Quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged last week he hadn’t played “good enough” as his Dallas Cowboys sat at 3-3. Prescott then tossed a pair of interceptions in Dallas’ 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.
Prescott admitted following that defeat that he “damn sure can’t be having the turnovers” if the Cowboys are going to right the ship this fall.
“The second one was as boneheaded of an interception as I feel like I’ve had,” Prescott explained, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Trying to make a play, too much confidence in myself right there. Should’ve just thrown it away. …That one hurts, starting off the third quarter that way, allowed them to get a touchdown there, you look at the end at the score, a touchdown’s the difference. Once again, we put ourselves behind on the turnover battle, and that’s on me. We can’t have that if we’re playing to win games, and I’ve got to clean that up. Period.”
Prescott finished second in Most Valuable Player voting for the 2023 campaign, but has tossed two interceptions in each of Dallas’ last three games, two of which the Cowboys lost. According to ESPN stats, only three quarterbacks have thrown more picks than Prescott (eight) this season. He began Monday ranked 23rd in the NFL with a 47.2 adjusted QBR and 24th with an 84.5 passer rating on the campaign.
Needless to say, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones probably expected better play from Prescott when Jones signed the 31-year-old to a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed.
“I mean me, personally frustrated. Frustrated, myself, in my play. I imagine the rest of the guys are,” Prescott added during his postgame comments, per Todd Archer of ESPN. “Not getting the win, two in a row now, sitting at 3-4. But I can definitely tell you that nobody’s shaken or giving up. Frustration is very high. But it’s a long season.”
Prescott will attempt to avoid costly turnovers when the Cowboys play at the 5-3 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Dallas as a 2.5-point underdog against Atlanta.