members of a team breathe easier when their star quarterback is out there and they know he can make plays. when he's not and a backup is in, the starters realize they have to shoulder a bit more of the burden to get wins. happened with the defense during cooper rush's 4-1 run when dak got hurt a few years ago; rush was significantly worse than dak but the defense and rest of the team shouldered the burden to win games. when dak came back the offense kicked into gear but the defense got worse.

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