It appears the Cowboys lead a charmed life when it comes to their quarterbacks.
One one hand, they have Dak Prescott, whom most people would agree is clearly the top signal-caller on the roster. On the other, they have backup Cooper Rush, who has led the Cowboys to a 4-0 record in place of the injured Prescott. Including a winning start last season, Rush is just the 14th quarterback in NFL history to begin his career 5-0 as a starter.
Hence, Dallas owner/general manager Jerry Jones', ahem, questionable, assertion that he would gladly welcome a "QB controversy" in Dallas.
"Of course, I would. Of course. That means we'd have won," Jones said. "If he comes in there and plays as well as Prescott played, Rush? Played that well over these next games ahead? I'd walk to New York to get that."
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Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy rejected Jones' notion, saying that Prescott — who is still rehabbing from a thumb fracture above the joint on his throwing hand — is the team's quarterback.
That hasn't stopped Jones from lauding Rush's play, however. He doubled down, saying Rush "has the makings of a top quarterback."
While Rush's record is undeniable, his stats in those games don't exactly paint a picture of a future franchise quarterback. The Sporting News looks at both quarterbacks' numbers to settle the so-called "QB controversy."
Cooper Rush vs. Dak Prescott by the numbers
Cooper Rush
First, let's look at Rush's stats in his five games this year replacing Prescott, including Dallas' season-opening win vs. the Buccaneers:
| Comp-Att (Pct) | Yards | TD-INTs | YPA | Adjusted YPA | Rating |
| 72-118 (61.0) | 839 | 4-0 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 95.9 |
Those stats make up the vast majority of Rush's career stats, which include 15 games played, five games started, 1,263 passing yards and seven touchdowns to one interception. But let's focus on this year's stats and where Rush's passing marks place him in relation to the rest of the league:
- Completions: 27th
- Attempts: 26th
- Yards: 29th
- Touchdowns: T-23rd
- Yards per attempt: 17th
- Adjusted yards per attempt: 8th
- QB rating: 12th
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While there are two notable outliers (quarterback rating and yards per attempt), Rush's rankings paint a fairly undeniable picture: He is managing games, limiting mistakes and keeping his team in a position to win. The Cowboys' biggest margin of victory this season is 15 points against the Commanders — a team with quarterback issues of their own.
Consider also Dallas' ranks in receiving five games into the season: 28th in catches (86), 27th in yards (973) and yards per game (194.6), and tied for 24th in touchdown catches (four).
The most points Dallas has scored all season also came against Washington, with 25. That is no knock on Rush, who done his job beyond all expectations to keep Dallas afloat without Prescott, and in less than ideal circumstances.
But to suggest that he could retain the job once Prescott returns is stretching his ability to lead a team throughout the season. The results are more indicative of a team relying on low-risk quarterback play, the running game and perhaps the NFL's top defense to win games.
MORE: Prescott says he's 'day to day' ahead of potential Week 6 return vs. Eagles
Dak Prescott
For the sake of argument, we'll look at Prescott's 16-game 2021 season. This was his first full season after an ankle injury kept him out for the majority of the 2020 season:
| Comp-Att (Pct.) | Yards | TD-INTs | YPA | Adjusted YPA | Rating |
| 410-596 (68.8) | 4,449 | 37-10 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 104.2 |
Prescott averaged, per game, 26 completions in 37 attempts, 278 yards, 2.3 touchdowns and 0.63 interceptions per game, all of which well outpace Rush's 2022 averages.
Prescott even compares favorably to his backup when looking at just his first five games from last season: 122 completions in 165 attempts (73.9 percent) for 1,368 yards and 13 touchdowns to three interceptions.
What does that mean? Only that Prescott has shown better throwing ability than Rush, which is to be expected. When Prescott returns to start for the Cowboys — whenever that may be — it stands to reason that the offense will open up considerably.
