Cowboys 'Step-Up': Cooper Rush and Unlikely Heroes Shocking Bengals at Halftime

Dallas is up 17-3 at the half over a Bengals team loaded with explosive big-name talent like Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. ... with assorted Cowboys "stepping up'' in the absence of Dak Prescott.

ARLINGTON - Assorted Dallas Cowboys leaders - from owner Jerry Jones to defensive star Micah Parsons to everybody in between - spend the time leading up to the Week 2 visit using two buzz-phrase words to describe what simply must occur in the wake of the injury to QB Dak Prescott.

"Step.''

"Up.''

As of halftime of the Sunday game here at AT&T Stadium against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, assorted "lesser lights'' on the roster are proving they paid attention.

Dallas leads 17-3 at the half over a Bengals team loaded with explosive big-name talent like Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

How have the Cowboys, seven-point underdogs coming in, countered? Oh, with Parsons looking unblockable, for one thing. And with another Pro Bowler, receiver CeeDee Lamb helping out.

But chalk this half up to successful work from guys like ...

Cooper Rush.

#CooperRush engineers opening TD drive, Noah Brown scores ( Zeke runs back on field to save Brown 1sr-career-score ball) https://t.co/XpImtdZoYw #ohiostate pic.twitter.com/kd6nQqhqDm

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) September 18, 2022

Noah Brown.

Dorance Armstrong.

Tony Pollard.

Pollard finishes where he (and Rush) started … #Cowboys up 14-3 early over Bengals pic.twitter.com/DgDi69ssHY

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) September 18, 2022

Rush (13 of 18, 178 yards) started the game engineering a long TD drive capped by a first-ever score by Noah Brown (four catches, 79 yards). A pitch-and-catch from Rush to Pollard set up Pollard's 1-yard TD score. And the pressure from Parsons has been supplemented by Armstrong, who has two sacks so far.

Burrow has been sacked four times and is just 9 of 12 for 72 yards, a stunning number given his weaponry, which includes receiver Chase, who before the game suggested that Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs lacked the "technique'' to cover him. But Chase has just three catches for 35 yards, and Mixon has five carries for five yards.

One team's stars are not "stepping up.'' The other team''s non-stars are "stepping up.'' And that's the difference in the 17-3 score.

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