Dallas Cowboys QB Andy Dalton knocked out by dirty hit; Washington linebacker ejected
Andy Dalton left Sunday’s game with a concussion after Washington linebacker Jon Bostic knocked Dalton’s helmet off with an illegal hit early in the second half.
Bostic led with his helmet and hit Dalton as Dalton was sliding at the end of a run. Bostic was ejected from the game.
Dalton was being evaluated for a concussion at the stadium. No update on his status had been released as of 3:30 p.m.
The Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback was starting his second game in place of Dak Prescott, who is out for the season with a broken ankle. The Cowboys lost 25-3.
Ezekiel Elliott was asked why none of Dalton’s teammates retaliated for the flagrantly dangerous play by Bostic. Elliott said it was a fair question to ask.
“Doing that you have to be careful because we’re already down a bunch of guys [to injury],” said Elliott, who finished with 45 yards on 12 carries. “If you go in there and throw a punch and you get kicked out of the game you can’t help the team from the locker room.”
“We have to find a way to not cross that line but we still have to protect our guys,” he said.
Cowboys first-year head coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t happy how his team responded to Dalton’s injury.
“We speak all the time about playing for one another, protecting one another,” McCarthy said. “It definitely was not the response you would expect.”
Ben DiNucci, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the 7th round in last spring’s draft, took over for Dalton. He completed his first pass attempt for 32 yards to Amari Cooper but was sacked on his next two pass attempts. The Cowboys depleted offensive line has allowed five sacks in less than three full quarters.
Dalton was 9 of 19 for 75 yards and an interception. The interception came inside the red zone when his pass over the middle was a little behind Elliott. The ball deflected off Elliott’s hands and was picked off. Dalton was also stripped of the ball which was eventually turned into a safety for Washington on the Cowboys’ first possession. DiNucci was 2 of 3 for 39 yards. He picked up 32 yards of that on his first pass of the game, a completion down the sideline to Amari Cooper. Both Dalton and DiNucci were sacked three times each.
If Dalton has a concussion, it’s unlikely he’d be available next Sunday night at Philadelphia.
“If my number is called, I’ll be the first one in the building [Monday] and the last one to leave,” DiNucci said. “I’ve learned more from sitting in a room with Dak and Andy the last two months than I have playing the last eight years.”
If DiNucci had left the game, tight end Blake Bell was the Cowboys’ emergency quarterback. Garrett Gilbert, who was signed off the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad on Oct. 13 after Prescott’s injury, was not on the active roster against Washington. He’s likely to be activated against the Eagles.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
