The Cowboys will soon have to decide whether Dak Prescott will play Sunday night. Two days before they take on Minnesota, they don't seem any closer to knowing what that decision will be.
Coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott was "sore" when he arrived at the team facility Friday morning. That wasn't a surprise after the Pro Bowl quarterback ramped up his activity in Thursday's practice. He was limited again in the Cowboys' final practice of the week and officially listed as questionable versus the Vikings.
Prescott's disposition, however, hasn't changed.
"He's confident," McCarthy said. "He doesn't waver. He wants to play, and he wants to continue to work toward that."
Prescott noted Thursday that the decision isn't solely his and he doesn't want the injury to linger beyond Week 8. It's already limited him for nearly two weeks, though it has yet to cost him a game because of Dallas' Week 7 bye.
The Cowboys (5-1) head into this weekend as one of five NFC teams with just one loss. No player is more responsible for that record than Prescott, who of course is coming off a gruesome ankle injury that cost him most of 2020. Prescott recently theorized that his current injury is related to his previous one. Thus, McCarthy reiterated the team's big-picture outlook with the situation.
"It's more than just one game," he said. "We're obviously in our seventh game, so there is a ton of football left to play."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Prescott might be a game-day decision. For what it's worth, he expressed optimism that his star QB ultimately plays Sunday.
"I would say things are looking good right now about Dak," Jones said.
If Prescott isn't available, Cooper Rush is in line to make his first NFL start. The fifth-year QB has just three career pass attempts, all from 2017, but he's received the bulk of the first-team reps this week and has been working in Dallas' system his entire career.
"He'll be ready to go," McCarthy said. "If he's up, he'll be ready to go. We've still got some time."
