Cowboys’ Jerry Jones: Dak Prescott ‘determined’ to play Sunday - Todd Archer, ESPN

Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones likes Dak Prescott’s chances to play this week.

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is hopeful Dak Prescott will be able to return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Detroit Lions after missing five games with a fractured right thumb.

“Well, let’s just say this: He’s determined to [play],” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “I think he’s, from my perspective, from what I can know and see, I think he’s going to get there. We feel like that physically, he’s at a position that the risk/reward justifies him being out there in terms of any reoccurrence of the injury.”

Jones said Prescott had a “very impressive” throwing session before Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. After the game, Prescott said it was his plan to play against the Lions. On Monday, coach Mike McCarthy said Prescott would be cleared medically by Tuesday and would return to practice Wednesday.

Cowboys PFF grades: A look at the highest-graded players through 6 games - Shane Taylor, Inside the Star

Micah Parsons is the highest-rated Cowboys player this season.

ED Micah Parsons: 90.3 overall grade

Micah Parsons being the highest-rated Cowboys player through the first six weeks of the season shouldn’t shock anyone. Parsons leads the NFL in sacks with seven; he has registered 26 tackles (19 solo). He could be well on his way to his first Defensive Player of the Year award if he stays healthy and keeps being the driving force behind the Dallas defense.

RB Tony Pollard: 84.9 overall grade

Kellen Moore is using him well this season. The combination of Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott has created solid results. Pollard has 55 carries for 292 yards and two touchdowns, while Zeke has 94 carries for 386 yards and two scores. Pollard’s ability to catch the football and get to the second level as a change of pace back to Zeke has been good. Nothing should change when Prescott returns to the lineup.

FS Malik Hooker: 82.2 overall grade

What a year he is having, huh? I created a post last week about the phenomenal start he has gotten off to, and this proves it even more.

Hooker is ranked third in Successful Coverage Over Expectation (SCOE), a metric created to show the best coverage defenders and help predict future coverage success. He has 25 solo tackles and one interception on the year.

Hooker has overcome many of his injury troubles and given himself a chance to have his best season as a pro.

Cowboys Coach Kellen Moore Evaluates ‘Leaning On’ RBs Tony Pollard & Ezekiel Elliott - Logan Macdonald, Cowboys Country

Kellen Moore is depending on the run game now more than ever.

The Dallas defense and backup quarterback Cooper Rush have gotten most of the credit for the improbably successful start. However, the run game has been an unsung hero in the Cowboys dominance over the last five games.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore cites the play of running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard when discussing the team’s encouraging run.

“Zeke’s done a really nice job,” Moore says. “Him and Tony kind of doing it together ... We love getting those guys touches, and certainly the run game has been a real positive thing for us these past few weeks.”

The Cowboys have averaged 128.4 rushing yards per game over the last five weeks, while toting the ball at a 4.52 yards per carry rate.

Cowboys fall to 4-2 - But did they really lose? - Christian Cline, Inside the Star

The Cowboys may have lost, but did Sunday prove just how good this team could be?

Dallas is in great shape and still very much in the running for the playoffs. With Prescott back in the lineup, the Cowboys will be a complete football team that can hang with anybody in the NFL. Just last year, the Cowboys had the #1 scoring offense in the league.

Dak Prescott is stepping into the most perfect situation a quarterback can ask for — a 4-2 team with an offense that can run the ball effectively and is accompanied by a great defense.

Prescott doesn’t have to be the hero anymore, and as long as Dak can take care of the football, the possibilities are endless for this offense and this team as a whole.

So while the Cowboys may have another loss on their record, the team didn’t “lose” anything; they remain relatively healthy and there is still plenty to be hopeful for. Dallas may now sit in third place in the NFC East behind the Eagles and Giants, but when you really look into these teams, Dallas isn’t that far behind, if at all.

Cowboys hope for Dalton Schultz’s return after knee tweak; rookie TE makes most of extra opportunity - Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

Jake Ferguson made the most of his opportunity Sunday night.

Schultz had been dealing with a knee injury, but he progressed steadily over the course of last week’s lead-up to Sunday night. It was thought that he’d be good to go in the divisional matchup, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told a radio audience Monday that something changed during Saturday’s practice session.

“He tweaked his knee in that ramp-up day on Saturday. Just felt like he couldn’t play at the level he needed to be productive for us,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan. “He, Britt Brown [associate athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation], and the coaches just felt like it was in our best interest after he tweaked it to not dress him.”

In his place, rookie Jake Ferguson got the primetime start in Week 6. He played 51% of the team’s offensive snaps, caught four balls for 40 yards (both career highs) on six targets, and hauled in his first NFL touchdown, even showing off a sweet move after the catch to dodge a defender and get into the end zone.

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