Dak Prescott (thigh), CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) must undergo MRI scans

ATLANTA – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott tapped the wooden lectern when asked if there was a chance he could be sidelined by a hamstring injury that ruled him out of Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. would miss a time.

Prescott will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones called it a “hamstring injury.”

“I mean, it's hard for me to say. I would say I’ll be out there next week,” Prescott said of the Cowboys’ Week 10 meeting against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 10. “Again I have to see that I healed quickly, I progressed quickly with my injuries and other things. I have to take a picture for that. I think we'll see how bad it is.

“It’s going to take a lot to get me out of there, I’ll say that personally.”

Additionally, Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is suffering from a right universal joint issue in his shoulder and will undergo an MRI. Jones said he is confident Lamb can continue playing since he was able to play through it on Sunday.

Prescott suffered his injury after a 5-yard scramble late in the third quarter. On the next play, the cameras caught him grimacing as he threw a shaky 10-yard pass to Jalen Brooks on the wide side of the field.

“I felt it when I got up from running. I can’t even say I felt it while running,” Prescott said. “The tackle, maybe something on the tackle. Yeah, I don't know, but when I stood up I actually felt something. Didn't think it was much. You get tired. It's a physical game. A lot. “Sometimes you feel different things and they kind of disappear.”

When he reached the top of his dropback, Prescott said he “felt something I’ve never felt before. Yes, it was difficult to walk on at that point.”

He asked the medical staff if he might aggravate the injury if he continued playing and was told he couldn't protect himself, so he was pulled in favor of Cooper Rush early in the fourth quarter.

Prescott completed 18 of 24 for 133 yards with one touchdown. He had a season-high 30 yards rushing, including a 22-yard gain on a scoring drive in the second quarter. It was the Cowboys' longest run of the season, and Prescott came into the game with 24 yards rushing on the season.

The television broadcast showed that Prescott's right hand was swollen, but Jones said after the game that it was not a problem, especially given the hamstring problem.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Jones said, about Prescott potentially having to forego action.

Rush went 13 of 25 for 115 yards with a touchdown in relief of Prescott. Before Sunday, Rush played two games in mopup duty this season, completing 9 of 14 passes for 52 yards and one interception. But in 2022, he went 4-1 as the Cowboys' starter after Prescott suffered a broken right thumb in the season opener.

If Prescott is unable to play, Trey Lance would serve as Rush's backup.

“If (Prescott) can be out there, that's obviously the best case scenario, but Cooper has been here a long time and we have a lot of confidence in Cooper,” Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin said. “Every time he intervenes there, he doesn’t leave anything out. He takes command of the troops. He’s very intelligent out there and we have all the confidence in the world when he has to go.”

Prescott agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract just hours before the season opener, making him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. Including Sunday, he had started 36 straight games after his thumb injury. He missed 11 games in 2020 due to a dislocation and fracture of his right ankle and missed one game in 2021 due to a strained right calf.

He hopes he can make 37 consecutive starts next week.

“A big part of this game is mental, so I'll get those reps in (when I don't practice during the week),” Prescott said. “You play that position, the quarterback position, every rep is your rep whether you’re there or not. You saw Coop go in there and give us a chance, a guy who really understands that. So I know what it means to watch training when I can't participate and get the reps I need, all the things I normally do and more.

“But it will be important just to test the hamstrings and like I said, I'm looking forward to doing everything I can to cure the problem, get some reps in training and get out there.”