The Cowboys season has been as up and down as seasons come so far — and it was very much "down" in Week 6.
Despite winning its last two games, Dallas didn't have many convinced it was the real deal. They were proved correct on Sunday when the Cowboys were demolished by the Lions 47-9 at home, amplifying calls for head coach Mike McCarthy's firing as well as other personnel changes.
The 38-point thumping at AT&T Stadium was by far the team's worst loss of the season. Only able to put three field goals on the board through 60 minutes, even quarterback Dak Prescott was nowhere close to being on his game Sunday.
Here's everything to know about whether the Cowboys benched Prescott, explaining why Dallas pulled its star quarterback in the fourth quarter of the team's blowout loss versus Detroit.
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Did Cowboys bench Dak Prescott vs. Lions?
After the quarterback threw his second interception of the game in the third quarter, resulting in yet another Lions touchdown, it wasn't long before Prescott headed to the sidelines to watch the rest of the game. In went backup Cooper Rush along with the rest of Dallas' second-team offense.
So, while Prescott was pulled from the game, there is no fear of him being "benched" the next time the Cowboys take the field in Week 8. He was simply pulled early from this game because the Cowboys had no chance of a comeback and did not want to risk an injury for their highly paid QB.
Prescott was anemic from the start vs. Detroit. He threw 17 completions on 33 attempts for 178 yards before exiting, taking four sacks and one carry for one yard. This is all in addition to his two picks, both of which led to scoring drives for Detroit.
The quarterback's second interception was likely the trigger for McCarthy to pull him. Down 31, Prescott attempted to find Jalen Tolbert deep up the middle, but his pass floated over the receiver's head. There to make the catch was Lions defensive back Brian Burns, who returned it all the way inside the 5-yard line.
That's ✌️ for Brian Branch!#DETvsDAL | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/GWVyRiHYDg
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 13, 2024
Detroit would score quickly from there on a short pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to extend the lead to 38. With a 42.2 rating, Prescott had his worst game of the season after a win over Pittsburgh in which he threw for just over 350 yards and two touchdowns.
The lack of consistency on both sides of the ball is causing problems for McCarthy & Co., and Prescott is no exception. Though the team is .500, two of its three wins have been by one score, and two of its losses have been blowouts.
