You have to give credit where credit is due. And the truth is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush shocked the NFL world when he led America's Team to an upset win over the Minnesota Vikings last year.

But betting on him to keep the season alive for 6-8 weeks – the alleged timetable for Dak Prescott's return – seems like a wildly optimistic bet.

The Cowboys are in a tough position to be in. The team rolled into the season confident in Cooper Rush and Will Grier but now that they have to actually go play we'll see if they remain so. Jerry Jones said after the game the Cowboys were rolling with Rush as the signal-caller.

Over the next few days, this will be a big conversation. And many will point toward Rush's 2021 win over the Vikings as a way of saying "this is fine." Except it's clearly not. As epic as that win was, it's tough to be encouraged by the backup quarterback's play.

To be fair, Rush passed for 325 yards as he completed 60% of his throws. He even completed several deep throws, as you can see in the passing chart from Next Gen Stats below.

But the game plan was quite limited. And if you tuned in to Sunday's game versus the Bucs, you'll know the 2022 Cowboys' offense already looked significantly constrained even with Prescott under center.

Coverage condensed over CeeDee Lamb, receivers didn't gain separation, there were issues in pass protection, and at times it felt like the only answer was to find Dalton Schultz in sit routes.

Do we really trust Kellen Moore – who came into this season with significant questions to answer – to put together master game plans to win with Rush? I don't think anyone does at this point.

Last year, Rush was able to target Amari Cooper 13 times. The former Cowboys receiver caught eight of these and went for 122 yards. The attention on Cooper allowed for six receptions and 112 yards for Lamb. Cedrick Wilson went for 84 yards, too.

But even then, the Cowboys' offense was far from efficient. According to RBSDM.com, Rush had a below-median performance in passing efficiency measured by EPA/play.

This isn't a knock on Rush, who exceeded expectations on that Vikings game a year ago. However, it's a tough ask for any starting quarterback to lead a shaky offensive line and a razor-thin group of wide receivers to victory. Let alone a backup.

There aren't many upgrades available in the market – and those who are, have huge question marks themselves – but everything should be in play for the Cowboys if they want to salvage the season.

If they get a virtual upgrade like say, Mason Rudolph or a retired Ryan Fitzpatrick (yeah, that's where we're at now), it would take time to get a new quarterback acclimated to the Cowboys' language on offense.

Even if the plan is to go with Rush, the Cowboys should explore the option of having a solid Plan B. For it to work if needed though, the signing must take place as soon as possible to integrate the new quarterback into the offense.

But the goal might be to keep this season alive enough to bet on Prescott returning in November and turning things around. The Cowboys shouldn't be content about the quarterback room like they were all offseason.

Featured image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports