If a team wants to make its ordinary quarterback look outstanding, all it has to do is pressure the daylights out of his counterpart.
Cooper Rush of the Dallas Cowboys is an ordinary-at-best quarterback who has spent his five N.F.L. seasons as a barely used backup. Yet this season, Rush has led the Cowboys to four straight victories in relief of Dak Prescott.
He has done so in large part because the Cowboys pass rush of Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. has sacked opposing quarterbacks 20 times for 128 yards, and the Cowboys defense has held opponents to just 14.