There's a Chance the Cowboys Sit Dak Prescott Against the Vikings as a Precaution
Every indication leading up to this Sunday's huge Vikings-Cowboys game has been that star Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott will be good to go after straining his calf on the final play against the Patriots two weeks ago.
But as the game gets closer and closer, it seems like there might be a chance Prescott could be held out by the Cowboys for precautionary reasons. At 5-1, this isn't a must-win game for them. With so much season left and a roster genuinely capable of winning the Super Bowl if key players are healthy, they might not want to risk Prescott aggravating the calf by playing on it before he's at 100 percent.
On Thursday, Prescott was officially listed as limited in practice for a second consecutive day. He pushed things with his calf, emerged unscathed, and said that if this was a playoff game, he'd definitely be out there. "No question, 100 percent."
But it's not. It's Week 8 of 18. And because of how important Prescott is to the Cowboys, whether or not he plays isn't going to entirely be up to him. The coaches and medical staff will be involved in the decision as well.
“It’s not fully my decision because there is a bigger picture," Prescott said, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. "It’s more than just one game. I don’t want this to linger past this week."
Prescott will presumably be listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report. We should find out sometime on Saturday whether he's going to play or not, although it could be a game-time decision on Sunday morning.
Update: does Vegas know something we don't?
Second update: Prescott was indeed listed as questionable. We'll find out his status at some point this weekend.
If Prescott can't play, it would take some of the shine off of what projects as a highly entertaining primetime contest. But the Vikings wouldn't mind at all. At 3-3, they could really use a win on Sunday night, especially with three more difficult games coming up next. Prescott threw for 397 yards and three touchdowns when he last faced Minnesota in 2019, a game the Vikings won 28-24. He was injured for last year's game at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Cowboys pulled off a 31-28 win against Minnesota's awful defense with Andy Dalton under center.
The dropoff from Prescott to current Cowboys backup Cooper Rush is massive. Rush is a former undrafted free agent who has never made an NFL start and has only thrown three regular season passes in his career — and that was back in 2017.
Yes, the Vikings have weirdly struggled against backup quarterbacks in recent years. And yes, the Cowboys still have plenty of talent to make the game close if Prescott is out, especially considering that the Vikings barely eked out wins against the Lions and Panthers in their last two games before the bye week.
That doesn't change the fact that they'd have a much better chance to win the game if Prescott doesn't play. It would be a huge break in their favor if the Cowboys decide to exercise caution and hold him out.
Minnesota is preparing as if Prescott will play, but this is a situation to monitor closely heading into the weekend.
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