and came back the next week without the aid of a bye week. Similarly, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy had to manage the calf strains of Aaron Rodgers in 2014 and 2016 as the Green Bay Packers were pushing for the playoffs.
However, as Sunday night drew closer, it became obvious Prescott wasn't going to suit up. Instead, the Cowboys were going to put their fate in the hands of career backup Cooper Rush, who would be making his first career NFL start.
Here are four takeaways from the win that improves Dallas to 6-1 on the year:
1. The run game was nonexistent for Dallas — Certainly Rush could bus-drive the Cowboys to victory. Just hand the ball off to either Ezekiel Elliott or Tony Pollard. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer made sure that wasn't going to be the case, however, and the dynamic duo averaged 3.1 and 3.7 yards per carry respectively.
Dallas didn't even crest the 100-yard mark on the ground as both backs and Rush combined for 24 carries for 78 yards. The Cowboys even tried with their new "Big Bone" formation — with guard Connor McGovern and tackle La'el Collins in the backfield along with a tailback — to generate yards, but the Vikings sold out to stop Dallas' ground game.
It makes what Rush did all the more impressive because he was more than just a game manager; he was a game mover. Rush kept the passing game alive, completing 24-of-40 for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
2. Micah Parsons showed up — The Cowboys' first-round rookie sort of disappeared against the New England Patriots in Week 6 before the bye week. However, Parsons got out of his slump and provided a game-high 11 tackles with four tackles for loss and a quarterback hit against Minnesota.
Parsons was dominant at setting the edge and not allowing the Vikings' screen game to start up or for running back Dalvin Cook to take over the game; Cook was limited to 18 carries for 78 yards. Dallas needed their young linebacker to show up, and he helped the defense hold the Vikings to a putrid 1-for-13 on third down.
3. Cedrick Wilson is the weapon — Dallas fans knew there was a fourth-year receiver entering a contract year and that he was going to ball out in 2021, but very few would have guessed it would be Wilson. The former 2018 sixth-round pick from Boise State caught three passes for 84 yards and a touchdown and also heaved a 35-yard pass to receiver CeeDee Lamb.
On the pass to Lamb, everyone knew the play design was for Wilson to throw. However, the Vikings succeeded at pressuring him. The former Memphis White Station product slid to the middle of the field and then let it fly for Lamb.
Wilson's 73-yard touchdown reception from earlier in the contest was obviously his biggest play as it helped Dallas gain momentum early in the third quarter with its first touchdown. With Wilson on his way to the end zone, there was finally the belief: Dallas could actually pull it off with their backup quarterback.
4. Dallas can really let Dak rest — If the Cowboys are truly concerned about Prescott's calf and getting through a 17-game season, Sunday night showed that they have a credible backup situation. Winning a couple of games with a backup quarterback en route to a Super Bowl is not uncommon.
The biggest example is 2017 with Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles. However, 2016 saw Tom Brady serving a four-game suspension with the New England Patriots, 2015 had the Denver Broncos benching Peyton Manning, and in 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers went with the likes of Charlie Batch and Tommy Maddox to fill in.
Those backups played multiple games, and the teams kept winning. Dallas has the same formula going with exemplary coaching on both sides of the ball in offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, along with an indissoluble bond across the roster.
What is your main takeaway from the Cowboys finding a win to extend their winning streak on Sunday night? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.