Cowboys' QB eager to excite home fans

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will play his first home game Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles since suffering a season-ending ankle injury last October.
(AP/Jeff Lewis)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will play his first home game Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles since suffering a season-ending ankle injury last October. (AP/Jeff Lewis)

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dak Prescott's first home game since the star Dallas quarterback's gruesome ankle injury at AT&T Stadium last October is the second chance for Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts to beat the Cowboys in his home state.

Hurts actually made a good first impression a couple of hundred miles from his home in the Houston suburbs, throwing an 81-yard touchdown to DeSean Jackson before the Eagles were outscored by 31 points the rest of the way in a 37-17 Week 16 loss last year.

The former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback gets another shot at Dallas in his first prime-time NFL start Monday night, a matchup of 1-1 teams in their first NFC East meeting of the season.

"I think the the most valuable thing that could happen was just having the opportunity to play a little bit and get my feet wet," said Hurts, who replaced Carson Wentz with four games remaining and took over when the 2016 No. 2 overall draft pick was traded to Indianapolis.

"You could argue that a preseason games or whatever it is, how you look at it now, have an opportunity to have now taken those experiences I've had from last year and this offseason and learned from it."

Prescott's season had long since ended when Hurts finished 21 of 39 for 342 yards with two interceptions and three sacks while Andy Dalton led the Cowboys to a victory that kept their improbable playoff hopes alive in what ended up being a 6-10 season.

There have been plenty of milestones during the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year's recovery. This could be the latest -- playing for the first time on the field where Prescott fractured and dislocated his right ankle, with the 80,000-seat stadium full for the first time in the pandemic, the scene potentially more spectacular with the retractable roof open if the weather cooperates.

"I think it's going to be exciting," said backfield mate and fellow 2016 rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott. "First home game with him back in the home stadium. First game with all the fans there. I think everyone's excited. I think everyone's ready."

Hurts led a dominant showing for the Philadelphia offense in a rout of Atlanta in the opener before struggling in a 17-11 loss to San Francisco. Hurts' 27-yard run, the club's longest of the season, set up a late touchdown, but the Eagles couldn't get the ball back.

Prescott was phenomenal in his return from the injury, throwing for 403 yards in a 31-29 loss to Super Bowl winner Tampa Bay and seven-time champ Tom Brady. The passing numbers were way down in a 20-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but Prescott led Dallas on the drive to Greg Zuerlein's game-ending, 56-yard field goal.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) catches a ball as the team runs through drills during practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) catches a ball as the team runs through drills during practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) fails to catch a pass as San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (3) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) fails to catch a pass as San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jaquiski Tartt (3) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) talks with team staff as they run through drills during practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) talks with team staff as they run through drills during practice at the team's NFL football training facility in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps (22) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps (22) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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