When you saw Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott standing together, chatting on the Cowboys' sideline in Seattle on Thursday night, you couldn't help but think the future of the Cowboys' offense might be in pretty, pretty good hands.

Who knew the future was going to show up in two weeks?

Barring a catastrophic third quarterback injury in practice -- anything seems possible with these Cowboys given Dez Bryant's recent concussion on a "nondescript hit'' during practice -- then the rookie Prescott will start against the New York Giants on Sept. 11. And against several more opponents after that.

The Cowboys learned Saturday that Tony Romo has a broken bone in his back, an injury that is expected to sideline him anywhere from six to 10 weeks. A year ago, that would have meant six to 10 losses. This team came completely unhinged without Romo in 2015, although it's important to remember Bryant missed a lot of those games and was limited in others.

But there's no panic in the streets of Dallas. No Romo? No Kellen Moore?

No sweat.

Never has so much confidence been placed in a fourth-round rookie quarterback. Maybe that's a mistake. Maybe those preseason appearances were nothing but a mirage. The Cowboys don't think so, and neither should anyone else.

You have all waited patiently for my upcoming NFL predictions, soon to be displayed in our Cowboys preview section. I sent them in a few days ago, picking the Cowboys to go 9-7 and be a wild-card team.

In light of Saturday's news that Romo will likely miss half the season before taking his first snap, I see the Cowboys going 9-7 and finishing as a wild-card team.

That's not a knock on the 36-year-old Cowboys record-holder. It's a simple belief that my eyes aren't deceiving me and that yours aren't deceiving you.

There was the debut in the LA Coliseum in which he threw two touchdown passes in two quarters of work. Then came a home appearance against Miami ... and four more touchdowns. Thursday night he found himself tossed into the fray early against Seattle's starting defense. A seven-play, 81-yard touchdown drive got the Cowboys on the board.

Prescott has appeared to be in command of everything the preseason has had to offer. And that's the thing. It's not the real deal. That's coming, and there will be plenty of bumps in the road, but I suspect there will be plenty of big plays as well.

"I do think there's a quiet confidence in our football team as far as having confidence in him to come in here,'' Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said Saturday. "We feel good about Dak. We think our team feels good about Dak.''

You'd feel better if Dak had time to watch and wait. Almost invariably, that has been the safer path to travel.

But he won't end up going 0-11 like Troy Aikman did in 1989, not because he's so much more advanced than the Cowboys Hall of Famer, but because he's surrounded by elite talent. Cowboys fans have been given only the briefest glimpse of Elliott, but there was nothing lacking in his performance as he staggered Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor with his first hit while rushing seven times for 48 carries.

DeMarco Murray broke Emmitt Smith's Cowboys rushing record with the considerable help provided by this offensive line in 2014. The line has only gotten better with three young first-round picks moving towards the early prime of their careers along with last year's addition of La'el Collins. Darren McFadden, limited to 37 carries in a reserve role the first five weeks, had no problems rushing for more than 1,000 yards and a 4.6 average behind this line last season.

What might Elliott do?

Oh my, if this team has confidence in Prescott, you can at least double that regarding the expectations for Elliott and this running game. In fact, the belief that the Cowboys can lead the NFL in rushing has plenty to do with the absence of panic over Dak.

None of this is meant to suggest the team won't miss Romo at all. And I do fully expect head coach Jason Garrett to hand Romo the keys to the offense whenever he's healthy, regardless of how well Prescott has played. I don't think he's ready to be the Drew Bledsoe to Prescott's Romo. Not quite yet.

But somehow, with little beyond the addition of two draft picks, a team that was devastated by Romo's absence a year ago is ready to march into the regular season with confidence and perhaps even the odd notion of a little rookie swagger.

Twitter: @TimCowlishaw

TONY ROMO OUT 6-10 WEEKS: MORE COVERAGE

Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas talks with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as Romo comes off the field after being injured on a play in the first quarter during a preseason game between the Seahawks and the Cowboys at CenturyLink Field on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Romo sustained a broken bone in his back when he was hit from behind by Seattles Cliff Avrill and slid awkwardly on the third play of a preseason game. (Lindsey Wasson/The Seattle Times) (Lindsey Wasson / The Seattle Times)

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Source: Cowboys QB Tony Romo to miss 6-10 weeks after MRI reveals broken bone in his back