By Chaz Wright
Edited and Published by Branson Nash
Although the Cowboys secured a win Sunday against the Giants, it came at a great cost when star quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. The injury ended his season abruptly and will sideline him for 4-6 months.
Prescott was off to a hot start to the season putting up 1,856 yards to go along with nine passing and three rushing touchdowns. At that pace, Prescott would have reached almost 6,000 yards passing with 29 TD’s by the end of the season.
Many Cowboy fans may be ready to throw in the towel and call the season over now with Prescott down, but the team may still be in a perfect position to have a winning record and win a title in a division that has struggled this season.
Help Is On Its Way
In the offseason, the Cowboys signed former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to a one-year $3 million deal to backup Prescott.
With Dalton being in Cincinnati, fans may look at his record and not be impressed. However, his stats, and what he did during his time in Ohio, should provide some optimism.
Of the nine years Dalton was with the Bengals, he led the team to 50 wins and five playoff berths. Dalton finished with 31,705 yards and 204 TD’s during his time in Cincinnati to go along with three Pro Bowl appearances.
The Cowboys have had backup quarterback problems in the past with Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel, and Kyle Orton, so Dalton may be the best, most experienced backup quarterback Dallas has had in awhile.
Fight for the NFC East
You could make the case that even as a backup, Dalton is the best quarterback in the NFC East, especially with the struggles and poor play of late by the Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
The Cowboys currently lead the division at 2-3, while the Eagles sit at 1-3-1, The Washington Football Team is in third at 1-3, and the New York Giants sit in last with an 0-5 record.
Top Offense for Dalton
Dalton is experienced and comes to a team and offense that is ranked number one in the league and still remains explosive, even without Prescott.
The Cowboys offense still consists of receiving weapons like Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb to compliment Ezekiel Elliot in the run game. The Cowboys offense have also benefited nicely from some young guys like Dalton Schultz and Cedrick Wilson.
Cooper, Gallup and Lamb have combined for 1,205 yards and four TD’s, so Dalton has a proven-productive receiving group at his side that will help in the passing game.
Despite a depleted offensive line, Elliot was able to produce 91 yards and two TD’s, which was a positive sign after a slow start to the season.
Expect Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to game plan accordingly and ride Elliot for the season, but do not be surprised when Dalton comes out slinging as he is one of the more experienced backups in the league.
If the Cowboys can fix their problems on defense, this will be Andy Dalton’s team to lead with weapons at his disposal. The Cowboys should still be the favorites in the NFC East.
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