Whenever Dak Prescott and a hand injury are mentioned in the same breath as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys fans immediately recall Week 1 of the 2022 season. When a fourth-quarter collision with Tampa Bay pass rusher Shaquil Barrett fractured the thumb on Prescott’s right throwing hand, the QB was sidelined for 5 games and required surgical repair.

So naturally, when Dak Prescott walked into Sunday’s postgame presser sporting heavy tape on his right hand, panic across the fanbase was inevitable. Ahead of the Dallas Cowboys‘ Thursday Night matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, questions about Prescott’s throwing hand and whether he’d be suiting up as the QB1 emerged.

Fortunately, The Athletic’s John Machota shared a positive update on X, noting, “With the Cowboys playing Thursday night, there will only be 8 full speed plays on offense/defense today in practice. The rest will be like a walk-through. No concerns with Dak Prescott’s throwing hand after it was stepped on Sunday. He’s good to go. If LG Tyler Smith (thumb) feels comfortable after today’s practice it sounds like he’ll play Thursday night.”

During the Cowboys’ hard-fought 34-30 Week 4 win over the Texans, Prescott’s right hand got stepped on midway through the 2nd quarter and took a cleat/shoe, resulting in a small cut and swelling. Even with an injury, the QB managed to finish the game with 335 passing yards and a 12-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb.

In an earlier update, Machota reported that “Dak Prescott has a cut on the back of his throwing hand during today’s game. His hand got stepped on. He downplayed the bandage, saying the wrap was just to keep down any potential swelling.”

During the post-game presser, the 4x Pro Bowl QB remained collected about the injury scare, confirming that “his right hand got stepped on during the intentional grounding play. Little swelling…and that he’s fine.”

The victory against the Texans marks Prescott’s 85th career win as the Cowboys now shift focus to a crucial TNF matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

For context, Dak Prescott is 3-2 against the Bucs, including both regular season and playoff games. After coming back from surgery in Week 7 of the 2022 season, Prescott led the Cowboys to a dominant 31-14 playoff victory over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

The NFC rivals last played against each other on December 22, 2024, when the Cowboys defeated the Buccaneers 26-24 at AT&T Stadium. During the encounter, Cooper Rush threw for 292 yards and a touchdown, while CeeDee Lamb had 7 catches for 105 yards, and Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals.

Dak Prescott missed the game after suffering a right hamstring injury during the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The QB was placed on IR as he opted to undergo season-ending surgery, forcing him to miss the rest of the 2024 season.

Now, Prescott is gearing up to face the Bucs once again after facing 7x Super Bowl Champ Tom Brady in his last NFL game and taking Dallas to its first road postseason win in three decades.

“We gotta get back tomorrow on it. We are playing Thursday, so it is going to be a quick turnaround, use this momentum, use what we did in the second half and just keep going,” Prescott said ahead of TNF.

Tampa Bay’s defense brings a relentless blitz under Todd Bowles, making interior protection vital. Getting Dak Prescott healthy and LG Trey Smith back on the field provides a big boost to the Cowboys against a Buccaneers team yet to record a win.