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FRISCO, Texas -- Heading into Sunday's game with the San Francisco 49ers (1-2), the Dallas Cowboys (2-1) are seemingly back where they finished off last season's dreadful 4-12 campaign. They began the season without quarterback Tony Romo, who is out until after the bye week because of a broken bone in his back, and now they could without receiver Dez Bryant for up to three games with a hairline fracture in his right knee.
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The absence of those two for the bulk of last year was the reason for the complete about face from the 12-4 season of 2014.
But this is not last year when the Cowboys had no hope.
There are no sunken heads in the Cowboys locker room. They are looking forward, not backward and they believe they can win without the leaders.
"Last year people were like crying almost," Butler said. "Nobody is batting an eye this year."
Nobody is batting an eye because of the emergence of rookie sensation Dak Prescott at quarterback in place of the injured Romo.
Prescott has already won more games than the three quarterbacks who replaced Romo did last year combined.
"We got to move forward," tight end Jason Witten said. "We got guys in the position that can play. We got to be able to keep moving forward. We can't flinch."
The Cowboys are able to move forward because Prescott is playing well beyond his years. He has no interceptions in his first three games combined, a span of 99 passes.
Prescott said if Bryant is not available then he will lean on other weapons in the Cowboys offense.
"I don't really pay attention to who I'm throwing to," Prescott said. "I just go out there and go through my reads. Whoever is open gets the ball. I hope Dez
gets well or is well really, really soon. But it doesn't really affect this offense."
It also helps that the Cowboys have a work horse back in rookie Ezekiel who seemingly coming into his own.
Elliott, who has 274 yards rushing through three games, just got out of the starting blocks and is off and running following that 140-yard performance against the Bears last Sunday.
It was his best game of the season and the Cowboys expect him to get better and better after a relatively slow start in the first two games. He acknowledges that the time he missed in camp and the preseason with hamstring issues set him back.
But now that his playing and getting more comfortable with the block schemes and the Cowboys offensive line, he should get better and better in being patient to the hole and hitting his landmarks.
"It's hard to recreate true run game looks in practice," Garrett said. "So hopefully over the course of the early part of the season and as the season goes on, you get better. You get better doing it because you've done it a lot in a game type situation.
"I think that's what's happening with Zeke. He's run these runs a little bit, run them against different fronts, he's felt the different looks and he's getting more and more comfortable. I think we've been a real growth and development in Zeke just over the course of three games."
SERIES HISTORY: 35th meeting. San Francisco leads the series, 17-16-1. Dallas has won three of the last four meetings. Dallas won the last meeting in San Francisco 27-24 in overtime in 2011. A Cowboys would win would give them three in a row for the first time since 2014 and have them 3-1 for the 22nd time in franchise history.
--The Cowboys are listing receiver Dez Bryant as day-to-day with a hairline fracture in his right knee and have not yet ruled him out for Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
But he could miss up to three games.
Bryant did not practice on Wednesday and coach Jason Garrett said the team will evaluate him again Thursday and see how he feels.
"He has a slight hairline fracture in one of the bones in his knee," coach Jason Garrett said. "What I have been told I is that it's a day-to-day, week-to- week injury. We will take it day-to-day and see how he does. When he comes in tomorrow, we will see how he feels and we will make our evaluations as we go forward."
The Cowboys remain somewhat optimistic because other players have played with type of injury before, some missing no time and others missing only a week or two, per Garrett.
Bryant sustained the injury on the first drive of last Sunday's 31-17 victory against the Chicago Bears. He missed only six plays before returning to the game and even caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
--QB Dak Prescott in one of the hottest names in the NFL but he is not pursuing any endorsements because he doesn't feel he's done enough.
That's the same reason why he is not comfortable using his platform as an agent for social change like 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
"Right now, I'm just trying to play my best football," Prescott said. "Just be the best I can on the field. I allow those guys that are vets, those guys that have made that position for themselves, to do those types of things. I'm just continuing, head down, focused on my game plan."
NOTES: DE Charles Tapper, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. He will miss at least eight weeks, if not the season, while rehabbing a back injury. The Cowboys signed offensive tackle Emmett Cleary to take Tapper's place on the roster. ... LG La'el Collins is holding off surgery on his injured right big toe in hopes that it will heal. He has been diagnosed with torn ligaments that could require surgery, which could place him on injured reserve. ... T Tyron Smith did not practice Wednesday because he continues to be bothered by back spasms that kept him out of last Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys are hoping he can play against the 49ers on Sunday. ... CB Orlando Scandrick was limited in practice on Wednesday after missing last Sunday's game against the Bears with hamstring issues in both legs. He is still questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers. ... WR Cole Beasley has 20 catches for 213 yards, putting him well on pace for career highs in catches (107) and yards (1,136).
