For Dak Prescott, postseason loss is something he won’t forget

During the weekend of the Super Bowl, the Cowboys find themselves out of it after being defeated in the wild card round by the 49ers by 23 to 17. Where of all the local teams in the first phase of the playoffs, the Cowboys were the only ones to fall Clearly this doesn’t sit well with Quarterback Dak Prescott. Who totally takes the blame for what happened and isn’t looking for excuses about it.

Dak Prescott on @RichEisenShow said he thinks about the loss to the 49ers several times a day: “We were expecting to go so much further. … This (Cowboys) team was one that, we had everything. We thought we were headed in the right direction and doing everything we needed to do.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 10, 2022

“This was a team, we had it all,” Prescott said Thursday on the Rich Eisen Show. “We thought we were going in the right direction to get a win and we didn’t. The way it ended, it’s one of those things that sticks with you. Those moments, an opportunity you will think about for a long time.”

Going into the bye week, the Dallas Cowboys were running a near-perfect 5-1 record, losing just one loss to Tampa Bay in Week 1. An already tight-knit game with the Bucs winning just 31 to 29. However, Dak Prescott injured his right calf on the last play he would make at Gillette Stadium against the Patriots in overtime. Where a 35-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb would give them the victory as visitors by 35 to 29.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb for a game-winning TD in overtime.

Cowboys 35, Patriots 29pic.twitter.com/njz8cWi1cB
(via @NFL)

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 17, 2021

It wouldn’t end there, as even though Prescott was out for two weeks, backup quarterback Cooper Rush was able to shine against the Minnesota Vikings on the road as well. Achieving a more than convincing result from 20 to 16 and leaving the team with a 6-1 record heading into week 9.

BIG TIME COOPER RUSH. #DallasCowboys

📺: #DALvsMIN on NBC
📱: https://t.co/vo1pze9aC5 pic.twitter.com/pZcZTU7TVP

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2021

However, the team’s debacle came from the game against the Denver Broncos onwards. With an offense that did not convince anyone, only winning lower-ranking teams, while losing to higher-level teams in the NFL. In conclusion, the Lone Star team finished with a 6-5 record the rest of the season, including the wild card loss to San Francisco.

According to Prescott, none of this had to do with any consequence of his calf injury. “She went on for about 15 days and going into that bye week I was able to rest her,” Dak said. “And I missed the game the following week in Minnesota, but I wouldn’t say it was prolonged. I went through a period of time in the season where I didn’t play my best and people tried to say it was my calf when it actually got better. I did everything I had to do to make it heal.”

Dak Prescott on @RichEisenShow on his calf injury: “I wouldn’t say it lingered as long as people gave me the excuse of it. I went through a period of time during the season where I just didn’t play my best ball.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 10, 2022

With these statements, Prescott is implying that he is not looking for excuses for poor offensive performance. The injury had nothing to do with it and he takes full responsibility for what happened. Either way, and despite his great numbers on offense, he still has an unpromising postseason record. So far he has one win and three losses and it is hoped that in the future this may change. Otherwise, the Cowboys’ victory drought will continue.

“It’s hard. It was difficult to have the expectation to advance much more. For your season to not be much more than it was and for it to end so suddenly, especially the way it happened,” Prescott continued. “It is difficult to accept. There are certainly moments, games and things that I think will stick with players or people for a long time in their career, and I think this matchup is one of them.”

In another order of ideas, we must also remember that Dak Prescott was at the NFL Honors ceremony. Where he lost by seven votes to Joe Burrow for NFL Comeback of the Year, and was one of the finalists for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. Award that Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth ended up winning.

Already about to officially end the season, what they will do in the offices is prepare the work plan for 2022. Dak Prescott is still the Franchise Quarterback of the organization, so everything that has to be fixed will be for help you in your work. After all, the lapses in the ground game and the penalties took their toll in 2021. The team will have to do something about it if it doesn’t just want to go to the postseason. But to continue advancing against the strongest rivals in the league. Task in which the Cowboys failed in an essential way and that can not be repeated.