Only two games into his NFL career, Dak Prescott really does look like the real deal.
The rookie quarterback, playing in place of the injured Tony Romo, played with remarkable poise Sunday against the Redskins, leading an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that chewed up the clock late in the game and doomed the Redskins. The Cowboys' 27-23 win moves them to 1-1, while the Redskins fall to 0-2.
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And the other rookie in the Cowboys young backfield looked solid, too. Ezekiel Elliott rushed 21 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. That TD made Elliott the first Cowboys rookie running back with touchdown runs in his first two career games, no small feat for a franchise that has featured rookie backs such as Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.
But as the No. 4 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, Elliott was supposed to be an instant star. Prescott, the Cowboys fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State, was supposed to come in and learn the offense while Romo ran the show. Romo's back injury in the preseason thrust Prescott into the starting role, and through his first two games, he's delivered.
Prescott completed 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards, with no interceptions. And he played in control, showing deft escapability from the rush while keeping his eyes downfield. And when he eventually had to run, he did, scoring on a 6-yard TD scramble in the third quarter.
Prescott looked great on that last drive. With just under 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Cowboys got the ball on their 20 trailing 23-20. Prescott calmly completed 5 of 6 passes on the drive for 56 yards. The key play: A 12-yard pass to Cole Beasley on third-and-long to pick up the first down.
Prescott also showed more of an effort to target Dez Bryant this week. After getting only five targets in Week 1, Bryant caught seven passes for 102 yards.
The Cowboys are expecting Romo to return from his back injury later this season. If Prescott keeps playing this well, the Cowboys will be hard-pressed to bench him.