Moments that defined the 2024 Dallas Cowboys

The deal came two weeks after wide receiver CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year, $136M extension, ensuring both would continue their careers as Cowboys. Prescott would have become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 but wisely settled on a deal that offered $231M in guarantees with an $80M signing bonus.

Nov. 3 | Prescott’s injury

After leading the Cowboys to a 3-4 record, Prescott left Week 9’s game against the Falcons with a hamstring injury at the end of the third quarter. He was diagnosed with a partial tendon avulsion, meaning most of his hamstring was actually pulling off the bone. He’d undergo surgery 10 days later, ending his 2024 campaign.

Nov. 18 | Cooper Rush finds his groove

After going 13-of-23 for a mere 45 yards against the Eagles in Week 10, Rush looked more like the quarterback that led the team to four straight wins in 2022 against the Texans in Week 11.

Although his team lost 34-10 to Houston, Rush went 32-of-55 for a career-high 354 yards, finishing as the week’s fourth-leading passer. He’d go on to win four of his next five starts before finishing with a 4-5 record as a starter in 2024.

Nov. 24 | A record day for kick returns

Ahead by three points with a little more than three minutes to play against the Commanders, KaVontae Turpin let a short kick by Washington’s Austin Seibert bounce through his legs before getting loose for a 99-yard score.

Then, with Dallas holding a one-point lead with 21 seconds left to play, second-year safety Juanyeh Thomas returned Washington’s onside kick for a touchdown. In doing so, Dallas became the first team in NFL history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the fourth quarter of any game.

Dec. 9 | An unfortunate blocked punt

With his team tied 20-20 with Cincinnati at the two-minute warning, Cowboys linebacker Nick Vigil blocked a punt deep in Bengals territory. Unfortunately, Dallas cornerback Amani Oruwariye touched the ball past the line of scrimmage, allowing the Bengals to recover the ball.

Three plays later, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase took a short pass from quarterback Joe Burrow and turned it into a 40-yard touchdown to win the game.

Dec. 29 | Rico Dowdle reaches 1,000 yards

Taking over for running back Tony Pollard, who signed with the Titans in the offseason, Dowdle got off to a slow start by averaging 33.5 yards per game in the team’s first four matchups.

But thanks to four 100-yard performances in his last six games, Dowdle’s 23 yards in a Week 17 loss to Philadelphia were enough to give Dallas a 1,000-yard rusher for the seventh-straight year.