Individually, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has crossed off different thresholds in his return from a compound break and separation of his right lower leg that he suffered the year before.
Monday’s down against the Philadelphia Eagles addresses another: his first challenge at AT&T Stadium since the injury.
“I think it will be more special just because of the amount of Cowboys fans that will be there versus the away games,”Prescott said after Friday’s training. “That is to say, clearly the initial two they traveled incredible and felt the energy and felt that, however realizing that the help that they’ve given me over these past, I surmise, going on a year, was significant, was something that I felt. Also, knowing when I run out there indeed, regardless of whether it’s pregame, whether it’s in a second inside the game, just to have the option to see up there and realize that after COVID and what we as a whole went through last year, to have them all back, definitely, it will be energizing.
“I’ll take that moment, I’ll be thankful for it, but then flip the mind right back again to the Eagles’ defense and what I have to do to win the game.”
Prescott, who didn’t play in both of the two preseason games at AT&T Stadium, experienced the injury in the second from last quarter of the Cowboys’ down against the New York Giants on Oct. 11, 2020. He went through a medical procedure that evening and had one more performed last December prior to getting into a genuine recovery schedule that saw him show up fit for the beginning of the Cowboys’ offseason program.
In instructional course, he experienced a right latissimus strain that kept him out of 10 practices, yet he has had no constraints since.
“It’s important anytime Dak is out there,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s the face of our football team. Just from the offensive perspective, we’re different on offense when he’s in charge.”
In two games, Prescott has finished 76.5% of his passes (65 of 85) for 640 yards and three scores with two captures. In last week’s success against the Chargers, he finished 23 of 27 passes, denoting the fourth time he has finished essentially 85% of his tosses in a game, the most by a quarterback since 2016.
Prescott’s partners have been so dazzled with his play that this being his first home game since the injury was astounding.
“I didn’t even think about that,” right guard Zack Martin said. “Again, with Dak, the most important game is the next game. I would imagine he’s treating it like any other game.”
Prescott will have wide beneficiary Amari Cooper, who went through a full practice on Friday regardless of having what he called “broke” ribs. He said he will wear additional assurance against the Eagles after at first experiencing the injury on a score play in the opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I don’t need to be 100 percent [to play],” Cooper said.
Defensively, the Cowboys will be slender along the cautious line. Guarded tackle Carlos Watkins (knee) and cautious end Dorance Armstrong (lower leg) were precluded on Thursday and on Friday reinforcement end Bradlee Anae went on the hold/COVID-19 rundown and will miss Monday’s down.
“If it ain’t one thing, it’s another,” said cautious end Randy Gregory, who missed last week’s down in light of the fact that he was on the COVID list. “I mean, look, the landscape has been like that since last year. Thankfully, guys are vaccinated, try to avoid stuff like that and get back quicker. Next man up.”
