Cowboys lose to the Eagles as Cooper Rush struggles, but hope is on the horizon

By David HelmanFOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Writer

If Cooper Rush has been writing a fairy tale this past month, he ran into a green ogre on Sunday night. 

This was the reality many were afraid of when Rush replaced Dak Prescott in the starting lineup a month ago. Credit Dallas’ backup quarterback for steering this team to four-straight wins, but this 26-17 loss in Philadelphia was a harsh dose of reality.

“We’ve got to be cleaner,” said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. “We have some young guys, and we’re still growing in some areas on offense. We knew that coming in here.”

Right from the jump, the Eagles were able to exploit that offensive inexperience in a way that other teams haven’t been able to. All of the Cowboys’ first five possessions spanned fewer than 20 yards. Two of those ended in punts, two more ended in interceptions.

By the end of an abysmal first half, which saw Philadelphia go to the locker room up 20-3, Rush’s quarterback rating of 1.0 was tied for the worst in the NFL over the last seven seasons. It’s good timing, then, that the Cowboys’ plan — or Dak Prescott’s, anyway — is for the franchise quarterback to end his absence next week against Detroit. Asked about it by reporters after this game, Prescott said as much. “Yeah, for sure, that’s my plan,” he said about starting against the Lions.

None of this is meant to dogpile on Rush, who should be commended for helping the Cowboys to a four-game winning streak after Prescott’s injury in the season opener. He even rebounded in the second half to guide the Cowboys on two touchdown drives, going 8-of-10 for 96 yards and a touchdown on those two possessions.

What happened next clearly spelled out the story of this game, though. The Eagles, having watched their 20-3 lead slip to 20-17 since halftime, took the field with 14:32 remaining in the fourth quarter and went to work. While taking almost eight minutes off the clock, they ran 13 plays — the first 11 of them runs — and broke the Cowboys’ will.

It wasn’t Jalen Hurts’ finest night as a passer, but it didn’t need to be. Hurts picked up two crucial first downs with his feet on the drive, and he capped things off with a 22-yard catch and run to A.J. Brown, followed by a short pass to a wide-open DeVonta Smith in the end zone.

The Cowboys’ answer was a four-play possession, rudely cut short when Rush was hit by Brandon Graham on a deep attempt, creating a wobbling underthrow that was picked off by Chauncey Gardner-Johnson — his third pick of the night and the end of the competitive portion of the game.

By the end of the night, the Eagles were credited with 12 pass breakups in addition to the three interceptions. “I’ve been in a lot of great secondaries. This is one of them, for sure,” said Eagles cornerback Darius Slay. “We’ve got guys who really can get their hand on the football. We’ll continue to keep trying to thrive in it, because obviously turnovers were the difference today.”

It’s a contrast from the beginning of the win streak, when Rush piloted the Cowboys 33 yards to a walk-off field goal against Cincinnati. And it wasn’t even a matter of lacking balance, as Dallas actually rushed for 134 yards behind a workhorse effort from Ezekiel Elliott.

There’s also the fact that the Cowboys’ defense, while solid, wasn’t quite the nightmare unit of the past three weeks. True, they did sack Hurts four times, and they only allowed the Eagles’ impressive run game to average 3.5 yards per carry. But they didn’t manage a takeaway after forcing seven in the last three games, and Philadelphia always managed to have an answer in crunch time, converting 43% of their third downs and additional fourth down.

Ultimately, it’s not enough — particularly on a night when the Cowboys were minus-three in turnover differential, not to mention sloppy with an ugly 10 penalties on the night.

“I don’t feel like we should hang our heads on a game like this, knowing that we played tough,” said DeMarcus Lawrence.

Having thoroughly dissected Rush’s struggles on the night, it’s only fair to wrap things up with some obvious praise. The Cowboys have now reached the point of the season where Prescott’s return is closer to reality than speculation. Even if he doesn’t wind up playing against Detroit, the day is drawing near.

How many people, including those inside the organization, truly believed this would be the reality Prescott came back to? A 4-2 record, including a 2-1 mark within the NFC East? The number can’t be very high, and Rush deserves plenty of credit for keeping the season on track. It’s just that facing one of the most complete teams in the league has a way of highlighting your deficiencies — particularly at a position as important as quarterback. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they just might be getting theirs back.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.

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