FRISCO — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott started to nod his head initially until he cut the first question of his weekly meeting with the media off. He thought this was going to be a question about their playoff chances, which are still hanging on a thread. Instead, it was framed around a reality that they’ll face this weekend: if the Eagles win on Saturday, the Cowboys will be officially eliminated.
Prescott being evidently caught off guard is understandable, considering this isn’t really familiar territory for him.
Prescott played in at least 12 games in seven of his nine NFL seasons prior to this one. The other two seasons included season-ending injuries for Prescott, including last year. The Cowboys failed to make the playoffs in both of those. In the seven seasons where he was fully or mostly healthy, the Cowboys made the playoffs five times. The two exceptions were 2017 and 2019.
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“Yeah, this one stings for sure,” Prescott said when asked about that reality. “I hadn’t felt this since my second year in the league, so it’s a foreign feeling. I’d say for sure it’s motivating as hell, talking about all the changes and everything that’s happened through the season. The ups and the downs: adding personnel, losing a teammate. A lot went into this year, and it’s unfortunate that we were not in the position to be looking forward to the playoffs right now.”
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In order for the Cowboys to make the playoffs, they need to win the next three games and the Eagles need to lose all three games.
It’s a position that Prescott and the Cowboys understand why they are in. Prescott talked last week about multiple chances they had to win games that didn’t go their way. They were one second away from beating the Green Bay Packers at home, too, before that resulted in a tie.
The offense has done its part for the majority of the season. Dallas is fourth in the NFL in points per game (29.1). Prescott leads the NFL in passing yards. On Sunday, he could pass the 4,000-yard passing mark for the fourth time in his career. He’s thrown 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He agreed on Thursday that this season has been one of his best.
The Dallas defense, meanwhile, is on pace to allow the most points in franchise history. They’re 31st in the NFL in points per game allowed (30.0), trailing only the Cincinnati Bengals.
Even if the Cowboys do get eliminated this weekend, Prescott still said there’s something worth playing for. He believes the Cowboys can build momentum into next season by finishing this season on the right note, even if it doesn’t mean a trip to the postseason.
“I know just for me, not only me personally but for a lot of guys, this is a feeling that they’ll carry into the offseason,” Prescott said. “We’ll do our damnedest to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
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