"Off-radar clutch" - Skip Bayless left stunned by Cooper Rush's clutch performances for Cowboys in Dak Prescott's absence
Skip Bayless couldn't stop gushing about how well Cooper Rush is playing as Dak Prescott's reliever as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. In the opening week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dak Prescott fractured his thumb and Cooper Rush has since replaced him on the Dallas Cowboys side. There were fears that when Dak Prescott was injured, the Cowboys would tank due to a backup quarterback taking his place, but Cooper Rush has been admirable ever since.
Last three undrafted free agent QBs to win first 3 career starts:
Cooper Rush
Duck Hodges
Taysom Hill https://t.co/n0E4gbEhGH
Skip Bayless went on to say that these were the most subtle clutch performances he had ever seen from a backup quarterback over a period of three games. He said:
"Cooper Rush has played the best three backup quarterbacks first starts. The first three start. No one in the history of this league has played better for three straight games. Even Jimmy G was pretty good. But remember, he got hurt right away in his second start. So I have to disqualify that because he couldn't keep on keeping on. He was obviously playing for a very good team."
Cooper Rush's performances so far that got Skip Bayless raving
Cooper Rush relieved Dak Prescott in the first week and scored only 64 yards in passing and no touchdowns. But it is in the games ever since that he has been very careful with the ball and not thrown a single interception. Instead, he has led them on long drives, coming up with clutch plays that have helped them win matches.
All I know is this: I'm certainly not saying Cooper Rush is better than Dak Prescott ... BUT HE HAS PLAYED BETTER IN HIS THREE STARTS, TWO ON THE ROAD, THAN DAK HAS AGAINST GOOD TEAMS OVER HIS LAST 12 GAMES.
He had a passer rating of 95.5 against the Cincinnati Bengals and completed 61.3% of his passes. It improved to 98.2 and 67.7% against the New York Giants, showing why Dallas Cowboys fans like Skip Bayless are excited about what they are seeing. Bayless said, highlighting one such clutch play:
"But Cooper Rush has been sensationally but suddenly off-radar clutch in all three games. He throws up with 55 seconds left, a touchdown pass to Amari Cooper to win on the road on the solo Sunday night stage at Minnesota"
As Shannon Sharpe pushed back, though, that does not mean Cooper Rush is ready to take over from Dak Prescott as the starter. While Skip Bayless seemed to leave open that possibility, he repeatedly stated that in these three games Rush has been better than Prescott the entire last season.
For long-suffering fans of the Cowboys, who saw their team agonizingly lose in the first stage of the playoffs yet again, everything new looks great for now. Who knows, maybe with Cooper Rush, they have a new franchise quarterback? But no judgment should be based on the performance of a mere three games.