NFC Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Daniel Jones

Cowboys

Cowboys QB Cooper Rush said the team is coming out hungry against the Bengals after starting 0-1.

“We have a bad taste in our mouth after losing a game,” Rush said, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “You can’t wait to get back out there the next week. We were 0-1 last year too, though. This is the first step.”

Rush is filling in for the injured QB Dak Prescott. His goal this weekend is to go out and play well enough to earn the respect of his teammates.

“I think it’s more about the teammates. All you do every day is want to earn their respect,” Rush said. “To go out there on Sunday, that’s the best way to do it. Go play well. They have my respect. I think they respect me. I think we’ve got a good group. I think we’re ready to roll.”

Rush isn’t worried about how long he has as the team’s starter. His focus lies squarely on the Bengals.

“Right now you’re focused on this game, that’s all that matters,” Rush said. “You get down the road when we get there. It’s something you’ve been a starter before in your life and you kinda draw on that. You remind yourself of that. You’re going to go week by week, and right now we’re focused on the Bengals.”

Eagles

The Eagles racked up 31 points on offense in Week 1 against the Lions and QB Jalen Hurts completed 18 of his 32 passes for 243 yards. Most of that production went to WR A.J. Brown, who caught 10 of 13 targets for 155 yards. The Eagles’ other receiver who they’re very high on, 2021 first-round pick DeVonta Smith, was shut out with no catches on four targets. Eagles HC Nick Sirianni says not to expect many more weeks like that the rest of the way. 

“There (are) so many good things we did, but coming away, you’re like DeVonta Smith didn’t get any catches,” Sirianni said via the Athletic’s Zach Berman. “He has to touch the ball. There’s no doubt about it. He has to touch the ball, and it’s just the way the game went. … Again, there are multiple reasons why it didn’t. A lot of these plays were still run through him. It just, for whatever reason, it seemed to time up perfectly: ‘A.J. had this huge game and DeVonta didn’t touch the ball at all; oh, my goodness, they are never going to use DeVonta Smith again.’ I can promise you that’s not the case.”

Giants

Giants practice squad QB Davis Webb said that, although he was spotted chewing out QB Daniel Jones after a pick on Sunday, HC Brian Daboll never talks down to his players and wants to steer them in the right direction. 

“He picks and chooses when to do it,” Webb said, via Bob Brookover the NJ Advance Media. “It’s never talking down. We’re all in it to win the game — him included. He’s the head coach, he’s talking to the quarterback and we’re trying to steer things in the right direction and get things fixed and we got it fixed.”

Jones called the interception he threw in Week 1 a situation he must learn from. 

“It was just a bad decision there,” Jones said. “You can’t afford to put us in that situation down in the red zone. It was definitely one to learn from.”

Webb thinks that Jones effectively responded to his interception. 

“I was right next to him,” Webb said. “Obviously, no one wants a pick there. If he had to do it again, I’m sure it would be a different deal. But he responded, our defense held them and we won the game, so you move on.”