Amari Cooper's Last-Minute TD Lifts Cowboys Past Vikings as Prescott Sits With Injury

The Dallas Cowboys ran their winning streak to six games with a 20-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

No question loomed larger for the Cowboys than the status of Dak Prescott, who was battling a calf strain. The two-time Pro Bowler, who was listed as questionable, played through the injury/was unable to play and made way for Cooper Rush.

Rush did his best impersonation of Jason Garrett on Thanksgiving Day in 1994.

Greg Joseph hit a go-ahead 24-yard field goal with 2:54 remaining was the difference in the game. But Rush found Amari Cooper in corner of the end zone to put Dallas ahead with 51 seconds left.

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Notable Performers

Cooper Rush, QB, Cowboys: 24-of-40, 325 yards, two touchdowns, one interception

Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys: 16 carries, 50 yards; four receptions, 23 yards

Amari Cooper, WR, Cowboys: eight receptions, 122 yards, one touchdown

CeeDee Lamb, WR Cowboys: six receptions, 112 yards

Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings: 18 carries, 78 yards

Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings: six receptions, 78 yards, one touchdown

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Rush Makes Most of Starting Opportunity

As expected, the Cowboys offense didn't have its usual potency without Prescott under center. Rush performed about as well as anybody could've asked of him, though, in his first NFL start.

The 27-year-old helped Dallas begin the second half with a bang when he found a wide-open Cedrick Wilson for a 73-yard touchdown pass.

Wilson provided his own audition for the quarterback gig, too, when he hit CeeDee Lamb for 35 yards on a double pass in the third quarter.

Rush's inexperience did become an issue in the face of Minnesota's pass rush. A more seasoned quarterback might have felt Xavier Woods coming off the edge or recognized the blitz coming before the play. Instead, Woods laid Rush out and forced a fumble.

Still, the level of composure he demonstrated on Dallas' final drive belied how little he has been in those situations in an NFL game. In the event Prescott has to miss additional time, the Cowboys might be suddenly more confident in Rush leading the offense.

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A Familiar Sight for Vikings Fans

If you didn't know any better, you might have guessed the Vikings were the team without their starting quarterback. Toward the end of the first half, the home fans voiced their frustration as Minnesota held a 10-3 lead.

This was the kind of performance from Kirk Cousins that drives the fanbase up a wall. Deep throws down the field were almost nonexistent.

While he wasn't solely to blame, Cousins' propensity to settle for shorter completions meant the Vikings faced a lot of third downs, some of which required a relatively significant chunk of yardage to convert. They went 1-of-13 on third downs, emblematic of their offensive struggles.

The sequence immediately preceding Joseph's go-ahead field goal was a microcosm of Minnesota's problems. Dalvin Cook lost four yards on 1st-and-goal on the Cowboys' 4-yard line. Then Cousins dumped a pass off to Alexander Mattison for a loss of three yards. The Vikings basically played themselves out of a touchdown.

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What's Next?

The Vikings hit the road to play the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. ET, while the Cowboys host the Denver Broncos.