With Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton out, former James Madison quarterback and 2020 seventh-round pick made his first NFL start on Sunday Night Football. DiNucci finished with 186 passing yards on 21 of 40 passing and could not find the endzone in a 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
For the angry fan base, former Cowboys quarterback Babe Laufenberg sent the fan base a message on Twitter following the rookie’s first start.
“Please appreciate the impossible situation Ben DiNucci was in. No OTAs or mini-camp. No preseason games. And then the abbreviated training camp was spent trying to get Dak and Andy Dalton ready for the season. Throw in a windy night and Fletcher Cox and…well, you get the idea.”
In the game, DiNucci recorded two fumbles to bring his total to four this season. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, DiNucci acknowledged that he made too many mistakes.
“We had a few good drives, got past the 50 and then one thing or another stalled us out,” DiNucci said. “I had two fumbles, had some penalties, some pre snap penalties. That stuff is on me. I’ve got to clean that up. This NFL thing, it’s hard. These teams are good. It’s a battle every single week.”
The Cowboys are 0-3 since Ady Dalton and DiNucci have taken over. Those losses include being outscored 86-22 by the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Football Team, and Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s been a disaster, but one stat is taking over social media. The Cowboys have scored more points in Prescott’s final fourth quarter (24) than they have in three games combined without him (22).
The Cowboys should get Dalton back for their matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better.