“The one thing I should’ve did at the end and I didn’t do is put Trey [Lance] in there. Could’ve gotten him a series,” the coach said, via NFL on CBS, as shared on X, formerly Twitter.
Week 11: Texans def. Cowboys, 34-10
In the absence of Prescott, the Cowboys leaned on Cooper Rush to help them win games, including this Week 11 clash with the Texans, echoing owner and GM Jerry Jones’ trust in the backup quarterback.
“Cooper has shown that he has the capability to compete and win games. He does give us our best chance,” Jones had said on 105.3 The Fan prior to Week 11, as reported by Jacob Camenker for USA Today.
True enough, Rush has had a 5-1 record when starting for the Cowboys, winning his first five career starts since 2021-2022, becoming the first quarterback in Cowboys history–14th in the NFL–to complete such a streak.
However, in his first start versus the Eagles this season, Rush only managed to generate 45 yards and six points, completing 13 of 23 passes. Still, that performance happened against one of the league’s toughest defenses since their Week 5 bye.
Against the Texans, Rush finished 32-55, with 354 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Still, the Cowboys showed why they are one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, as they could not overcome a Houston team that managed to pull away despite not playing all that well.
This result most probably fed into McCarthy’s regret that he didn’t play Trey Lance in Week 11. He probably thought that putting Lance out there practically admitted defeat for himself and his team, especially now that their playoff hopes have dimmed by the week.
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The season is over?
With eight games left on their schedule, the Cowboys might not want to actively try winning anymore, so Mike McCarthy might also want to see if their other backup QB had something to contribute. They had given up a fourth-round pick to acquire Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
Additionally, Lance will become a free agent after this year, and the Cowboys might want to spend the last games of this forgettable season checking if he deserves a developmental slot behind Prescott.
Otherwise, another team might want to sign the first-round pick depending on his play, giving the Cowboys a compensatory selection they could use on another player.
