Cooper Rush leads Dallas Cowboys to win in final minute, lessening sting of Dak Prescott loss, season-opening defeat

ARLINGTON, Texas — Cooper Rush isn't one to show his emotions much publicly, and he wasn't about to break character after Sunday's 20-17 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in which the Dallas Cowboys quarterback led a final-minute drive that ended in a game-winning 50-yard field goal.

«Winning an NFL game is a lot of fun,» Rush said.

Making just his second career start, Rush completed 19 of 31 passes for 235 yards and a first-quarter touchdown pass to Noah Brown, filling in for an injured Dak Prescott, who had right thumb surgery the day after the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last October, with Prescott sidelined because of a calf strain, Rush completed 25 of 40 passes for 325 yards with two touchdown passes, including the game winner to Amari Cooper with 51 seconds to play to beat the Minnesota Vikings, 20-16.

«You just want to do your job, trust your teammates,» Rush said.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Rush became the fifth quarterback since 1966 to lead a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime of his first two career starts. The others? Houston's T.J. Yates (2011), Seattle's Jon Kitna (2007-08), Minnesota's Wade Wilson (1983-84) and Chicago's Virgil Carter (1968).

Last year, the Cowboys were 5-1 when Rush made his first start. This year, the loss to the Buccaneers was stinging, especially for an offense that did not get inside the Tampa Bay 30. It was made worse when it was revealed Prescott suffered a fractured thumb that would knock him out for multiple weeks.

Even owner and general manager Jerry Jones knew how big Sunday's win was, for the Cowboys and Rush.

«Anybody knows how disappointing our first loss was last week,» Jones said. «We could point to the reasons