Dak Prescott told Tom Brady that his confidence was “sky-high” ahead of the Dallas Cowboys‘ 44-22 blowout victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. However, he had a different feeling when the Cowboys’ offense went nearly 20 minutes without scoring in the first half of Sunday’s game.
“We were a little frustrated that we weren’t playing to our standard,” Prescott told Brady after the game. “We weren’t playing what we were capable of doing.”
Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott 🏆 Week 7 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Tom Brady awards Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott with the LFG Player of the Game after his big performance against the Washington Commanders.
That frustration turned into the Cowboys’ best drive of the game. After the Commanders scored a touchdown to cut the Cowboys’ lead to 20-15 with 45 seconds remaining in the first half, Prescott only needed four plays to help Dallas find the end zone. He connected with George Pickens on a crisp deep ball for a 44-yard gain before running back Javonte Williams rushed for a 33-yard gain.
On the next play, Prescott threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Ferguson to give the Cowboys a 27-15 lead going into halftime.
The rout was on from there, and Prescott’s “sky-high” confidence was vindicated.
“Just the work I put into this. Going back, personally, to the offseason, but then, as a team, going from spring into training camp,” Prescott told Brady on why he felt confident ahead of Sunday’s game. “Then, when you’ve got two pass catchers like CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, understanding CeeDee was going to be back tonight, it was a great week of practice. We came out here, celebrated and had a great time on the field — and that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
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While Prescott lamented over the Cowboys’ three straight drives without a touchdown in the first half, Dallas’ offense got off to a roaring start in Sunday’s game. It only needed five plays on the game’s opening drive to reach the end zone, with the red-hot Pickens drawing a pass interference penalty that allowed Williams to rush for a score.
After a perfect punt from the Commanders allowed them to get a safety, the Cowboys marched down the field for a field goal to take a 10-8. Later in the first quarter, Prescott and Lamb looked like their usual selves when they connected for a 74-yard touchdown on a deep throw from the quarterback.
The touchdown pass to Lamb, who missed the Cowboys’ last three games due to an ankle injury, was Prescott’s top highlight of the day, but it was far from the only impressive pass he made. He completed 21 of 30 passes for three touchdowns and 264 yards, posting a season-high 130.4 passer rating. Sunday marked the fourth straight game that Prescott threw for at least three touchdowns and recorded a passer rating of at least 120.
That’s the kind of stat that would make Prescott one of the few favorites for MVP if the Cowboys’ record was better than 3-3-1. But it’s clear that Dallas’ record doesn’t need to be strong for Prescott to earn respect around the league. Ahead of Sunday’s game, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told Brady that the Cowboys “wanted to win for Dak” so badly during his three-year tenure as Dallas’ defensive coordinator.
“I’m honored,” Prescott said when Brady recited that quote to him. “Coming into work every day, I try to be consistent, try to be the best player, the best man I can be. When you get the respect of DQ, someone that’s a friend, I loved our time together, and it was awesome to compete against him for the first time in some years.
“A bunch of those guys on that team were teammates. So, it makes it fun getting older in the league.”
Dak Prescott was all smiles after taking home the win — and Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game honor. (Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Outside of Prescott, Sunday was the Cowboys’ best all-around performance this season. They forced two turnovers, with Daron Bland recording a pick-six of Marcus Mariota after he replaced Jayden Daniels due to injury. The Cowboys’ performance on Sunday merely moves them a win closer to getting back to .500, which they needed as four of their next six games might be against the four best teams in the league (Broncos, Eagles, Chiefs, Lions).
But if games like the one on Sunday are the new norm in Dallas moving forward, which Prescott believes it can be, then the sky could be the limit for the Cowboys.
“It was a great, complementary win. That’s what we’ve got to take from it, first and foremost,” Prescott said. “Defense did a good job of creating turnovers, got a touchdown, and then we were able to just stack points.
“But when we play to what we’re capable of doing, we’re going to be a very tough team to beat.”
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