LANDOVER, Md. – After an 0-2 start as a starter in 2024, Cooper Rush got himself and the Cowboys into the win column in a 34-26 instant-classic victory against the Washington Commanders.
Rush played his best game so far this season as Dallas' starter, completing 24 of his 32 attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
"I thought Cooper did a great job managing the game. I thought the run game teed up some completions for him. I thought he was very decisive," head coach Mike McCarthy said. "Clearly, it was his best game so far this year."
The last few minutes of the game were a roller coaster of emotions, to put it lightly, but at the end of the day, the complementary football that McCarthy has wanted for his team prevailed and sealed the deal.
"Pretty insane. … It was crazy," Rush said of the finish. "I think both sides of the ball and special teams picked each other up all day."
To McCarthy's earlier point, Rico Dowdle's 86 yards on 19 carries (good for 4.5 yards per attempt) opened the doors for Rush to spread the ball around and make his throws.
"Rico was running strong, powerful, yards after contact, pushing the pile," Rush said.
And his offensive line helped too, even though the front five was a revolving door coming into the game, and still turned during. Zack Martin and Tyler Smith were both ruled out, meaning that T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman started at the guard spots, and both Tyler Guyton and Asim Richards traded reps at left tackle. Even with all the movement, Rush was pleased with his linemen and what they were able to accomplish.
"Those two guys inside getting their shot, getting their chance, I thought everyone was pretty coordinated up there," Rush said. "Communication was awesome. Brock brought some juice in there, and it was really good to see."
CeeDee Lamb brought his juice to the offense as well, leading the Cowboys with 67 yards on 10 receptions and drawing a double-team that ended up getting Luke Schoonmaker open for a touchdown that grew Dallas' lead with less than nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Even with 34 points and a win, Lamb wants to see more drives finish with six.
"Pretty good," Lamb said when asked how he thought Rush played. "Obviously, I feel like we could've scored a lot more, but his two touchdowns are definitely a confidence booster within the next few games that we have coming up."
It was a much-needed win not just for Rush's confidence, but for the Cowboys as a whole. They now have an opportunity to stack together two division wins in four days with the Giants coming to Arlington on Thanksgiving. And the first step of that process is now in the rearview mirror.
"You've just got to get that ball rolling. That's what we talked about, that was the message all week, get one," Rush said. "Full team effort today, as everyone saw. It was awesome."
