dallas cowboys quarterback dak prescott fractures thumb in game against tom brady

with about five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, prescott’s throw was blocked by outside linebacker shaquil barrett. the two players hands’ made contact just after the ball was released, and prescott’s throwing hand appears to bend backwards. 

it was determined shortly after that prescott will require surgery, and underwent a procedure monday night.  cowboys owner jerry jones said prescott will not even need to be placed on injury reserve. 

“we won’t be putting him on ir [injured reserve],” jones told a dallas sports radio program . “which means we want him to be in consideration for playing within the next four games.”

initial reports put the quarterback out for 6-8 weeks before he’d be able to play again.  prescott joined the cowboys as a reserve qb in 2016, but was quickly promoted after veteran tony romo was injured in the pre-season.  likewise, backups are stepping into prescott’s cleats to fill his spot on the field for the next few weeks. 

what happens when a thumb is fractured?

the usual time frame for a fractured thumb to fully heal is six to eight weeks, according to the u.k.’s national health service . however, more extreme cases can take as much as four months before full strength is returned to the appendage. 

how is a fractured thumb fixed?

there are a few ways that a surgeon can go about this, the first by attaching pins and screws to the affected area internally, according to the american academy of orthopedic surgeons . the second is similar but involves an external fixation device, or a frame, for the metal to anchor to.  these are the cages or holsters you can sometimes see on serious injuries.