Dak on winning NFC East: ‘Want something better’

Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterJan 7, 2024, 10:01 PM ET
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LANDOVER, Md. — Dak Prescott stood at the podium not with an NFC East champions hat on his head, like so many of his Dallas Cowboys teammates and coaches, but with a Jordan Brand winter hat.

“I wouldn’t say I’m trying to send a message or anything,” Prescott said after the Cowboys clinched the division title — and the No. 2 seed in the NFC — with a 38-10 win against the Washington Commanders. “The hat is warmer. A shirt is a shirt. Yeah, I mean, won it before. Obviously, it’s a huge accomplishment for myself, this team, the organization. Don’t get me wrong by any means. But the focus is ahead. Simple as that … I want something better.”

Prescott will make his fifth trip to the playoffs when the Cowboys play the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round at AT&T Stadium. He has not gotten past the divisional round in his previous four trips, but he thinks the 2023 Cowboys offer the best chance to get to a Super Bowl.

Last year, the Cowboys were listless in a 26-6 loss in their regular-season finale to Washington at FedEx Field. This year they scored 31 straight points after the Commanders took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter, and Dallas won convincingly.

“Look at last year, the way we came to this place and didn’t finish the season the way we wanted to, to where we are now — the growth, the coaching staff, the players, the accountability, the communication, the transparency,” Prescott said. “And both sides holding their own really, not one side picking and doing more than the other side. … We’ve got three great units going into this thing. We’re fit all the way around.

“This moment, this time, doesn’t matter who we play, where we play them, we’re excited for our opportunity.”

The Cowboys have not won a championship since 1995, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. They have not reached an NFC Championship Game since then either, losing in the divisional round seven times (1996, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022). They have lost twice as the No. 1 seed (2007, 2016).

But the Cowboys have not been a No. 2 seed in the NFC since 1994, when they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

“The regular season is cute,” edge rusher Micah Parsons said. “People are like, ‘Oh you played great for a while,’ but this is legacy. It’s always the term of, ‘Be phenomenal or be forgotten.'”

The matchup with the Packers carries even more intrigue. Green Bay ended the Cowboys’ seasons in 2014 and 2016 with Mike McCarthy as coach. Now McCarthy is with the Cowboys and he became the first coach in team history to win 12 games in three straight seasons.

McCarthy was told the Cowboys would play the Packers as he made his way to the postgame news conference.

“Shoot, umm, I mean they’ve had a good year,” McCarthy said. “I haven’t watched them a whole lot but, yeah, the drama of it I’m sure you guys will love. I will not participate this year. But no, hey, it’s playoff time. Doesn’t matter who we play, to be honest with you.”

It might matter where they play. AT&T Stadium has become a true advantage for the Cowboys. They were the only team to go undefeated at home in the regular season (8-0) and they have won 16 straight there.

“We can’t lean on that,” Prescott said. “We need to lean on our preparation.”

The Cowboys could host at least two games at AT&T Stadium and would have to play on the road only once — if the top-seeded 49ers hold serve in the divisional round. San Francisco has ended the Cowboys’ season the past two years in the playoffs and beat them 42-10 in October.

“This team should be proud of a 2-seed and a division championship — and I’m proud of them — but most importantly, it’s playoff time,” McCarthy said. “We need to play our best football. It doesn’t matter who we play, where we play them. And that has to be our mindset. … It’s really how you’re playing. It’s the team that plays the best this time of year.”