Suddenly, Dak Prescott’s Status for Halloween Is in Jeopardy
Almost two weeks ago, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott injured his calf late in a wild victory over the storied New England Patriots.
At the time, euphoria surrounded the win, and Dallas had a bye week on the docket – so any fears about Prescott’s long-term availability were muted. Even during the last week, chirpings out of Dallas indicated Prescott would be fine and play against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed genuine optimism that Prescott would be ready. Prescott has painted a sunshine and rainbows portrait on the severity of his injury. “I’ll be fine,” is largely the sentiment amid the last two weeks.
Therefore, the Cowboys, Vikings, media, and fans of each team went about their business assuming it would be Prescott versus Cousins on Halloween night. The Vikings are 3-3 on the cusp of a hopeful sprint to the playoffs, needing to win home games against good teams – like the Cowboys – to be taken seriously. Dallas, on the other hand, merely needs to hold serve, protecting a 5-1 record to begin 2021. Meanwhile, all of the other NFC East teams are 2-5.
Suddenly, though, the certainty of Prescott playing this Sunday night is suspect. It seems the dialogue about his availability is being dialed back.
While Prescott could very well play and fillet the Vikings on Halloween, the tweet from Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken feels like a walkback and tapering of expectations. That is – if the Cowboys were going to lay breadcrumbs about the possibility of Prescott not playing in Minnesota, this is how it would start.
Start gently with clues, letting folks down gingerly – is normally the playbook in announcing the fallout of an injury. This is not to suggest Prescott’s injury is menial – it isn’t – but the gung-ho “he will play” mentality is melting. Friday will have the same lines as Thursday, something to the effect of Prescott as a “probable maybe.”
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Prescott’s presence against the Vikings is vital. With him at the helm, the Cowboys lead the NFL in points scored (34.2 per game), and they’re flat-out humming with Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, and Amari Cooper. If Prescott is a no-go, it’s the Cooper Rush show. No one on the planet is afraid of Mister Rush.
Dallas was able to topple Minnesota last year without Prescott, but that was with veteran Andy Dalton in charge. Rush is not Dalton. The Cowboys Week 8 success directly depends on Prescott’s availability. The Vikings will swallow Rush at home – because that’s what Minnesota does to most quarterbacks, at home let alone unproven mediocre ones.
The lead-up to Halloween will now be shrouded with “will he or won’t he” on Prescott’s status. Before Thursday, it was close to a no-brainer Prescott would be the QB1.
Now, thanks to some verbiage that put the decision-making outside of Prescott’s hands, it’s a reasonable possibility the Halloween Cowboys are Prescott-less.
Spooky.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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