ARLINGTON (105.3 The Fan) - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was in a different kind of mood following his team's 20-17 walk-off win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon.
"(Opening day) was such a downer. Compounded by losing Dak [Prescott]. To come back and get our quarterback spot addressed with a performance like this, plus play a Super Bowl team, and do some good things where our strengths were: blocking, our running game, as well as defense. Yes, I feel good about this ballgame we just played," Jones said.
The Cowboys won the game behind the steady play of backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who led back-to-back touchdown-scoring drives on the first two possessions of the game. The offense was non-existent for the next several possessions before Rush put them into possession to win the game, which kicker Brett Maher did on his 50-yard field as time expired.
"Kudos to Cooper Rush. That shows me so much about him. He just kept a workman like basis (throughout the week)," Jones said. "He's gotten better. He knows this offense as well as anyone breathing, and he stepped out there and had some great execution today.
"He exceeded my expectations, Jones continued. "[There] was no reason why he couldn't. But he did exceed my expectations. I thought his passing was outstanding."
Despite the way Rush played in the win, Jones says it doesn't change the timeline for when his starting quarterback will return.
"No. We weren't going to rush Dak (Prescott) back. The nature of Dak's repair allows him to play when he can grip the ball. This game has no bearing on that at all. All it does is confirm we've got a couple good quarterbacks backing him up."
Before Sunday's game, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said on the pregame show on 105.3 The Fan that Prescott could return as soon as the team's Week 4 matchup vs. the Washington Commanders. Earlier this week, Jerry Jones said that Prescott could be back quicker than the initial estimated return timeline of six-to-eight weeks after undergoing successful surgery on Monday.
