Dak Prescott did not want the Dallas Cowboys to treat one win like a turnaround. After a 38-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the quarterback said the result had been “huge” and “massive,” then added: “This is one game. We’ve got to build on this.”
Prescott completed 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns, two to CeeDee Lamb and one to George Pickens, with no interceptions. Javonte Williams ran 25 times for 155 yards and a touchdown. The win ended a two-game losing streak, moved Dallas to 3-4 and sent Philadelphia to a fifth straight loss.
“Definitely hungry, pissed off version of Schotty”
A reporter told Prescott that head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s own postgame news conference had been unusually short and asked whether he noticed a different coach this week. “Definitely hungry, pissed off version of Schotty,” Prescott said. “It’s not like he’s naive. It’s not like he hadn’t heard some noise about him.” Prescott mentioned doubts about the play calling and said: “We’ve got his back.”
He said Schottenheimer “takes a lot of pride in his job, a lot of pride in his team,” and that the mood was “contagious.” “I’m as motivated and as locked in as anybody and don’t need much,” Prescott said. “But I know the team feels it. I’m sure there’s players that need that to fire themselves up to an extent. And at the end of the day, he’s our head coach. We’re gonna follow him.” Asked whether the two had talked about it during the week, he said: “There’s actually no conversations about it. I’m not one to talk about that for the most part.”
“You go 200 and 200”
Prescott pointed to the balance. Dallas finished with 212 passing yards and 204 rushing yards. “You go 200 and 200. Obviously that shows balance,” he said. “We knew we had to create some balance. We had to stick to the run.” He said the runs got better as the night went on: “Those two-yard runs turned to six-yard runs, from six to 12.” He said the Cowboys have to keep calling the run, and that Schottenheimer “knows that and he’s going to continue to do that.”
On Williams, he said: “He’s a true pro. One of the best teammates.” He called him a back “you got to get in a groove” and said the last couple of weeks had been frustrating for him without enough carries in a row. “Tonight he had that chance,” Prescott said, “and when you follow that offensive line, trust them, trust those blocks, that’s the product you’re going to get.”
Prescott said the Eagles, like other teams, gave Lamb extra attention, which he called respect for “his big-play ability and the way that he ignites our offense.” On Pickens’ 21-yard touchdown in the second quarter, he said: “I saw George still headed to the back of the end zone being physical on his route, and I just tried to give him a chance, and he made one of the best catches and toe taps, you know, I’ve seen in a long time.”
“An elbow right to the middle of the gut”
Prescott took a shot as he threw on a third-and-long, a week after he took a hit to the ribs against Green Bay. He said this one was different. “This week it was just like an elbow right to the middle of the gut, and so I just couldn’t breathe there for a second or so,” he said. “By the time I got back to the huddle, I realized there was no injury, there was no pain. I just need to catch my breath.”
He also had fun with the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. “I heard a lot of trash talk, I heard a lot of comments, some funny,” he said. He compared it to the SEC: “These people love football. They’re gonna let you know how they feel. They love their team and they hate anybody that’s playing them, particularly us and any rivals.” He added: “Love being here.”
“Only this week matters”
The New York Giants lead the NFC East at 4-2-1. Prescott said that is why division games matter. “The division’s right in front of us. It is as long as we win,” he said. “If you lose, then you’re probably checking to see what New York’s doing.” Asked how the Cowboys can stack wins, he said: “Momentum’s real, especially in this league.” Then he added: “Only this week matters, so it’s Arizona, right?”
Dallas hosts the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, November 1, at 1:00 p.m. ET, which is 8:00 p.m. in Cairo.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.