Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered an injury to his right thumb in the season-opening game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.
The star quarterback sustained the injury in the 4th quarter, when he accidentally slammed his hand mid-throw against the helmet of Tampa Bay linebacker Shaquil Barrett.
“I thought I jammed it,” he said to the media post-game. “I’ve hit my hand on helmets or bodies a lot in my career.”
“Next play I realized I couldn’t grip the ball,” Prescott continued.
A timeline from overnight: Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott is scheduled to have surgery on his right thumb today and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, multiple sources told ESPN’s @toddarcher.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2022
Head Coach Mike McCarthy explained that Prescott suffered a “significant” injury, and the quarterback will have to have a pin and plate inserted into his hand to stabilize the joint, ESPN reported. (RELATED: The Dallas Cowboys Don’t Plan On Firing Mike McCarthy After Humiliating Loss To 49ers)
Prescott was under immense pressure in Sunday night’s game. He completed just 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards, was sacked twice and intercepted once and ended the game with a QBR of 15.3, ESPN explained. The Cowboys failed to score a single touchdown and lost 19-3.
Some fans took to social media post-game to advocate for the return of 42-year-old Tony Romo, who retired after the 2016 NFL season, Fox News reported.
Some sports commentators drew different conclusions. Fox Sports 1 analyst Emmanuel Acho posted a video to TikTok blaming Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for failing to adequately protect his quarterback.
“Jerry, this is your fault. You did this,” Acho stated. “You don’t know how to utilize your offensive personnel, and you don’t even have enough talented offensive personnel to utilize. I don’t blame Dak Prescott.”
Prescott’s injury is one of many that have plagued the Cowboys’ offense in recent months. Star left tackle Tyron Smith suffered an avulsion fracture in his knee during practice at the end of August, and the lingering ACL injury of veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup has prevented his return for the 2022 season. (RELATED: Giants, Cowboys Lose Key Players For Months With Torn Tendons)
“It’s just another bump in the road and I’ll keep moving forward,” Prescott said after the game. “As I said, I’ll do everything that I can to get myself back, to get myself better and help this team.”
Prescott is scheduled to have surgery on Monday and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, according to ESPN.
The Cowboys are scheduled to take on the reigning AFC champions, the Cincinnati Bengals, at home Sunday, Sept. 16.