3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 2 Win

The Dallas Cowboys are a better team when Dak Prescott is on the field. But that's not their current situation, as Prescott is currently out after undergoing surgery on his fractured right thumb. So the Cowboys will have to try to win without him for the time being.

So far, so good. On Sunday, Dallas notched its first victory of the year, pulling out a 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the defending AFC champions, at AT&T Stadium. Cooper Rush started in place of Prescott and helped lead the Cowboys to victory.

Cincinnati tied the game at 17 with 3 minutes and 45 seconds remaining on Joe Burrow's 5-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins and the ensuing two-point conversion (a Burrow pass to Tyler Boyd). But Dallas drove 33 yards on six plays on its final drive, setting up Brett Maher for a game-winning 50-yard field goal as time expired.

Here are three takeaways from the Cowboys' Week 2 win.

Sunday marked Rush's second career NFL start, and he improved to 2-0 in those games. In Week 8 of the 2021 season, he led the Cowboys to a 20-16 win over the Minnesota Vikings by passing for 325 yards and two touchdowns.

Rush's numbers weren't quite as impressive this time, but he still played well enough to help guide Dallas to victory. The 28-year-old QB went 19-for-31 for 235 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 9-yard pass to Noah Brown on the game's opening drive.

"That shows me so much about him and the principle of he kept a workmanlike basis," Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said of Rush's performance, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "He's done that. He's gotten better. He knows this offense as well as anybody breathing and he stepped out there and did some great execution."

On Sunday, Dallas executive vice president Stephen Jones said during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan that Prescott could return by Week 4 or Week 5 (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). But for now, the Cowboys' offense appears to be in capable hands with Rush under center.

If anybody thought Micah Parsons may not be as dominant during his second NFL season, they were wrong. Because the 23-year-old linebacker and reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is off to a terrific start in 2022.

After recording two sacks in the Cowboys' Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Parsons notched two more against the Bengals on Sunday. He currently has the most sacks in the NFL, a half-sack ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers' Khalil Mack, who has 3.5.

Parsons now has 17 sacks through the first 18 games of his NFL career.

"Micah is just being deliberate in his job," Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. "He is a great pass rusher. Being able to get off the ball and take advantage of his opportunities is all we ask for."

Considering Parsons is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, he appears to be in store for an impressive follow-up season to his stellar rookie campaign. And he may even end up as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Maher was the Cowboys' kicker for two seasons from 2018-19, and although he had a great leg, he was inconsistent at times. As a rookie in 2018, he made 29 of his 36 field-goal attempts. But in 2019, he went 20-for-30.

After not getting into a regular-season game for any team in 2020, Maher spent eight games with the New Orleans Saints in 2021, going 16-for-18 on field goals. Now, the 32-year-old is back in Dallas. And he's off to a great start in his return to the Cowboys.

Maher is 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts, and they've each been longer than 50 yards. In Sunday's win against Cincinnati, he was successful from 50 and 54 yards, the former lifting Dallas to victory as time expired.

"You do go out there expecting to make every kick," Maher said, per Patrik Walker of the team's official site. "I feel like I'm in a good rhythm right now."

And if Maher stays in that rhythm, then it will give the Cowboys some stability on special teams, which is always a boost for a team.