Two weeks ago, no one could have convinced Dak Prescott that the Dallas Cowboys would basically be out of playoff contention with three games to play.
But that’s where they sit after their three-game winning streak was halted, dropping consecutive games to the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. According to The Athletic’s NFL Simulator, Dallas only has a 4 percent chance of making the playoffs with three consecutive wins to end the season.
“Yeah, definitely surprised,” Prescott said late Sunday night after the Cowboys’ 34-26 loss to the Vikings at AT&T Stadium. “Especially after the bye week, the trades, get rolling like we did for those few weeks, and then watch the confidence just skyrocket. Stopping teams, scoring at will, coming back from (down) 21 points (against the Philadelphia Eagles), just a lot of good wins there that to be in this position, just reminds you that every play matters. It’s a hard game. Those guys get paid, too. They practice throughout the week and prepare no different than we do. It’s tough. I’m definitely surprised, hurt, pissed off, frustrated. But all I can do is get better tomorrow.”
A healthy Prescott has usually meant a good chance at a postseason berth for Dallas. He has played an entire season in six of his previous nine NFL seasons. In those six years, the Cowboys have made the playoffs four times and been in contention entering the final two weeks of the season in the other two.
What is his goal now for the final three weeks?
“You’re a professional football player,” Prescott said. “You have to come to work and give your absolute best, regardless. Unfortunately, I’m sure the playoffs are out of the picture. But it’s about taking pride in who you are as a man, and not only that and your job and everything that’s gotten you to this point. I know for a lot of guys and just the business of the world, that’s interviews for some people. You can’t just give up. You can’t just stop. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, we’re not going to the playoffs.’ It’s the National Football League.”
“Nothing’s going to change for me, and that’s going to be my influence as a leader,” he added. “My message to anybody around me is, ‘Take pride in who you are as a man and who you are as a football player and the job responsibility that you have and what that entails is giving your best every day.’ And if you don’t, you probably won’t be in this league for long.”
Late Sunday night, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said his postgame message to the team was that they are not changing.
“I’m disappointed,” he said. “We didn’t play well against Detroit (the week before). I really do think this, I think we’re beating ourselves quite a bit and that starts with us as a coaching staff. … It’s always going to start with me and the things that I messed up and didn’t do very well. (Vikings defensive coordinator) Brian Flores was better than me (Sunday). I won’t sleep very good tonight. But I promise you I will wake up tomorrow and I’m going to work my ass off and I’m gonna figure it out.”
Schottenheimer said Monday that the plan during the final three games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and New York Giants will be to win all three.
It’ll be interesting to see if that means he won’t give more playing time to younger players and possibly even a start to backup quarterback Joe Milton.
“All about winning,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s always going to be all about winning whether we’re sitting at undefeated or wherever we are today, it’s always going to be about winning because our mantra and central theme of the program is compete every day. Kinda talked to the guys about that a little bit today. We’re not going to blink. We’re not going to change who we are. We understand where we sit, but we got a really good opportunity to play a really good football team this week in the Chargers.”
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones will have plenty of evaluating to do with not only players but members of the coaching staff. He acknowledged after Sunday night’s loss that the final three games will have an impact on any possible offseason coaching staff changes.
Jones was clear in stating that he believes the Cowboys underachieved this season based on his expectations.
“We certainly didn’t think we’d be here in this kind of shape with three games to go, and have to be behind the eight ball the way we are,” he added. “It’s very disappointing. I’m really obviously very disappointed for our fans. I’m disappointed for these players. I didn’t expect that. I thought we could come out here and on both sides of the ball make a better accounting of ourselves.”
Jones isn’t going anywhere. Neither are Prescott nor Schottenheimer. There probably won’t be many significant offseason changes. But it’s difficult to believe that they can just run everything back when the results have fallen so short on the field.
“We’ve got to continue to work at it,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones responded Monday on 105.3 The Fan when asked about those who say there are no consequences for him and Jerry Jones. “There are consequences because we pay in our own ways. I understand that. Obviously it’s an interesting dynamic in terms of the fact that we own the team and we’re involved. But we think overall that’s been a good thing. And we’ll continue to be involved and work to get this thing right and ultimately get our team to where we want it to be.”