Cowboys' Andy Dalton Won't Play vs. Eagles with Concussion; Ben DiNucci to Start

It goes from bad to worse for the 2-5 Dallas Cowboys, as veteran quarterback Andy Dalton has been ruled out for Sunday night's key NFC East clash against the Philadelphia Eagles with a concussion, per Jon Machota of the The Athletic.

That means 23-year-old rookie Ben DiNucci will make his first NFL start. 

Dalton was hurt during Sunday's 25-3 loss to the Washington Football Team after a dirty helmet-to-helmet hit by linebacker Jon Bostic in the third quarter, who was ejected from the game. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters after the game he wasn't pleased with his team's muted response to the hit.

"We speak all the time about playing for one another, protecting one another," he said. "It definitely was not the response you would expect."

Washington head coach Ron Rivera, meanwhile, apologized to McCarthy about the hit. 

"I went up to him and apologized to him for it," he said. "I wanted him to know that we don't play that way, and it's unfortunate that it happened."

DiNucci stepped into the game and went 2-of-3 for 39 yards, taking three sacks. Now, he'll get the start.

"This is everyone's childhood dream, right? The chance to be the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys," he told reporters this week. "What more could you want?"

The answer for Cowboys fans would be a win against the despised Eagles. Surely, the seventh-round pick in this year's NFL draft would have chosen to make his first NFL start under less dire straits, but he remains excited by the opportunity he's been presented: 

"As a rookie, a seventh-rounder coming in, you see Dak [Prescott] and you see Andy at the top of the depth chart, it's, 'Hey, there's no chance that I'm going to be on the field this year.' But this is 2020. What else do you expect? Here we are. Week 8 of my rookie year I've got a chance to go out there on 'Sunday Night Football' and do what I love to do. I couldn't be happier or more excited."

The dangerous Philadelphia defensive line may also be excited at the prospect of facing an unproven rookie. DiNucci will have his hands full in his first NFL start.