Star quarterback Dak Prescott will be inactive for the tie against the Minnesota Vikings because of a strained right calf muscle while Cooper Rush will be making his first NFL start for the Dallas Cowboys, according to US media reports

Will Grier will act as the backup quarterback for the night. Although the Cowboys retweeted a video of Prescott working with athletic trainer Britt Brown early in pregame, The Athletic report suggests the session reaffirmed the doubts regarding his fitness. He showed no obvious signs of limitation, but the message from the Cowboys all week was of caution to keep the soft tissue issue from lingering.

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The QB had the bye week to rest an injury sustained on his winning throw in overtime against New England. After the 35-29 victory over the Patriots, Prescott vowed not to miss any time while wearing a walking boot in his postgame session with reporters. Two full weeks including the team’s bye to treat and rest the injury weren’t quite enough for clearance.

However, by Monday, the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was wandering around the team’s facility without the boot, as seen when Prescott appeared briefly near the area where reporters were talking to other players. He said he was “fine” and still just wanted reporters to have fun speculating on his status against the Vikings (3-3).

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Prescott was out for the season with a compound fracture of his right ankle when Dallas visited Minnesota last year and won 31-28 behind backup Andy Dalton.

Also inactive for the Cowboys were four reserves: wide receiver Simi Fehoko, offensive lineman Matt Farniok, defensive end Azur Kamara and safety Israel Mukuamu.

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For the Vikings, defensive tackle Michael Pierce (elbow) was the lone starter on the inactive list. Also out were wide receiver/punt returner Dede Westbrook (ankle), defensive end Patrick Jones II (knee), guard Wyatt Davis, linebacker Chazz Surratt and quarterback Kellen Mond.

With inputs from the Associated Press