Stock Up, Stock Down After Dallas Cowboys' 3rd Preseason Game

After a putrid offensive performance in Los Angeles last weekend by the Dallas Cowboys, the team looked much crisper in their first home game of the preseason against the Indianapolis Colts.

Dak Prescott and the first-team offense had no problem moving the ball up and down the field during the 24-19 win, and the defense was flying around the field as they did last week against the Los Angeles Rams. 

There are always a few players who stand out on both sides of the ball and others who fail to impress. Without further ado, here are some players who saw their stock rise and fall on Saturday night.

Stock Up: Dak Prescott

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In Dak Prescott's first live action since the divisional playoff loss last season, he somehow looked even better than the last time we saw him.

Prescott had total command of the offense, leading the team to a touchdown on a 95-yard drive that was just seven plays long. He followed that up by marching the Cowboys 71 yards before a Darren McFadden fumble ended his second and final drive.  

Prescott finished the game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 after completing seven-of-eight passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. His only incompletion was on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage.

What might have been the most impressive part of Prescott's game was his confidence. The 24-year-old never seemed fazed by any type of rush or coverage the Colts threw at him. He made his two drives seem like a walk in the park, something the elite quarterbacks do often.  

Prescott will likely play a half or more next week against the Raiders, but so far, so good for the second-year quarterback out of Mississippi State.

If Prescott plays to this level at the beginning of the season, the idea that losing Ezekiel Elliott for six games will damage the team's playoff chances will be an afterthought—he was that good on Saturday night.

Stock Down: Kellen Moore

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It was another clunker of a night for not only Kellen Moore but the entire offense when he was on the field.

There was a noticeable difference in the intensity and the pace of the offense when Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush were on the field compared to when Moore led the offense. 

Let's start with Moore's individual performance: He completed just 10 of 21 passes for 131 yards. That brings his preseason total to 30 of 55 (54.5 percent completion percentage) for 382 with one touchdown and one interception. That's a total passer rating of just 74.9. Unfortunately, stats don't tell the whole story with Moore. 

His arm strength just isn't good enough to be a capable backup in the NFL. On numerous throws, he bounced the ball to the receiver on what would have been an easy first down for most quarterbacks.

He doesn't have the athleticism to make plays outside of the pocket, and he's severely limited in terms of the type of throws he can make. Moore also lost a fumble on Saturday night that led to an easy defensive touchdown for the Colts.

To make matters worse, he isn't managing the offense well, either. In the last 14 drives led by Moore in the preseason, the Cowboys have failed to score a touchdown and have managed just six total points. The offense just completely bogs down when the 28-year-old enters the game. 

He's still likely to be the team's No. 2 quarterback because of his veteran presence and knowledge of the playbook, but the Cowboys are doing a disservice to themselves if they believe Moore is the best backup quarterback available.

The team would be in serious trouble if Prescott were to go down for any amount of time.

Stock Up: Cooper Rush

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While Moore has struggled the past few games, Cooper Rush has done just the opposite.

Heading into the preseason, it seemed a given that the Cowboys would only keep two quarterbacks on their active roster. The initial thought was they could stash Rush on the practice squad and bring him up if he were needed, but he's played far too well to even consider subjecting him to the NFL waiver wire. 

Through three preseason games, he has piled up 283 yards passing on 26 of 38 attempts (68 percent completion percentage) and passed for four touchdowns without a single turnover. That's good enough for a passer rating of over 125. And his performance against the Colts was just another day at the office for the undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan.  

Like Prescott, Rush was nearly flawless in the game. He completed eight of nine passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. His only incompletion came on a play-action rollout where he threw the ball too far behind the tight end. However, the 23-year-old still finished the game with a passer rating of 148.8.

Rush has been the biggest surprise of the preseason so far.

Stock Down: Mark Nzeocha

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There weren't many so-called "losers" from the Cowboys on Saturday night, so we have to nit-pick some.

Of all the linebackers who saw action in the game, veteran Mark Nzeocha had the worst performance. He missed a few tackles and struggled to make any impact on the game. He finished the game with just two tackles despite playing nearly all of the second half. 

The 27-year-old needed a big game because of the team's depth at linebacker. With Jaylon Smith back on the field, that leaves one less spot available for him. Nzeocha doesn't figure to be in the team's top six at linebacker, so he will need to carve out a role on special teams if he has any hope of making the roster this season.

With two preseason games left, Nzeocha is going to need to step up his game.

Stock Up: Dez Bryant

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For the first time this preseason, Dez Bryant made an appearance on the football field. He played on just two series, but he made his presence known right away.

Bryant caught the first pass of the game; a slant route where he made a defender miss and totaled 23 yards on the play. He ended the team's first drive by scoring on a 32-yard reception down the sideline.

After starting the 2016 season slow, Bryant picked right up where he left off at the end of the season. In his final 12 games (including the playoffs), he scored 11 touchdowns and finally looked like himself once again. It was a big night not just for the 28-year-old but for Dak Prescott's confidence in his best receiver.

Look for Bryant to have a massive season in 2017.

Stock Down: Chaz Green

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While Jonathan Cooper may have locked up the left guard spot, Chaz Green was inconsistent in his first preseason game of the season.

Penalties were the biggest problem for Green as he racked up a holding call on the Darren McFadden fumble and a clipping penalty that led to the 1st and 25 in which Moore fumbled. 

Outside of the penalties, Green played well. He shifted back and forth from right tackle to left guard to left tackle, and he played moderately well at each. As always, his biggest concern is health as it has severely limited his ability to stay on the field in his first two seasons. 

Again, we are nit-picking here because there weren't many bad performances for the Cowboys. Green just hasn't played much in his three-year NFL career, so it's fair to expect some bumps along the way on his return to the field.

He will get to play many more snaps next week against the Raiders in the team's dress-rehearsal game.

Stock Up: Jonathan Cooper

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Maybe one of the biggest winners of the night was left guard Jonathan Cooper.

Despite Green returning to the field this week, Cooper made the start at left guard and performed extremely well. He finished the game with Pro Football Focus' highest overall grade (85.7) from either team. Not only did he play well at left guard, but Dallas allowed him to play center as well. 

While the positional battle at left guard isn't over, it does seem as if Cooper is going to get the first crack at it when the Cowboys open the season at home against the New York Giants.

Cooper isn't as athletic as he was when he played at North Carolina, but it's clear he's an excellent fit in the Cowboys' zone-heavy offense. Expect the 27-year-old to be the team's starter at left guard next week against the Raiders.

Stock Down: Cowboys' Pass Rush

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If you were worried about the team's pass rush heading into the season, the front four didn't do much to ease any of your concerns. Despite the Colts attempting 37 passes with a shaky offensive line, the team registered just one sack. 

The most impressive defensive lineman was David Irving. For the most part, he was unblockable in both the run and pass game. The Colts were forced to double him on nearly every snap. However, his performance was another reminder of how much they will miss him in the first four games when he is serving his suspension. 

Outside of Irving, the team just wasn't able to generate much pass rush. While starters Maliek Collins and DeMarcus Lawrence didn't play much, it is concerning that none of the other defensive ends were able to get to the quarterback.

This could be the one area that holds the Cowboys back from achieving their goals once again in 2017.