Forget Dak Prescott’s thumb. Here's why Jerry Jones was talking about the Cowboys QB's legs after win over Lions

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jerry Jones hesitated for an uncharacteristic 27 seconds.

What, Yahoo Sports asked the Dallas Cowboys team owner, did he want to see from Dak Prescott that the quarterback didn’t show in his return from a five-game absence due to a thumb fracture?

“I’d like to see him get more chances with [run-pass options],” Jones finally admitted. “Because to me, that does a lot of things that gets him out of the pocket. I think that’s some of his best football.

“And I think that gives him edge.”

Despite the Cowboys' 24-6 win against the Detroit Lions, it was fair to question whether their offense brought sufficient edge. Jones’ suggestion might seem odd for a team that netted 139 yards and two touchdowns by ground vs. the Lions, but Dallas’ first play from scrimmage and its impact on the game explains it.

After the Cowboys won the coin toss and elected to receive, the newly healed Prescott fielded the first snap. Prescott faked a handoff to running back Ezekiel Elliott before rolling out to his left, no defender obstructing the vertical path between him and the chains. Prescott wavered, considering the run. He instead threw a too-high pass down the left sideline to receiver Noah Brown.

The ball fell incomplete. The Cowboys went three-and-out on that series and their next.

From the team owner’s suite, the optimistic-leaning Jones assessed: Prescott could have scrambled for 7 yards on the opening snap.

“Matter of fact, I’m sure that he could have,” Jones said from the stadium tunnel after the win. “I’d like to see Dak have about five or six of those kinds of opportunities out there like that with the running room as well as the [pass option].

“Make no mistake about it: Dak is going to be a part of our running game going forward.”

Prescott said defenses will dictate that decision.

“But I feel good, and I can definitely run,” he said. “That will come. All of that will come in time.”

It needs to.

The Cowboys have a mostly dominant defense, a frustrating-to-diagnose running game and a reliable special teams unit. In the second half of Sunday’s game alone, Dallas pestered Lions quarterback Jared Goff to the tune of two interceptions — cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis each secured a diving pick — and two strip-sacks, punctuating the effort with a goal-line stop via a fumble that kept Detroit from regaining its lead.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott rebounded from what appeared to be an aggravation of his right PCL tear to hurdle a defender and punch in a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs. Fellow back Tony Pollard surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage as the ever-ready changeup.

And the Cowboys' passing game held up. But until the game got out of hand late, that was about it. And the Lions arrived at AT&T Stadium with the league’s worst defense, worst running defense and a bottom-seven passing defense.

The offense that had kept Detroit competitive was without talented running back D’Andre Swift (inactive with ankle and shoulder sprains) and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (who suffered a concussion in the first quarter). The duo's combined 647 yards and six touchdowns had accounted for more than 30% of Detroit's total offense — not to mention the attention each commanded that opened opportunities for others.

Still, Dallas did not lead until nearly 35 minutes had elapsed. Prescott completed 64.3% of passes for 104 yards in what head coach Mike McCarthy called a “bumpy” first half before improving to 90.9%, 107 yards and a touchdown in the second half. Prescott’s efficiency also grew from 7.4 yards per attempt in the first half to 8.3 after halftime. Compared to NFL quarterbacks playing this season, that would jump his rankings from 12th-best to second.

“I thought Dak performed better as the game went on,” McCarthy said. “At the quarterback position, to come back from an injury on your throwing hand, just he needs reps. He needs to continue to get the reps.

“Obviously, I thought he had a winning performance today.”

Prescott said he shook off rust early, developing comfort and confidence in the surgically repaired thumb on his right throwing hand. He threw some near-interceptions — it seemed the Lions got hands on more than the box score-recorded one pass deflection — and targeted teammates in traffic early, connecting with receiver CeeDee Lamb on a risky 24-yard pass while missing Lamb on a deep attempt that safety Kerby Joseph jumped, got hands on and essentially dropped in a stroke of good fortune for the Cowboys.

“I think once I made some throws and I knew my thumb was good, I felt like I had the spin back that I’ve had and the confidence, some of those throws were just overconfident in a sense,” Prescott said. “I’ve got to guard against that because sometimes it can lead to turnovers. And that’s the last thing I’m trying to do is put this team in a bad position because I’m overconfident.”

Contested throws like that, Jones believes, will command less traffic if Prescott uses his legs. It’s not that he shouldn’t pass; to the contrary, Jones believes the threat of his franchise quarterback’s legs will keep defenses more honest and relieve pressure on his targets.

“I don't want him to [run] many times, but I want to have that threat,” Jones said. “[His throw] was in harm’s way there two or three times. But boy, what I did see is get that ball down there and you could have those 20+-yard plays, and we did. Dak made the difference in that area today.”

Compared with backup Cooper Rush’s 6.5 yards per attempt, which ranks 25th among league QBs this season, Prescott’s stronger arm can help the Cowboys challenge opponents. His legs, though, will pave the way for that arm to unleash.

For now, Prescott’s return from a six-week rehabilitation demonstrated improvement from his disastrous season-opening performance in Dallas’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He improved from a 48% completion rate in Week 1 to 76% in Week 7, and also threw for 73 more yards this time. His 113.2 passer rating more than doubled the 47.2 bad taste that lingered in his mouth week after week on the sideline.

Next up: Prescott, with a week of timing and rhythm under his belt, must prove he can do this and more against better opponents. The Chicago Bears visit Dallas next week, with a sputtering offense but solid defense. After the bye week, Dallas completes its NFC North gauntlet with consecutive visits to the Green Bay Packers, where McCarthy spent 13 years as head coach, and the currently 5-1 Minnesota Vikings. A Thanksgiving matchup with the 6-1 division rival New York Giants follows.

“A win’s a win,” Prescott said. “I play my part and put this team in the right situation each and every play to make the most out of whatever situation I’m given.

“This time that I had off was a blessing [realizing] the defense and the team playing complementary football was important for me to see and recognize coming back: Don’t try to do too much, we’ve got a hell of a run game and a defense that can make turnovers and get touchdowns themselves. We have a great special teams that’s aggressive.

“It’s great just to be a part of and I’m just trying to play my role and put this team in the best chance to win each and every game.”