The Cowboys are aiming to do something that the franchise has not done since Troy Aikman was the star in Dallas — get to the NFC championship game.
After notching the franchise's first playoff win since 2018, the Cowboys have a date with the 49ers in Santa Clara on Sunday to determine who will face the Eagles in the conference final.
Dak Prescott is coming off not just his top performance of this season but also one of his best games in the NFL. He threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns, while not turning the ball over once, in the victory over the Buccaneers.
While Prescott has been the starting quarterback in Dallas since he arrived in 2016, the Cowboys would not be where they are this season if not for the play of his backup, Cooper Rush.
Rush kept the Cowboys afloat when Prescott went down early in the season, leading four of the team's 12 wins in the regular season. Barring another Prescott injury, it's likely we won't see Rush the rest of the season, but again, he has been instrumental in Dallas' success.
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Who is the Cowboys' backup quarterback?
Cooper Rush is the Cowboys' backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott.
The 29-year-old Rush is in his fifth season with the Dallas organization. After not seeing much action his first four years, Rush was called upon to be the guy last September when Prescott went down with an injury in Week 1.
Rush kept the Cowboys afloat during Prescott's absence. He went 4-1 in five starts, picking up NFC East wins over the Giants and Commanders as well as victories over the Bengals and Rams. His lone loss came to the Eagles in Week 6.
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Over those five starts, the Central Michigan product threw for 956 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He completed over 60 percent of his passes in three of the four contests and ended with an 81.9 passer rating during that time.
When Prescott came back in Week 7, Rush resumed his role as the backup. He made brief appearances during the Cowboys' blowouts of the Vikings and Commanders in Weeks 11 and 13, respectively, and also saw action in the regular-season finale.
In all, Rush threw for 1,095 yards, completed 58 percent of his passes and averaged 6.5 yards per attempt this season.
Cowboys QB depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Dak Prescott |
| 2 | Cooper Rush |
| 3 | Will Grier |
The depth chart heading into the divisional round is the same as it has been when all three QBs are healthy.
Rush served as Prescott's backup for the wild-card game against the Bucs, with Grier inactive. The same is expected for the divisional round matchup with the 49ers.
