Dak Prescott's return from the thumb injury that knocked the Dallas starting quarterback out for five weeks wasn't an offensive explosion. Still, the Cowboys signal-caller passed the first test in a 24-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.
"It felt great," Prescott said of his thumb, via the team's official website. "I felt comfortable with everything. The thumb didn't bother me. It wasn't a thought in my head. I felt like -- after a few throws -- I was back into it."
Prescott's first throw was a tad high on a rollout that Noah Brown couldn't corral. There were a few passes like that off the mark, but Dak also threaded the needle several times, including a nice ball to Dalton Schultz and a dime to CeeDee Lamb for a chunk gain.
Prescott finished with 207 yards on 19-of-25 passing with a late touchdown to add icing to his return. The Cowboys didn't need the QB to throw the pigskin all over the park. The defense was once again dominant, and the run game churned out yards in the second half.
Perhaps we could have hoped for a few more explosive plays against a Lions defense that entered the week as the worst in the NFL by far, but the Cowboys will take having their starter back on the field and getting his feet wet in a win.
"A win's a win," Prescott said. "I really don't care how it gets done, a win's a win. I thought it was going to be pretty cool to leave this game without a touchdown, honestly. That's kind of where my head is right now. I know how talented this team is. I know what we can be. It's not about me. It's about all of us, and I'm just trying to make sure I play my part and make sure I put this team in the right situation each and every play."
Prescott made some stellar throws, completing 4 of 7 attempts on tight-window throws (less than one yard of separation), per Next Gen Stats, the most in a game for the Cowboys this season. That's the difference Dak can make for the Dallas offense: Finding plays when receivers don't obviously win.
"I thought Dak performed better as the game went on," coach Mike McCarthy said. "It's his first time he's been out there in quite some time. Start with the command of the huddle, the whole operation, I thought he was really on point there. He handled the adjustments that were going during the course of the game. Those are the big things that don't show up in the stat column."
