FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A smattering of fans booed Dak Prescott when the Dallas Cowboys quarterback was shown on the video board at a postseason baseball game in October, not long before the Texas Rangers won the World Series.
The Cowboys had just earned a narrow win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but the mixed reaction at the AL Championship Series was more reflective of the franchise-shaking blowout loss in San Francisco a week earlier.
Prescott prides himself on being the same man and the same leader regardless of what swirls around one of the most polarizing positions in sports: starting quarterback of the Cowboys.
He agrees that his resolve has rarely been tested the way it was in the aftermath of that 42-10 loss to the Niners, who knocked Dallas out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons as the storied franchise reached 27 consecutive seasons without even getting to an NFC championship game.
“I’m up for any test, so yeah I understand that it was a test and that’s how I look at it,” Prescott, who tied his career high with three interceptions in one of the worst showings of his eight-year career, said Thursday.
“Challenged myself to be better in many different ways, not just on the field but damn sure on the field and in my game but as well as my preparation and holding other guys accountable to their preparation,” he said. “The weekly process has been better and guys are really dialed into the process.”
It’s time for another test in another big game, with the Cowboys (5-2) set for a visit Sunday to NFC East rival and division-leading Philadelphia (7-1), the defending NFC champ and the NFL’s only seven-win team.
The debate among fans and pundits is constant over whether Prescott is the right guy to get Dallas past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title to cap the 1995 season.
His playoff record is 2-4, starting with a divisional loss to Green Bay when the Cowboys were the top seed in the NFC and Prescott went on to win 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Last season, Prescott had perhaps the best game of his career in a wild-card victory at Tampa Bay in what ended up being Tom Brady’s final game. He followed it with a clunky outing in a 19-12 loss at San Francisco.
The offense has been slow to find its groove in Mike McCarthy’s debut as the play caller in his fourth season as coach.
Defense and special teams had most of the signature moments in another solid start for the team, before Prescott’s four touchdown passes coincided with DaRon Bland’s third interception return for a touchdown this season in last week’s 43-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Prescott and CeeDee Lamb connected for two of those scores — three weeks after the receiver was openly frustrated with not getting the ball enough against the Niners.
Lamb’s belief in the face of the franchise didn’t waver.
“Being a leader is not about changing your approach every time something goes wrong,” Lamb said. “He’s done a great job of staying neutral and knowing how much he means to this offense and that it’s very important that he plays great.”
Prescott didn’t have his usual pump-’em-up reaction when the Rangers showed him on the video board during the ALCS against the rival Houston Astros. There was a hint of apprehension, like he knew the sting of the showing against the Niners lingered for everyone.
Whatever the perception, it doesn’t reflect the feeling inside the building where there is no debate about whether Prescott is the right guy to get the Cowboys where they so desperately want to go.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said it two days after the rout in San Francisco. Essentially, make no mistake, Jones said, Prescott is still that guy.
The roller coaster of the past few weeks confirmed a similar belief in Prescott for offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, in his second season with the Cowboys after a consulting role last year.
“He never changes who he is,” Schottenheimer said. “After the biggest win, four touchdowns, one interception, when you see him, he’s not different than he was after the 49ers game. I think that speaks to his experience. It speaks to his confidence.
“There’s an inner calm about the guy that’s really cool to sit next to him on game day and talk to him, both in San Francisco and yesterday,” Schottenheimer said, speaking a day after the win over the Rams.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
