Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will miss Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings due to his calf injury.
Prescott tested his strained right calf prior to Sunday’s contest in Minneapolis and the Cowboys decided he wasn’t physically fit to play.
Team trainer Britt Brown and coach Mike McCarthy apparently relayed the decision when they huddled with Prescott on the field.
Cooper Rush will make his first career start in place of Prescott. The 27-year-old has thrown three career passes, all in 2017.
Prescott was listed as questionable for the contest but wanted to go through the weekend to see if the calf improved.
Prescott sustained the calf strain in a Week 6 victory over the New England Patriots. The Cowboys followed with a bye week, but that wasn’t enough time to allow the injury to heal.
Not playing against the Vikings gives Prescott the chance to get the calf healthy prior to next Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.
Prescott has passed for 1,813 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
Entering the week, the Cowboys led the NFL in both scoring offense (34.2 points per game) and total yardage (460.8).
Will Grier will be the Cowboys’ backup quarterback on Sunday. He was claimed by Dallas in early September after being released by the Carolina Panthers.
Grier, 26, started two games for the Panthers in 2019 and lost both. He passed for 228 yards and four interceptions without throwing a touchdown.
