When will Dak Prescott return for the Cowboys? What injury does he have?

The Dallas Cowboys' season was already looking pretty bleak, but after Week 9, it somehow got even worse.

During their loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week, quarterback Dak Prescott was taken out of the game in the 4th quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.

Before leaving the game, Prescott completed 18 of 24 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown and had no interceptions. He also had more rushing yards than he’s had all season combined (33).

When will Prescott return to play for the Cowboys?

Owner Jerry Jones already said that Prescott is ruled out for Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, and will likely miss significant time and be placed on Injured Reserve. If he is, then the soonest he could return would be Week 14 when the Cowboys play their Monday Night Game against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 9.

However, after undergoing an MRI on Monday, results showed that Prescott’s injury is more severe than initially thought and he could be sitting out longer than four weeks.

On Wednesday, his diagnosis was a partial avulsion of the hamstring tendon, meaning that it had partially torn from the bone.

In several cases, this kind of injury requires surgery, but it’s also possible to repair it through physical therapy and alternative methods. Head coach Mike McCarthy said the Cowboys have still not made a final decision on whether or not to place Prescott on IR.

After he went down with the injury last week, Prescott said he “felt something pull”.

“I felt something I’ve never felt. It’ll take a lot for me not to be out there,” he said.

With Prescott out, backup quarterback Cooper Rush will start in his place. Rush has won five of his six starts when replacing Prescott. He filled in for Prescott on Sunday in the fourth quarter, completing 13 of 25 passes for 115 yards and a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, plus a two-point conversion pass to WR CeeDee Lamb. It’s also possible the Cowboys will let QB3 Trey Lance have some playing time just to give him a chance to show what he can do while Prescott is out.