All hope could truly be lost for the Dallas Cowboys this season. Or, you know, if it wasn’t already.

Dak Prescott’s injury that knocked out Cowboys quarterback prematurely in the club’s Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, dropping Dallas to 3-5 on the season, was the last thing the team needed needed. And it was pretty clear afterward that the prognosis wasn’t positive with rumors that Prescott would be placed on injured reserve following his injury. But it could be even worse than we thought.

On Wednesday, Jane Slater, an inside NFL source, reported that Prescott suffered a “partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon which is partially torn from the bone.” Simply put, his hamstring tendon was partially torn from his hip bone. More importantly, Slater noted that recovery from this injury normally takes more than four weeks and the only reason the quarterback hasn’t already been put on IR is because he’s seeking more medical advice. .

Frankly, nothing about it seems vaguely positive for the Cowboys in a season that’s already woefully thin in terms of positivity.

Unless Prescott comes back with medical advice that he can play right away, this really seems like a case for him going on IR and being shut down for the remainder of the season. Conservatively, let’s say he returns in six weeks from this injury – that would put him back in Week 16. What realistic chance is there that the Cowboys absolutely have anything to play for at this point in the season?

Even if he were healthy, it’s possible the Cowboys wouldn’t be playing for anything at this time of the year, given how things have gone so far. Once again, the team is 3-5 and the mood couldn’t be more in shambles. Prescott’s injury only makes the decision to bench him even more obvious.

While this may sound dismissive to some extent, the simple truth is that a Dallas team without Dak Prescott under center is even less likely to win football games than it already has. All due respect to Cooper Rush, but that’s a substantial drop for the backup. And if Prescott’s injury requires a lengthy recovery time, there’s really no need to rush him given the state of the franchise.

In an ideal world where we think long term, Prescott could gradually recover from this injury, then return for offseason workouts and training camp before the 2025 season with a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator at the helm of the ship.

We don’t live in that ideal world, at least not yet, but this latest injury update on the Cowboys star doesn’t leave too much room for optimism about what the rest of his 2024 season will look like and that of his team.