Tag: Dak Prescott transcript

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott praises running backs, fourth-down success in victory
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The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders 30-23 on Thursday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 19 of 37 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On his game play

“Yeah, definitely not my sharpest. Got to go back, look at film; know a couple of them. They did a good job, I was putting the top on it, wanted to be greedy early, in honesty. I had some of my shots, missed them. Had one early to [wide receiver] CeeDee [Lamb] and just underthrew him. Honestly, I tried not to overthrow him, I was disappointed in myself when the ball was halfway in the air. Yeah, just missed some throws. There was one late in the third quarter that was over to CeeDee as well that I left it behind him that you want back. Then there was that third down, right, back-to-back plays to see that he made the right play, made the right read. I’ve just got to give him the ball, simple as that. We were able to get a win, though. That’s the most important part of it. Did take some hits, but came out clean. Blessed to play on Christmas.”

🏈 More coverage of Cowboys-Commanders:

On if he wants to play next week

“For sure. I love this game. I love any opportunity that I get to play it. So, with that being said, if I get to go out there, I’m going to give it my best. I’m going to prepare the same way, and be the same player that you guys know. I understand the reasons why maybe not, and if that’s the approach with that, I’ll handle that then.”

On if a decision has been made about him playing next week

“I mean, in my mind, any conversations I’ve had to Schotty [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] or anybody about it would be that I’m playing.”

On if he knows what his longest passes are other than the 86-yard pass to KaVontae Turpin today

“Yep, to [former Dallas wide receiver] Amari [Cooper] against Washington. Then to CeeDee on the screen against, what, 49ers or Steelers [actually Detroit Lions]. Oh yeah, that was to CeeDee.”

On the 86-yard pass to Turpin

“Yeah actually, we were going to try to push the ball down the field on that play with double moves outside, and Turp taking the middle. Great play calling knowing that they’re going to a Cover 2 or some kind of tricky 2. The key to that one was they actually jumped offsides and we pulled the ball faster. So, the guys didn’t even have to … it ended up turning into the same play: Three guys just going vertical right now. I think with the jump offsides, and those guys trying to panic and get back, Turp did a good job of getting over the top and I saw it. With a guy like that, you just want to put it down the middle and give him a chance, and he went and did the rest.”

On his confidence of Turpin not getting caught from behind

“Oh very confident. Especially when he caught it and turned back left. I’m like, ‘All right, thank you’. I knew that that was right to deceive the guy behind him and he was going. Yeah, he definitely wouldn’t get caught.”

On the difference of an 8-8-1 record vs. a 7-9-1 record

“Big difference. A lot of pride. I think that’s another reason, right. To the point, I want to play. Any season of me being out there, I’ve never had, in all my life career, a season under .500. So that tie is going to come into play really well. It’s a huge difference. It’s one of those things that, I mean yeah, it’s just pride. It’s pride honestly.”

On running back Malik Davis

“Yeah, I mean, you guys know how big of a fan I am of Malik. I know I said, when he first got his opportunity, he’s went in, and he’s continued to just build off of that, honestly. In this game, right here was another example of that, his number was called, and he went out there and was physical. He didn’t know it, but I went and checked the stats in the game. I saw he had 90 yards and I told him he could go get 10 more and finish this game. ‘You can go get that 100.’ I actually don’t normally check that, I just looked up and saw we had almost 200 yards rushing and said, ‘Dang, Malik must be close,’ and I wanted to get that for him, and I’m glad he went and got it. He’s deserving of it. He’s a hell of a player, and he’s only going to get better. It’s the way that he approaches the game. It’s his mindset in life, and we’re thankful to have him.”

On Davis’ swollen eye during the conversation about reaching 100 yards

“No I don’t think it was swollen yet. I think I told him that, and then it got swollen and I’m like, ‘Ah, I think you need 5 more [yards].’ But I asked him when I saw him, he was like, ‘I think I got hit in the eye,’ I was like, ‘Yeah, you definitely did. Go to the sideline.’ He’ll be OK thankfully, but his eye was ugly.”

On what snapping a three-game losing streak means even after being eliminated from the playoffs

“Winning is fun. Winning is great, especially when you get to do it on Christmas, you get to do it to end a three-game losing streak. And you get a division game on top of that. It’s all fun. Winning is fun. It’s what you do it for. We had wanted to end that losing streak and wanted to make sure that we can finish this game and next week on a high note. Getting wins and just taking good momentum into the offseason. So, this was important.”

On if he gets to keep the red jacket he was gifted for winning

“Yeah, definitely get to keep it. I thought about wearing it in here. It’s just hot. I’ll probably be in it all weekend, to be honest with you. Just hanging around the house.”

On the leadership of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney

“Yeah, he’s the man. We’re fortunate to have him. He’s one of those guys that we’ve got to figure out a way to keep. I know Jadeveon being older, being the vet he is, has a lot of say, so hopefully we had the great impression, and he’s enjoyed this year because he’s a guy that we can benefit having for a full offseason. Just growing into next year with his leadership and just the way that he approaches the game and the way he teaches the young guys so that they can learn from him. You said it, he’s done it since he showed up and has gotten better week in and week out. Just to see this game tonight and make the play, him chase down [Commanders wide receiver] Deebo [Samuel] on the long play and then dang near get the sack fumble, or get the sack but almost a fumble a couple plays later. Then it’s just plays, plays, plays, after another. He’s a guy that loves the game, you can feel it with any conversation you have with him. He’s a great teammate.”

On how he is going to celebrate the holidays

“I’m sure the kids are going to be asleep when I get home, but hanging out with the fiancé, doing our gift exchange, then we will have Christmas in the morning. Super thankful. I’ve said before, this game has given me a lot. It’s going to be the reason this is going to be a great Christmas. Super thankful to get the win and play this game today.”

On if he talked to CeeDee Lamb after some of them missed throws

“Most of them were kind of right after another. One or two of them I had a little note for him, others I just told him, ‘My fault, brother. I missed you.’ Simple as that. That was on me. Wasn’t a great play, wasn’t great feel, whatever it was that led to the miss. But there were one or two that was more communication. Not necessarily verbal, but just body language and just something we will keep working to get better at. We have such high standards, both of us do. You’re talking about the best receiver in this organization, maybe ever in CeeDee Lamb. He wants to catch every ball that comes his way, and that’s what we believe can happen. So when it’s not, there’s frustration there, but that frustration only allows us to go back to work and get better.”

On what was working on fourth down after finishing game 6-for-6

“Yeah, it was big. I think just, one, going into this game knowing that these short yardage, talking to Schotty, we were going to be going for it. A few of these third downs he told me we got two downs here. That allows you to set up the third down and feel confident about it. Obviously we got to make throws and execute, but he did a great job with all those fourth downs and the play calls. I don’t think we missed any of them except maybe to Tae [KaVonte Turpin]. Honestly I could have taken the QB sneak there, that was the only dicey one, but to be able to go 6-for-6 was huge in this win.”

On how important it was to have the 21-3 lead to start

“Yeah, it was huge. We knew going into this game, guess you can say not playing for anything, you wanna get on top and not give them any hope. So it’s important to get that lead to make them play from behind, but we got to do a better job of finishing. This game could have stayed lopsided. We got to do a better job on offense to get it like that.”

On if Washington did anything different after the fast start

“You got to give credit to the guys. This is NFL football. Those guys are professionals over there. They are getting paid and have a job to do. They stepped up and just played better in the second half. I wouldn’t say it was anything different that they were doing, we just didn’t execute as cleanly, and they were playing harder in the second half, which led to some punts and field goals. Ultimately us not finishing the way that we wanted, but at the end of the day, we had the ball with two minutes and we needed a first down, and we did that and got the win.”

On the grit and determination of the running back room

“Yeah, those are some resilient guys. Whatever you ask them to do, they are going to do it. That’s just the way that they practice, that’s the way that they play. They’ve got such a good group where they complement each other. When one person is tired, the next one is ready to go in there and get it, whether it be Hunter [Luepke] or Malik [Davis]. It takes some off Javonte [Williams], then Javonte is just a dog. Even with the shoulder [injury], he is a guy that never wants to come out. I actually saw his shoulder come out a couple of plays before he left the game, and he still getting the ball running two plays later. That just shows the grit, the resilience, trying to do anything and everything they can to help the team.”

On how difficult he will make it if they ask him to not play next week

“I’ll have some fight back. Again, it depends on what’s the purpose, what’s the reason? You know, obviously I understand being approached about it. The conversations that we have already had about it is for me to play. The season being where it is, trying to make sure we finish 8-8-1. That’s important to me, a lot of pride in that. So I want to go out there and win. I feel like me starting gives us the best chance, so I want to play.”

On how they can build momentum into next year

“Even though there is turnover, there is a lot of fundamental pieces that are going to stay the same. Especially on this offensive side of the ball, me, myself, CeeDee. Find a way to keep a guy like [wide receiver] George [Pickens], find a way to keep a guy like Javonte. A lot of the guys up front are going to be the same. Confident taking that momentum into the offseason, and making sure that we finish strong. So we can get into the offseason with a happy feeling, but knowing that we got things to clean up and get better at. Nobody’s ever perfect, and we damn sure weren’t this year, even though we were pretty good. So yeah, that’s where the momentum comes from. Obviously there’s going to be the same on the other side of the ball. Winning helps everything, so we just got to finish the season off with two wins, would be great.”

Game schedule dates, times, locations

Dec. 22 at New Orleans, 7 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Dec. 23 vs. Denver, 7 p.m., NBC

Dec. 25 at Golden State, 4 p.m., ABC, ESPN

Dec. 27 at Sacramento, 4 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Dec. 29 at Portland, 9:30 p.m., NBC

Dec. 29 vs. Jackson State, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 3 vs. Baylor, 1 p.m., TNT

Jan. 6 at Kansas, 8 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Jan. 10 vs. Arizona, 3 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Jan. 14 at BYU, 10 p.m., ESPN2

Dec. 31 at BYU, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 3 at Utah, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 7 vs. Oklahoma State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 11 vs. Arizona State, 4 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 14 at West Virginia, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 23 at Detroit, 5:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, Victory+

Dec. 27 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m., Victory+

Dec. 31 vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m., Victory+

Jan. 1 at Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Victory+

Jan. 4 vs. Montreal, 1 p.m., Victory+

Alamo Bowl

Dec. 30 vs. USC (at San Antonio), 8 p.m., ESPN

New Mexico Bowl

Dec. 27 vs. San Diego State (at Albuquerque, N.M.), 4:45 p.m., ESPN

Jan. 3 or 4 at N.Y. Giants, TBD

End of season

May 1 NASCAR Truck Series: SpeedyCash.com 250

May 2 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Andy’s Frozen Custard 340

May 3 NASCAR Cup Series: Wurth 400

This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 8:44 PM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.
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Jim Barnes

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December 25, 2025
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott says fourth-down failure let ‘air out of the bubble’
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The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 34-17 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 21 of 30 passes for 244 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On the team responding today knowing that it had been eliminated from the playoffs

“Unfortunately we lost, but the effort, the focus, the mentality, all that was there. They executed the game playing better, played a better full game than us. I mean, at the end of the day, we didn’t play complementary football. The first half, we were rolling, and we didn’t get the stops on defense. Second half, we got the stops on defense, and we weren’t doing much. The lack of that is where you’re going to get the result like that against a good team who’s great at controlling the ball. They did that tonight. I mean, I know there’s plenty of times where I’m on the sideline getting antsy and fidgety because they do a great job of controlling the clock and just marching their way downfield. We didn’t make the stops when we needed to, and ultimately, we didn’t score enough points.

On his thought process on the fourth-and-1 handoff

“Just do my job. It was just a dive play, not much more for me to do. [I] handed it off, and we unfortunately didn’t get it. [It was] a play that we’ve had success in the past. Seems like they were just more ready for it than our execution, and they stopped us and that was the end of it for the offense.”

On what happened to the team’s continuity with the passing game in the second half

“I’ve got to go back and watch the film, honestly. I think as much as anything, it’s that fourth down. If we get that fourth down, we’re still rolling. We go score a touchdown there, it’s a one-score game or a three-point game. You’re just looking for a stop for us to go down, take the lead and tie it up. When you’re playing a team like that, who’s really good at controlling the clock, we only had three drives in the first half. And I told the guys in the second half, we’re probably only going to get three, maybe four. I think we got four. When you’re playing a team like that, you’ve got to take advantage of those opportunities. You have to execute on every possession. And we didn’t do that in the second half. So, when we didn’t get that fourth down, that was kind of the air out of the bubble right there.”

On keeping the intensity up while playing knowing the team has been eliminated from the playoffs

“Honestly, I guess it’s different when you do this. I’m not firing any shots, but I’ve said it over and over; this is our job. We’re blessed. You know how hard we’ve worked and the sacrifices we’ve got to even get to this league, 10 years in for myself, to be healthy. I said it to the team, I think it was Friday or Saturday when we were breaking down. This game has given us so much, how could you cheat it? So to answer, I don’t know anything else. I’m not going to cheat this game. I’m going to give this game everything that I have, and that’s just how my mind works. It’s not a, ‘Oh, I’ve got to flip back in or flip back or I can turn it off or it’s not to play.’ Now, that’s how you get hurt. That’s how you go out there and embarrass yourself. That’s how you lose a job. So for me, it’s about preparing, staying true to the process and staying true to how I play this game or prepare to play this game. A lot of work has went into this. I think [defensive tackle] Osa [Odighizuwa] said it best when he just broke down the team after the game. We’ve got two weeks left, and nothing’s promised in life. Our football careers damn sure aren’t, so nothing in life is. Let’s enjoy these two weeks, cherish these moments, these practices, the time together with the men and the brothers that we love and we’ve got an opportunity to play with. This team won’t be the same next year. Let’s enjoy this and give it our best.”

On the optimism that year 11 will be different

“The work that I put into this. From last year to this year, I think you can go back to every year and there’s been improvement. When you control the things that you can control, and you do it with a great attitude, put God first, you’re not going to question yourself. You’re not going to question your ability to accomplish something. We’re going to keep working. I’m going to keep working. This team is going to keep working. The organization, obviously, is going to do things in the offseason, and hopefully everything is just building for us to have a better year than we did this year. And I know for myself and anybody that I’m leading or that’s following me, that’ll be the message.”

On Tyler Smith playing left tackle today

“Put him at center. He can do it all. We’re good at center, but honestly, I mean, he can play whatever he wants, and that’s credit to that guy. I mean, I go back to his rookie year when he was taking all the snaps [at] guard, Tyron [Smith], the left tackle, gets hurt the week of the game. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh gosh, they got to put this first-rounder out there who hadn’t taken snaps at tackle all offseason. Can he do it? Will he be good enough?’ And the guy goes and has a Pro Bowl year at left tackle. So then, the next year moving back to guard and All-Pro at guard. The moment they told me this early in the week that we’re going to go with Tyler at left tackle, I was great with it. There was no hesitation in my mind. There was no doubt of what he was going to be able to do and the way that he was going to play. I watched him obviously practice and just his intentionality and his approach. That’s a true football player, and we’re blessed to have him on our side. He can play wherever we need him to.”

On what kind of fire do you still see from owner Jerry Jones now after being with Dallas for 10 years

“Yeah, a lot of fire, maybe as much here recently as I’ve seen. And whether it’s him right against the clock and him knowing, which he’ll tell you that, or the deals and the things that we’ve done have been invigorating. You can tell he’s excited to help this team to make moves and do whatever he can and his power. For me, it’s about controlling what I can. Enjoy these last two weeks with these guys, and we’ll have those conversations or answer any questions I’m asked when we get there.”

On if the team will be experimental during the rest of the season

“Probably after action. Yeah, for me, like I said, I’m very routine, very process-oriented. So, I’m going to just keep doing what I know and the way that I know to approach the game to attack the game plans. When conversations like that come my way, and I’ll approach with them, I’ll handle them then. But I’m not sure if that’ll happen. Right now, to me, it’s about building. We got a hell of a group, a hell of an offense. And it’s about building on our side of the ball and whatever we can and just taking anything good, good momentum, good plays into the offseason.”

On wide receiver George Pickens’ bounce-back game

“George being George. Them giving us opportunities, one-on-one opportunities, the coverage. A week ago, they [Minnesota] did a good job. And honestly, in this game, I think that might’ve been some of it in the second half if they started rolling his way a little bit more. And I don’t know if we quite made the adjustments enough, but once again, I just go back, just really was that fourth down, that was the telltale there. But yeah, just the way the guy approaches the game, he had a hell of a week of practice, and when the coverage gives us opportunities, I’m attacked no matter if it’s George, CeeDee [Lamb] or whoever it is.

On offensive line performance despite frequent movement

“I give them a lot of credit. They’ve had a hell of a year, and that’s a group of a bunch of young guys who you just said were asked to do a bunch of different things, whether it was guys coming in, playing when they weren’t expected to playing, being Nate [Thomas], Brock [Hoffman], coming in for a few games. Now Tyler’s [Smith] going outside to left [tackle]. It hasn’t been a lot of continuity, right? However, whatever they’re asked to do, that group is winning there, and I credit [coaches] Connor Riley, Klayton Adams, and obviously each and every one of those men in that room of just their preparation, the professionalism and just handling whatever they’ve been asked to do at a high level. And I know it goes both ways. I tell them all the time, right, fight your ass off and I’m going to fight for you. We’re in this together when it comes to sacks and protecting the ball. They’ve done a hell of a job.”

On if it’s difficult without continuity

“Not necessarily. No. I think that that challenge of that has been fun and watch these guys answer the bell and produce and keep me upright. And even games that I’ve got hit a little bit more than the others, watching their demeanor, watching their mentality, watching them respond to that and get better. No.”

On not making playoffs despite his bounce-back season

“It’s football. It’s a team game. That’s what makes this game special. It’s what makes this game unique. It’s the ultimate team game. It’s not even just about me. It’s not even just about the offense at times, right? It’s not just about the defense. It’s a full unit. It’s a full team effort, and everybody has to play together and they have to play complementary. You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities, the situations that the game gives you, the different matchups each week presents. It’s just unfortunate. It’s exciting knowing in year 10 I’m playing my best and to go back to [a reporter] to answer his point, I’m only going to get better in my mind about the way that I work and what I put into this game. It’s tough. It’s frustrating, but it’s what this business is about, and that’s what makes it special.”

On Tyler Smith claiming a loss of attention to detail, especially against playoff teams

“I don’t know if I feel the same just yet. Got to watch the film. When you present that question, I guess I think about the three-game winning streak playing against some good teams and when it got tougher, guys were actually producing more and making the plays in those games actually on the tougher side of the game rather than in the beginning. So it’s hard to say that exactly, but I know as a leader of this team, especially as the offense, it will be addressed at some point or another, whether it’s now or whether it’s at the end of it. But I think maybe youth has a good reasoning for that, if that is the case. And guys will understand as they get older, right? Sometimes the guys put a lot on themselves, and hell, I did it when I was young, right? You put more pressure on yourself than ever is called for rather than just going and executing and doing what you’ve done your whole life and what you’ve been coached to do. Some of that comes with great leadership. Fixing that comes with great leadership. And then the other part comes with just experience, understanding that you’ve made it harder on yourself in those moments. How can you fix that communication as well? That’ll be something I’m sure Schotty [head coach Brian Schottenheimer], myself and all of us, that’ll be talked about at the end of these two weeks more than tomorrow.”

On preferring the shorter period before Thursday’s game after today’s loss

“I’d rather the shorter period. Win, lose or draw. I’m a fan of Thursday games. I know I’m probably one of the only men in the league, but I’d just rather go out and play. Love practice, don’t get me wrong, it’s where you get better. You got to have it, but there’s just something about the game, that’s what we do it for. Being in it so long, I understand the process and taking care of my body for the next couple of days to be ready to play my best on Thursday. But yeah, in the situation particularly that we’re in, not playing for the playoffs or things like that, yeah, you just want to get back out there and redeem yourself.”

Game schedule dates, times, locations

Dec. 22 at New Orleans, 7 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Dec. 23 vs. Denver, 7 p.m., NBC

Dec. 25 at Golden State, 4 p.m., ABC, ESPN

Dec. 27 at Sacramento, 4 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Dec. 29 at Portland, 9:30 p.m., NBC

Dec. 29 vs. Jackson State, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 3 vs. Baylor, 1 p.m., TNT

Jan. 6 at Kansas, 8 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Jan. 10 vs. Arizona, 3 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Jan. 14 at BYU, 10 p.m., ESPN2

Dec. 31 at BYU, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 3 at Utah, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 7 vs. Oklahoma State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 11 vs. Arizona State, 4 p.m., ESPN+

Jan. 14 at West Virginia, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 23 at Detroit, 5:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, Victory+

Dec. 27 vs. Chicago, 7 p.m., Victory+

Dec. 31 vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m., Victory+

Jan. 1 at Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Victory+

Jan. 4 vs. Montreal, 1 p.m., Victory+

Alamo Bowl

Dec. 30 vs. USC (at San Antonio), 8 p.m., ESPN

New Mexico Bowl

Dec. 27 vs. San Diego State (at Albuquerque, N.M.), 4:45 p.m., ESPN

Dec. 25 at Washington, noon, Netflix

Jan. 3 or 4 at N.Y. Giants, TBD

End of the regular season

May 1 NASCAR Truck Series: SpeedyCash.com 250

May 2 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Andy’s Frozen Custard 340

May 3 NASCAR Cup Series: Wurth 400

This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 6:28 PM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.
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Jim Barnes

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December 21, 2025
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott praises CeeDee Lamb, Malik Davis’ big TD and more

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The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28 on Thursday at AT&T Stadium.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 27 of 39 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On if these wins [against the Eagles on Sunday and Chiefs on Thursday] are his two most impressive wins

“I’m not sure if I have honestly. On top of where we’ve put ourselves right before these games and just the place that we’re in of having to get these wins against two elite teams. I mean the two teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. Last year’s last year. But you’re talking about two organizations that obviously know how to win, and we just beat them both in two great games, as you said in four days, and just showing the resiliency of this unit, of this brotherhood on top of everything that we’ve been through. Yeah, I don’t know if there’s been two more impressive wins, but I can tell you right now that we’re not going to just sit on some high because of that. We know we’ve got a big one coming again next week. And all this really does for us is just give us more confidence knowing that we can go play with whoever.”

On if he savors beating Patrick Mahomes

”It’s a team game. I can’t say that. No, I can’t say that. Well, hopefully we can play again and hopefully we can play again on a bigger stage, in a more meaningful game sooner rather than later. He’s a hell of a player. You watch that game right there, and we got the ball at the end of the game and I knew we couldn’t give it back to him. You know how great he is, and it’s on his resume and we’ve all seen it before, and you just saw the drive before that their last drive, right, of the Mahomes magic. Yeah, he’s an incredible player. But the end of day, this is a team game. This isn’t necessarily me versus him. We both have a lot on us to go and help our teams win and do that, and I respect the hell out him.”

On his touchdown pass to Javonte Williams and subsequent 2-point conversion

“The first one, obviously understanding we got points, let’s be smart with the ball. They played a good coverage. They pretty much guarded everything that we had on the touchdown and just saw a lane try to step up in that lane and then a guy kind came off of a block, and from there Javonte kind of waved me down, showing me it was open and just backyard football. That play’s Javonte as much as it is me. Then the second one going to my front side of my progression didn’t work, and understanding it’s a 2-point conversion and we need it. I was just trying to make something happen with my feet. Felt like I escaped around the backside, was able to get out of that tackle. And when I did, GP [George Pickens] just gave me a great answer was just being right there at the front pylon and made a hell of a catch.”

On soreness after the game and the impact of winning

“There’s no soreness, especially when you win. And if anything I’ll probably feel it tomorrow, but it’s a physical game and I love that about the game of football. My offensive line did a hell of a job, as you said, that they didn’t get me sacked. This is pro ball playing against some amazing guys out there, and they’ve got their hands full, right? You’re blocking Chris Jones and some of those other guys, and I always tell them we work hand in hand. I’ve got their back just the same as they’ve got mine. So I think tonight was an example of that, of even if they weren’t perfect us together, we made it work and got the ball out. And if I take a hit here and there, so be it.”

On what has changed on defense

“Their confidence, and that grows when you go out there and you make the plays and you win the games that we have against the two quarterbacks that those guys just went and had outstanding performances against. It only grows further. And so their collective group, as I said that we made some changes and got some additions and they felt like we also got some guys healthy and came back. And so I think for a few weeks there it wasn’t even our defense. It wasn’t the defense that’s out there until now. We’ve got a group that’s very confident in who they are and what they’re doing and their communication, and you feel it throughout the week and just watching them go against the scout team and the rest that I do get to see. And then when you get out here on Sunday, they’ve just been impressive as hell. The biggest difference to me is just their third downs, the way they’re making plays, getting off the field on third downs, giving us opportunities, and that breeds confidence to us.”

On wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s resiliency

“I told you it’s the way the guy’s wired. That’s what greatness looks like. You’re going to have days that you’re not proud of. You’re going to have days that aren’t to your standard, especially when your standard is as high as it is when you’re CeeDee Lamb. And I just know the way that he approaches this game, the way that he loves his game and what he puts into it. He was going to answer back, and hearing him in the postgame say whether it’s good or bad, my next game is my best game. That is the mentality, and he wears it. He practices that way, and it’s no surprise that he went out there and did what he did tonight. And obviously in the yards, the catches, the touchdown, but also drawing the penalties and just being unstoppable.”

On wide receiver KaVontae Turpin’s resiliency

“He’s a football player. Anything and everything you ask him to do, he is going to do it to a hundred percent. He’s the type of guy we take him out and switch to a different personnel because he was going to be on a tough block, he’s pissed. He wants to make that block, and he wants to show you. Let me show you I can make it before you just take me out because of my size. He’s a dog, and we love Turp. He’s one of the best, if not the best teammate that we have. I mean we call it Turpin time when we’re just going around and showing each other love like you saw in the pregame. And that’s something that we do every game that Schotty [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] brings. And that’s because of who Turp is, and you just watch him and the way that he picks guys up, the way that he stays positive, there’s no surprise that he’s going to bounce back because he’s always influencing other guys and helping them stay positive and bounce back from anything that they’ve done. Hell of a teammate.”

On momentum after winning three consecutive games

“We can be whatever we want to be. Everything’s in front of us. I just was telling the offensive that when we’re in those kneeldowns at the end of the game, but it’s not going to happen next Thursday. It’s going to happen Sunday when we get in the building. It’s just taking it one day at a time, putting everything in, understanding that we win during the week with our preparation and that we just get to come out here and play the game that we love and playing it free. All these wins, all they’ve done is just given us more and more confidence. And this brotherhood is as strong and as tight as I’ve been around and seen, and we’re playing elite complementary football right now. It’s not something that we can hang our hat on and say, yeah, we’ve done, but we can build off of it. We can be proud of what we’ve done, but we’ve got to push forward knowing that that’s all behind us. And what’s important is what’s in front of us. And anything that we’ve done up to this point really doesn’t matter. We’ve still put ourselves in a tough position. Doesn’t mean that we’ve got out of it just because the two teams that we’ve beat. Next week’s just as important as this game was.”

On increased urgency after the bye

“Most definitely. Simply because of what our record was at, and not only that, just where the league is and the NFC is right with the wins and those guys putting themselves ahead of us. It was ultimate urgency. As I’ve said before, we can’t even think about the day past the day that we’re on. We just have to take it one game at a time. We can’t get overwhelmed. Be the men that we are and trust the process, focus on getting better each day and we’ll be able to put together wins like we have these past three games. All these wins do is give us more confidence, like I said. It reminds guys to stick to the process. That this is just a result of what we do during the week and the brotherhood that we have.”

On confidence to throw it deep to Lamb late in the game

“I think that just speaks to the confidence that Schotty has in us, as much as anything. The coverage is what dictated CeeDee getting the big ball, but if they would’ve been soft, GP was going to be running a good crossing route and I had a great checkdown. So it’s just the confidence in Schotty to be able to call that play in that situation, knowing the guys that we have and understanding that I’ll do right with the ball. I think that’s the most important part of that play call. Obviously safety rolls down, it’s one-on-one now with CeeDee and CeeDee just goes and makes a play. Wasn’t that hard of a throw. And you’ve got a guy like that, right? You just put some air under it and let him go make the play, which he did. And so we’re confident in what we do and Schotty is going to call those type of plays when we’re in that situation. We want to win the game, and we’re not playing to lose.”

On high third-down conversion rate [9-for-16]

“I would guess, I would have to look at what those third-down distances are, but I’d say we’re probably winning first and second down. And I would say we’re putting ourselves in favorable third downs to have a number like that, 9-of-16. I would guarantee you we were more third-and-6 and under than we were seven and plus. So that’s just a testament to the offensive line, to everybody just doing their job one play at a time. That’s something that we echo on the sidelines, and this comes from [offensive coordinator] Klayton Adams, is do the next right thing and do right longer. And I echo that to the guys, and we all echo it, is do your one-eleventh and trust the man next to you. And so when you’re winning first and second down, you’re putting yourselves in favorable third downs. That’s where we’re going to have success. And so that’s where we want to be.”

On Schottenheimer’s leadership through these three games and Marshawn Kneeland’s death

“It’s been amazing. It has. And I just credit him for being the same, being consistent, and it’s something that he talks about, but to actually watch him be consistent and be the same man through the adversity and now through some success, right? He’s a hell of a leader. He’s the right guy for the job. We’re all following him. I know you all see clips of the emotions and guys follow him, but that’s just throughout the day. If you were in every team meeting, you would understand that’s who Schotty is. That’s the way he’s going to lead this group, and we’re going to follow. We’ve put ourselves with these wins and against these teams in a solid situation. But I know he’s going to continue to press us and sticking to the process. And like I said, Sunday when we go in, this won’t matter anymore. And that’s an echo from Schotty and that’s him doing a hell of a job through everything that we’ve been through to be honest.”

On the offensive line’s identity

“One in the run game, right? Establishing what they’re good at in the run game. And I don’t want to tell you whether it’s this scheme or that scheme that we’re good at, but they’re finding their groove in a certain scheme in certain plays and how we’re attacking these guys. And then to come out of a game like this without any sacks, they’re physical. They’re physical, they’re understanding their importance to this team. They’re understanding how much their collaboration of talking and their communication, what that does and how much the rest of the guys and the skill players feed off of it. And they’re an impressive group. And I told them that when we were kneeling at the end of the game. Just how thankful I am for them and just for them to keep going and when they keep going, they keep leading the way they are. We’ve got the playmakers to be special around, but it starts with those guys up front.”

On Malik Davis’ 43-yard touchdown

“I’m sure you can go check the film. I put my arm up early like the touchdown, and I don’t know if there’s a bigger fan in our locker room than me for Malik Davis. And you can ask some guys in there, whether it be Will Grier, whether it be some of the coaches. I’ve been a Malik fan since from day one, even when he was cut, I was a guy that was very disappointed. Understanding when you’re a player, you see guys behind the scenes and you see what they do and how they take care of their body and the way that they approach the game and how much the game means to them. And he’s an epitome of that. The guy came back when we signed him back, and you could just see the hunger in his eyes and the way that he approached the game to whether it’s just trying to make the roster at first and then making the roster just then being a dog on special teams because he would say, ‘Hey, that’s the only reps I get. I’ve got to make the most of it,’ to now that he’s gotten an opportunity in the backfield, it’s no surprise to me. And I’m just so excited for him. He’s reaping the benefits of the hard work that he puts in, but I can tell you he’s not satisfied. He’s going to keep working, and that’s why I love him and that’s why I’m such a fan of him.”

On having the full week before Detroit

“It’s important especially being the holiday, getting to hang out with the family, rest our body up for a couple of days, but we’re ready to get back to work. When you kind of flip the script and put together what we’ve done these last three games and play the complementary ball that we have. I know myself and I’m sure, and I hope the whole locker room is, right? They’re itching to get back to work. So it’s important for us to find balance in these next couple of days and stepping away from it, rejuvenating ourselves, but understanding when we come in Sunday, it’s go time. And like I said, we’ve got a hell of a game next Thursday against a really good team.”

On being healthy at this point in the season versus last season

“I’m thankful. I really am. I’m thankful. It’s not something that I want to boast upon. I’m just thankful to be healthy like I am. It’s credit to Luke, my personal PT, Dr. Luke Miller and just the rest of the staff, Britt Brown, all those guys, the strength staff, just the plan, not just myself, but the rest of the team, the way that they’re taking care of our bodies, especially during this last three games in 11 days that was strenuous on everybody, not just me. And so credit to everybody, Schotty, all of them in their collective decision and whether to practice, when to practice and the pace that we’re going at. I’m just thankful to be healthy. I’m just going to try to keep, do the next right thing, take care of my body and be ready to go next Thursday.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2025 at 10:52 PM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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Jim Barnes

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November 27, 2025
QB Dak Prescott says Dallas Cowboys have to re-sign ‘special’ George Pickens
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ARLINGTON

The Dallas Cowboys rallied from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 23 of 36 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and rushed for another score. In the process, he broke Tony Romo’s franchise career passing yardage record.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On the comeback win

“It was needed. Never blinked, never had any doubts and 1000% believed from the beginning. There were times when I was telling the guys to believe and then there was a moment in the fourth quarter where Book [guard Tyler Booker] was like, ‘Believe,’ and I go, ‘I know.’ We’re done with the believing, we believed long enough and got ourselves back in this game, and now you have to know. That’s just a testimony to this brotherhood, sticking together. Going down 21 to the defending national Super Bowl champs in a division game is tough. I’m sure there were fans thinking this game was over, and [the Eagles] were going to run off. Defense, I can’t give them enough credit. We wouldn’t have won this game without the opportunities they gave us over and over again. It was awesome moments when they would get a stop or something would happen. Whether it was Quinnen [Williams] or Donovan [Ezeiruaku] or one of those guys telling me, ‘We got you.’ And then when they did stop them, they’d tell you, ‘We told you.’ It was just a continuation of what we did last week and just sticking together. Like I said, it’s about the brotherhood. Once again, we’re always going to do it for Marshawn Kneeland, and he was felt tonight. I’m sure he was right there playing alongside with us.”

On the team celebration and dancing in the locker room following the game

“I think I missed most of it. I was doing an interview out there with GP [George Pickens]. When I got in there, the dancing was fading off. Honestly, I had a headache. I dapped up my people and gave them love. I know it was electric in there.”

On if the win can carry over to the next game

”For sure. I think how you win is just as important as the result, but then again [that] points to how you win a game like this being down 21-0. There’s going to be moments when you’re down a touchdown or maybe two touchdowns, and that’s not going to be the last time this season. When you have a game like this, talking about the belief and the knowing. That’s what allows these guys in the locker room to do is believe we’re going to come back or know that we have the team, the brotherhood, the connection to do just that. I was just talking to [public relations manager Dave Abbruzese] walking in here that I love being down. I don’t know why and couldn’t tell you. Trust me, it’s fun when you’re up, you can laugh and joke, but when you’re down, it requires such a unique place that you have to get to in resilience, focus, and taking it one play at a time. Just trying to lead the other guys and getting them to do the same. When they do and you end up winning a game like this, this can be huge for us moving forward. As we’ve talked about all week, getting on a run, this is a hell of a way to get No. 2. We have to enjoy tonight and that’s it and be ready for Thursday.”

On his thought about setting the team’s all-time passing record during a game like tonight

“They did the whole deal during the timeout break and some of the guys were giving congratulations, and I’m like ‘No. Whatever. We’ll celebrate this after the win. I don’t want to hear anything about that right now.’ Now I can enjoy that a little bit, reflect, smile and laugh. I can tell you that initially when I looked up there and saw that, there was a little emotion that hit me that I damn sure wasn’t ready for and didn’t know that would come. That’s why I countered that with anger. [I’m] blessed and thankful. It’s the result of a lot of hard work, good people around me, great teammates that care, and we’re going to keep going.”

On his touchdown run

”It was a play that is particularly drawn up to beat a man [coverage] or a zone, but you want it for a man. You bring the motion for an indicator, and I realized that it wasn’t man and I’m going to have to take a drop and allow for the play to develop. I did that and had a rush up the edge, and I just got out. When I did, Ferg [Jake Ferguson] did a great job at realizing that he had a guy on him, and he wasn’t going to get the ball. [He] turned and blocked him and allowed me to be one-on-one with the guy. I didn’t want to get hit in the knees, so I jumped and got a good roll. After that, it was just electric. The love and the energy from the teammates and the sideline. At that moment, I knew the game was going to be ours.”

On if wide receiver George Pickens has reached a level that exceeds his expectations

“It’s hard for me to say exceeds my expectations. My expectations for him are limitless, and he’ll tell you that he’s not from here. I’m sure you have all read his article in The Players’ Tribune. He’s not from here, he’s not from this planet and so, I’m not going to put limitations on him. He went out there and did what he’s done in games when he has that opportunity, in practice as well. The guy loves the game. He stays focused. Just the communication, as I’ve said before, to other guys in the huddle about staying focused and keep doing what you’re doing. We lucked up with getting a guy like that. We have to make sure that we can keep him here. He’s a hell of a player turning into a leader, and he’s special.”

On what his message at halftime to the team was

“I was just talking on what I felt at that time and the emotions. I couldn’t even you exactly what I said. I’m sure I was just saying something on the fact that we had just got that touchdown. If we don’t have that touchdown before halftime, that energy and the confidence that I and the other guys are speaking with isn’t quite there. But we did that and realized that all those other possessions, we just hurt ourselves. Turnover in the red zone, from me and the interception, the fumble, and the plus-territory, we were only hurting ourselves. That when I was like, let’s stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We gave them a 21-point lead, but we knew we had the upper hand. It was about just sticking together; it’s all about brotherhood and a lot of that type of stuff. You could tell it was resonating and the guys were feeling it. I know the defense had their own thing going, and I heard them. It gives you confidence on our side of the ball, and we went out there and did it.”

On making a push for the end of the season

“Just take it one play at a time. We have to find that unique place that I was talking about being down. We’ve had it almost going with every game with that mindset. It’s not one game at a time. We have to win every game. With that being said, you can only do that by winning every play and giving it your best every play. When you do that, can stay focused and finish with elite execution, you’re going to feel confident and good about what you’ve done. We just have to find that, and it really starts at practice and at these walkthroughs in the next couple of days getting ready for Kansas City. Tons of confidence in this group and team. It starts with our defense. They’re the reason we were able to come back in this game and have a chance to win it. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot, and this game could’ve been completely different.”

On what his message was to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb about his resiliency

“He’s a guy that expects to make a lot of plays. I’ve had games and felt the exact same way. For me, it’s about don’t press. Let’s not ride the highs and the lows. Even if you’ve had a bad play or whatever, let it go. You’re a hell of a player, and you know it. Like you said, he made great plays and had that big catch at the end and got the PI that would’ve been a touchdown right after that. When you press, I’ve seen CeeDee do it, you’re not going to get the best version of yourself. I’m the same way. When I can tell that he’s getting into that position, it’s just about talking to him. He did a good job of responding and just staying with it and made the plays that he needed to make for us to ultimately win this game. He’s a hell of a player, and he’s going to get frustrated when he’s not making the plays that he expects to make, but he will make those. He had some adversity tonight. We’ve seen it before and the way that he responds. I look forward to him responding.”

On the point in the game when belief changed to know

“I think that conversation happened after that first turnover. Honestly, the drive that we ended up not scoring on, down in the red zone. I think it was the beginning of that that I told them. He was telling the guys in the huddle, ‘Believe. Believe.’ And I just said, ‘Forget that at that point. I know.’ And sure, words of confidence and emotions. I said, ‘I’ve been there. I’ve done this. We’re fine. We’re right where we need to be. Focus on each and every play and execute.’ Sure, we didn’t on that drive, but defense or special teams went and made a play and we’re able to end up doing that.”

On play design for the late fourth-down call

“We tried to motion CeeDee in. Man or zone, it’s a great concept that we feel comfortable with. They did a good job. They played to their leverage. They had outside leverage, and we were running out breakers that they sat on it. I had nothing there to the field. When I came back, it was gonna be just a high-low from the tight end in the X, and I had pressure at that point. I just tried to give Jake a ball and Jake said he actually caught it, which I guess it wouldn’t have been a touchdown either way, but they did a good job. They did better than us on that. Honestly I go back to plays before that. Whether it’s me scrambling out on that one, maybe jump again, you know what I mean? Go get in the end zone, try to, or who knows, but we’ve got convert when we’ve got four opportunities down there. We’re way too good. We’ve got way too many elite players, and we’re just too good on offense to stall like that.”

On effect of trades and injury returns on the locker room

“You’ve seen it. You’ve seen it starting Monday and then obviously just getting into tonight. A game like this is all about confidence and belief in one another. When you’re down 21-0 early like that to one of the best teams in the league, defending world champions, for you to keep your resilience high and for you to stay focused and understand that you’ve got a chance. We’ve only been hurting ourselves. A lot of people think, ‘Oh no, sure we’ve messed up, but they’ve made us mess up.’ No, we were only hurting ourselves, and so our brotherhood’s growing. Obviously, we’ve been through a measure amount of adversity, losing a brother, but that’s only brought us closer together. And then when we’ve made these trades, and we’ve made these additions to the team, guys have come back and been healthy. It’s just made everybody feel more confident. Guys are communicating. Guys are connected, and it’s a fun group to be a part of and we’re going to try to keep this thing running.”

On waiting for tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford to find his balance on his touchdown reception

“I was waiting the whole time. I’m like, ‘Please don’t fall, Brev.’ I think I saw from the very beginning, him stumbling. I’m like, ‘Man, if he falls, I’ve got to throw it away, but if you can even just look up, buddy, I’m throwing it to you.’ And sure enough he was able to get his feet together, catch his balance, and I was able to give him a chance right before I went out of bounds. But yeah, I saw that from the very beginning of the play. We’re trying to get it to the running back. They did a great job of blowing that up. Even the other options and Brev’s really your last resort on the backside, and I was looking for him, and when he was stumbling I was like, ‘Please don’t fall. Please don’t fall.’ Hell of a play by him.”

On not kicking a field goal on fourth down

“After we didn’t get it, sure I’m like, ‘Damn, we should have kicked it.’ But absolutely not. I want the ball in my hands knowing you’re that close. I just said that’s on us. We’ve got to be able to find a way to execute. We’ve got too many good players, too many players that can win versus one-on-one. Great offensive line. No, I’m never upset about that call. Not only that, they’ve got to go 99 or 90 something yards against a defense who’s been stopping them all game, so it was the right call. Ultimately we stopped them. Ultimately got the ball back, decent field position. We’re able to make the plays, and Butter [Brandon Aubrey] went did what he did and finished the game off. So no surprise.”

On pass protection tonight

“Credit those guys. I don’t know if I’ve said it enough tonight, they did a hell of a job. That’s a good group up there that feels very confident in rushing with their four guys. Obviously they were bringing a fifth a good bit tonight. They were doing that because those guys up front were blocking their four guys. That’s a compliment to them when you see Philly bringing that fifth guy and doing it as much as they were trying to do, that they were holding up. [Running back Javonte Williams] was a big part of that, and not only that, the run game was, you have to have the run game working for those actions, for them to even begin to work. Compliment to those guys. If we didn’t put ourselves in a hole as much as we did early. I don’t know what the numbers quite were, but it would’ve been a very, very balanced game. I still think it was, right? Good amount of runs and yards. Javonte had a hell of a game, Malik [Davis] as well coming in there. All starts with the offensive line, they were a key tonight.”

On if this was his proudest win for what the team had to overcome

“Yeah, I mean it’s a special game. It’s a game that I definitely won’t forget. I’m not a guy of even thinking about records, taking memorabilia or things like that. After this game, one of the trainers asked me what I wanted to do with the jersey and I said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to keep that one.’ So I know it’s a game that I won’t forget. It’s a game that hopefully, I can look back you know and say this was the moment, this was the time, this game meant everything to that season. Right now just staying where my feet are. Super thankful for this team, for the men. For the opportunity, honestly. That’s what I was telling guys when we were down 21-0, you got to love this. That might be what I was saying at half, too. You got to love this. What an opportunity, it’s 21-7, this is what you do. We know we’ve got everything to be capable of coming back and winning this. This is when it gets fun. It was exactly that. Yeah, it’s one I’m definitely proud of — can’t say it’s the most proud. I’ll have to wait until the end of the career, then tell you that. Great team win tonight.”

Game schedule dates, times, locations

Nov. 24 at Miami, 6:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Nov. 28 at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., Amazon Prime Video

Nov. 29 at L.A. Clippers, 9 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Dec. 1 at Denver, 8 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Dec. 3 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m., KFAA, MavsTV

Nov. 27 vs. Florida (at San Diego), 2 p.m., FS1

Nov. 28 vs. Providence or Wisconsin (at San Diego), 2 or 4:30 p.m., Fox

Dec. 5 vs. Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 7 vs. North Texas (at Dickies Arena), 4:30 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 15 vs. Incarnate Word, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Nov. 27 vs. Richmond (at Cancun, Mexico), 8 p.m., FloCollege

Nov. 28 vs. UAB (at Cancun, Mexico), 5:30 p.m., FloCollege

Dec. 3 vs. Incarnate Word, 6:30 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 6 vs. UTEP, 1 p.m., ESPN+

Dec. 14 vs. Jacksonville, 4 p.m., ESPN+

Nov. 25 at Edmonton, 8 p.m., Victory+

Nov. 26 at Seattle, 9 p.m., Victory+

Nov. 28 vs. Utah, 7 p.m., Victory+

Nov. 30 vs. Ottawa, 5 p.m., Victory+

Dec. 2 at N.Y. Rangers, 6 p.m., Victory+

Nov. 29 vs. Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., Fox

End of the regular season

Nov. 28 vs. Temple, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

End of the regular season

NAIA playoffs

William Penn 38, Texas Wesleyan 9

Season complete

Nov. 27 vs. Kansas City, 3:30 p.m., CBS

Dec. 4 at Detroit, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video

Dec. 14 vs. Minnesota, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Dec. 21 vs. L.A. Chargers, noon, Fox

Dec. 25 at Washington, noon, Netflix

Dec. 13-14 Xtreme Xperience

This story was originally published November 24, 2025 at 1:08 AM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.
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November 23, 2025
Everything QB Dak Prescott said after the Dallas Cowboys’ romp against Raiders

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The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 33-16 on Monday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 25 of 33 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On his thoughts on the last few days

“Obviously, a tough, hard, 12 days, and through the bye week those days, as I mentioned earlier in the week, those first few days, right, not being with the guys was harder than anything. But the last six, seven, being together, working together, having conversations, healing, shining a light on who Marshawn [Kneeland] was. Then, obviously coming out here tonight, and playing with the style that he played with, the intensity, the efforts, finish, and super proud of the guys. Whirlwind of a week. Great one to cap off with a win right here, put a cap on it. We’re going to continue to move forward, shining light on Marshawn and his and carrying his legacy, and we need to play like this every week, moving forward, and he’ll always be with us.”

On CeeDee Lamb’s and George Pickens’ play in the game

“Huge. I mean getting those guys the ball, watching them run after catch, being who they are, two elite guys that complement each other, that build off of each other’s energy. One guy makes a play, the other one wants to make a play. Tonight was fun, just as I’ve always said. I’m just trying to get the ball out of my hands to these guys, be like a point guard and let them go do what they do best, and tonight was a good example of that.”

On the energy between him and Pickens

“He’s a wonderful, kind guy. Special individual, elite, has a great feel for the game, loves the game, plays the game like a kid. When you watch him play, the energy, the celebrations, that’s contagious. Luckily, we got a kicker who can make it. I know Schott [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] is probably not happy about it, but when you get a kicker that can bail you out, it’s one thing, but the discipline, there is a part of that that we’ve all got to tighten up. And GP [Pickens] knows that, obviously he responded to it, responded to the discipline by the way that he came out, and the intensity he played with and the effort he had. But he’s a special individual, and you said there’s a balance to it.”

On if the duo “opens things up” for a quarterback

“Yeah, no doubt about it. I think they open up things for each other. You get both of those guys and they’re out wide, what coverage are you going to play? When you’re single-high, you’ve got to learn one way or another. You’ve got to pick a receiver to help, so that’s why I say they’re complementary to one another.”

On his emotions coming into the game

“Electric, honestly, especially afterwards. Before the game, business as normal, to be honest. And I give the guys a lot of credit for that. I give the coaches credit, I give the whole organization credit for the resources and discussing these emotions and these feelings throughout the week before they’ve happened. Guys all had a plan, they stuck to their process of pregame, and it showed in the execution during the game. And then after it was a celebration. It’s been a tough week, and to be able to celebrate and smile for a moment, and to know that you went out there and you, like Schotty said, made Marshawn proud and honored him the right way. But this is one week, we want to continue to do that.”

On how they will keep honoring with their schedule of playing three games in 12 days

“Yeah, nice, tough road. And as you just said, Schotty said, the honoring doesn’t stop. And honestly, when the season’s over, the honoring won’t stop. So, it’s about intensifying everything that we do to carry the legacy of Marshawn, and then over these next three games with the opponents coming in and us wanting to get to where we want to go, everything’s just got to heighten, right? The discipline, the focus, the intensity, the aggressiveness, and that’s at practice, and that’ll just carry over into the game. I’ve always said the game’s a celebration of the work that you put in throughout the week. So, we’re looking forward to it. We’re looking forward to it.”

On how he evaluates his game

“Solid. Put the ball in harm’s way once, maybe even twice. Receivers did a good job of knocking it down. Other than that, I was just trying to be a point guard and distribute the ball, get the ball to these guys, let them go do work, and I had a great red zone plan. All but the last two right possessions we scored in the red zone. So, just stick to my reads, sticking to the process of practice and the game plan and allowing these guys to be special, like they are.”

On defensive tackle Quinnen Williams

“I don’t know if there’s words for him. Special individual. From the moment he walked into the building, I’ve got a match in putting the time in taking care of the body. That’s somebody that challenges me and just being a professional and inspires me in everything that he’s doing. The conversations that we’ve had, discussing what he expects out of an offense and the way that he plays, and vice versa. Super impressed with him. Obviously, I’ve known he’s been a dude from playing against him and watching it, but to have him as a teammate now, we’re very, very fortunate. And he’s going to continue to be the man that he is, and he’s raising everybody’s focus intensity. You saw it tonight, and he’s a leader.”

On what helped on the red zone efficiency

“Just the focus update right through the bye week, and having a good plan of understanding what these guys want to do, and how they were going to attack, how we were going to tackle. And I was efficient down there right, and getting into the guys. And they ran good routes. They were speed, they were getting to their spots on time. And when we do that, that should be the result. And obviously, we should have had another one right there at the end, and we’re not complacent with the 3-for-5 or whatever it is. We want to go 5-for-5, and we’re just trying to build, and we’ve got to with the road we have left.”

On seeing linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Shavon Revel back on the field

“Special. Overshown is my favorite player. I told him that. His locker is right by mine. I knew he was going to go out and have a great game. It’s just that’s because of the way that he approaches the business each and every day with the same attitude. A hell of a leader, special player. That’s no surprise. He’s really my favorite player. And then Revel is a super excited young player. I had a couple of times of rehabbing with him, but to just see him over these last couple of weeks at practice, watching the way he runs, watch him turn get in out of cuts. He can run, and he’s going to be a great player for us.”

On what “opened up” on the field to let him be the point guard

“We knew we were going to play a team with a lot of spot drop, so it was important for our guys to run, be fast, be at their spots on time, in the right depths. And credit to our receivers and obviously the guys up front giving me a few seconds, and those guys being detailed on where they need to be. And if we can continue to do that, like I said, that’s what we can expect of ourselves.”

On how the defense’s energy helped the offense

“Contagious. That’s what complementary football is about. Going out there, first drive three-and-out, second drive we fumble right there in their own red zone, and for our defense to come out and make a stop and hold them to a field goal, I think that’s where we all took off, right there, seeing the confidence that that gave just the whole group of, ‘Worry about yourself, focus on your job, and we can play complementary football now.’ And tonight was a good example of that.”

On how special the touchdown from Ryan Flournoy was given his relationship with Kneeland

“It was awesome, special. Honestly I didn’t even think about their relationship and how special this was for him. But that’s just a reward for a guy [like Flournoy] who does everything right. Whatever you ask him to do, run, block, break the huddle, and CeeDee says, ‘No, I want that route,’ he goes and plays the other position and does it with such a great attitude, with such grace. One of the best teammates I’ve been around; keeps a positive attitude, stays focused and cares a lot about his teammates, cares a lot about his teammates, and gives it his all each and every day. He’s going to be a big part in carrying that legacy. Marshawn’s legacy, and I know he’s proud and honored to do that, and special for him to get a touchdown.”

On how much he can take from a win like this

“I hope we can take everything out of it honestly. You know, it’s the NFL, and let’s not look at these records and understand that this is an NFL team, and this is more about us. We go in each and every game saying, ‘It’s about us.’ And tonight’s an example of that, it was a dominating win. Sure, I understand that they’re struggling, right? But if we play that way, I don’t care who it is, the score might not be that big, margin might not be that way, but there’s no reason that we can’t be confident and feel like we’re going to come out on top if we can play with that same intensity and effort and complement.”

On what it meant to see all the support for Kneeland

“Yeah, that’s special. Special is one of these moments you realize that this is just a game, and life is what’s important. Our connections, our relationships, what we say to each other, how we can lift each other up, how we can be a helping hand, how we can be a true neighbor, a true brother, a true sister, and love one another. One love like Marshawn lived by, that’s awesome. Didn’t realize the Raiders were doing that. Obviously, I know the crowd was, I saw a bunch of the signs, and that’s what it’s about. That’s what makes life beautiful. And hopefully we’d all continue to look at our neighbors, look at ourselves, and ask, how can we be better? How can we help better them? And just a moment, like I said, to understand that it’s much bigger than this game, it’s about life.”

On the meaning behind the “one love” on his wristband

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve had ‘ask for help’ on there for majority of the games, since I’ve been writing on it, and sometimes change up, right, the message, and it was just the right message tonight, not only in honor of Marshawn, but as I was just iterating it’s one love, like we get one life, right? We all do, and we are responsible of being the best neighbor to the person next to us and giving them everything that they need in life that we’re capable of giving. And so, yeah, to just show the world one love, and just to try to go out there and play focused and allow my play and my focus and my relationship with my teammates to hopefully be an example of that.”

On how this win can help propel them on a winning streak

“Yeah, why not? And I know I’ve been saying that, I’ll probably keep saying that, why not. And it’s more about we’re in control, right? We’re in control, and life’s going to throw things at us, and it threw us a hell of a curveball this past week. And how are we going to respond? That’s what I was telling the team, right? To have a testimony we’ve got to go through a test. And this is a big test to our brotherhood and who we are, and to this organization, to us individually. Let’s have pride and let’s honor our brother. And if we can continue to do that, move forward carrying that light and play the way that we did tonight, why not?”

On the tribute ceremony he got at his high school

“Yeah, that was special. It was a hard day. It was the same day that we lost Marshawn. So it was a very whirlwind of emotions. Yeah, it was a tough day. I don’t know if my emotions and mind was there even enough to enjoy it quite the way that I wanted to, but I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of my high school and where I’m from and talking about carrying things on. I am from Haughton, Louisiana, and I am Haughton, as I told them. And wherever I go, they go with me. And so, super proud to be where I’m from. Super thankful to be able to give back and to be in this position and hopefully to inspire a bunch of kids there on the field now, being Prescott Field. And it’s not just honoring me, that’s honoring my mother, who put so much into the community by loving her boys and allowing her boys to go forward and to shine lights. Then my brother as well, both of my brothers, who were great athletes, who inspired me and made me the athlete that I am, to even get us to this position.”

On the extra effort plays shown tonight can help define them moving forward

“Yeah, that’s the winning plays. Those are the winning plays, not the highlights, right? Everybody sees that, but it’s that behind the scene, the third-and-10 that, you know, you get an 8- or 9-yard completion and put you in position, right, to go forward, which we did and and got the touchdown. Especially to a player like that, right? Hunter [Luepke], who does everything right, doesn’t get a lot of shines, not getting all the notoriety, does all the dirty work going, does anything you ask him to do. That’s what’s going to make this group special is those type of plays as we move forward and if we want to accomplish what we want to in these next few games to finish up.”

On the importance of speaking up about your mental health

“Yeah, I mean that’s being vulnerable. It’s not necessarily being weak. And to have courage or to show strength, there has to be that counter of that, right? There has to be that moment of vulnerability. It has to be that moment of weakness for you to even exemplify your courage or exemplify your braveness and how strong you can be. There has to be adversity to overcome. So, with that being said, it’s not, it’s real. We all go through, we all have foreign thoughts, and not all of us are capable and strong enough to counteract those thoughts and understand that they are foreign, right? That makes us feel different, then puts us in different moods, and I think that’s the most important part, is being aware of who you are and your moods and your daily acts. Not everybody understands that. When you get in those down moments, those depressed moments, it’s not about talking, and that’s what I’ve said earlier. It’s about being a good neighbor. And as a neighbor, sometimes we ask, how are you doing? You get a ‘good’ back. I think we should ask deeper sometimes, right? If you ask two or three times and that person says, ‘Good,’ well then, they’re cheating you. And you know that you have that responsibility too, of opening up. So we just got to have more conversations and talk. When you do that, as I told the local media, right, earlier this week, you’re just emptying out your cup. The more that you can help fill someone else’s cup.”

On what he did mentally to get an explosive second quarter

“I didn’t go anywhere when that happened. I stayed focused. I understand it’s football plays like that are going to happen. They had a better play than we had right there. They got a hell of a player, Maxx Crosby, who can rush. And trying to throw the ball away, he gets his hand on the football, back and forth, comes forward, and great play by them. But as I said, to watch our defense go out there and to hold them to a field goal, not allowing them to score a touchdown wasn’t just rejuvenating to me, I think, just to everybody and we fed off of that. But I’m not going to lose focus off of one negative play, off of a couple negative plays. This game is long, and each play has enough responsibility in itself, so I just like to focus one at a time and give my best.”

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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Jim Barnes

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November 17, 2025
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott explains long TD to CeeDee Lamb and more

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ARLINGTON

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders 44-22 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 21 of 30 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On the bandage on his hand entering the press conference

“It’s nothing. Just to take the swelling down. I usually throw my left hand to cover the ball when I get hit, and it usually takes a lot of helmets. Nothing unusual, honestly.”

On today’s offensive game

“It was great, explosive and fun. We saw the big plays and saw some drives that we put together. Our standards and expectations that we have for ourselves is very high, so we understand we’ve got the guys, the playmakers and the offensive line. The love that we have, you see it with the way the guys finish plays. Guys cover the ball, and the defense played very well tonight. When you do that, I think more of our games are going to look like this.

On how hard it is to stay patient during offensive plays

“It’s not hard. I’m a very present guy and I take pride in doing that, and it’s something that I practice. I do that by trying to play it play-by-play, each and every play and going through my reads. I know we talked about it earlier in the week, when you all are asking, ‘How do you not force it to those guys?’ And I say that’s on the coaches and we have multiple playmakers. Those are two dudes [CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens], and the other guys are as well. My point is wherever the ball goes, I’m confident when it leaves my hands that it’s going to be caught and a play is going to be made. After that, if that guy has a chance. When those two guys get it, it can be very explosive. I just want to stay on the field. That’s the other part that allows me to stay patient. I’m not trying to put the ball in harm’s way and throw an interception and then we’re sitting on the sideline. I want to be on the field playing this game.”

On the touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb

“It wasn’t the route we were expecting. It built for him to run a deep cross right there. I go through read one, which was George [Pickens], then I see the big window where if he would’ve ran that route, he would’ve had a great play, not a touchdown. I looked to find CeeDee, and he’s got his hands up saying, ‘I’m here.’ At that point, I saw the safety or the corner to the right. I just put about everything I had on the line, understanding that I could just lob it up and both guys would be able to make a play and try to give them a chance. He took a good job taking two steps back and catching the ball and walked into the end zone. Once again, it was a play that’s not made unless you have confidence in the guy you’re throwing to and that guy is smart and understands the defense, understands the look, and understands he can take the opportunity. We were able to capitalize on that.”

On if he’s proud of the 13 touchdowns in the last four games or ball security

“I’m not sure. I think they go hand-in-hand to be honest. When you take care of the ball, you have more opportunities to score touchdowns, and that’s leading to that. Not counting the touchdowns, probably the interceptions being true. I couldn’t tell you how many touchdowns it was, but I can tell you that I hadn’t thrown an interception. I’m trying to be smart with it, but not hesitant, scared or cautious at the same time. I have tons of confidence in what I can do, where I can put it, and the guys that I’m throwing it to, so that’s just a result of that.”

On DaRon Bland’s pick-six giving him flashbacks of the 2023 season

“Right before, we called the group up, right up before pregame. I told DB yesterday that they throw the ball to him as much as they throw it to anybody. It was pretty cool to see that he got an interception and a touchdown. I put that juju up into the air, manifested it, and he went and did what DB does.”

On his success against Washington and if today was different

“I guess it was similar. I haven’t played them with the new DQ [head coach Dan Quinn] with Joe Whitt and the personnel they have on that team, but it was fun. I was confident with what I was seeing when you play them. Even with the new coaches, that’s a group that I’ve played against every day for three or four years or so. Understanding what they’re going to do and what they’re going to try to do. They got to us in the second quarter a little bit, a couple of drives we didn’t score. I got frustrated, but I know our standard and I knew that we knew we could run away with this game and we were trying to do it too fast. For me, it was focusing the guys in and taking it play-by-play like the scores were going to come. You hit that big play to CeeDee and everyone thinks let’s do that every play, and that just doesn’t happen. It was about just getting the guys focused, back engaged and understanding what they were going to give us. I think everybody did a good job on attacking them.”

On the next step with his play with Lamb on the offensive end

“Next step? Next game. To quantify it, I’m not really sure. It’s the next game, that’s what’s important for us and to us. Honestly, it’s Wednesday practice. Those guys aren’t by any means complacent or great and settled with what they’ve done. They want the ball. They have high expectations, we have high expectations for each other. Who knows that the next game is. I haven’t truly looked at the stats. I know GP [George Pickens] said he was a little short of 100, but my point being is who knows what we can accomplish. The sky is the limit. We’re just going to stay focused each and every day at getting better and growing our connection. Guess that’s the next step to continue to communicate to one another. Understanding why CeeDee took that, but talk about that beforehand so when it happens, it’s a bit faster.”

On his immense trust for Pickens in any one-on-one situation

“Yeah, I do. I threw one in the third quarter, and that’s a miss. I take that as a miss because of the way that guy’s able to play the ball in the air when I don’t give him a fair chance at it. I’m going to put that on myself. I know the first one I threw to him was a little underthrown and a little outside, but he goes and makes an unbelievable catch. Late hands in it, holding it off. And then, the one that led to the touchdown right before the first half. I just put that one out there and kept [Marshon] Lattimore in his back pocket and let it fall in. He has a great natural ability of late hands in the ball and holding the defender off, and that makes my job easier. The trust is through the roof.”

On the defense continuing to force turnovers

“For sure they can sustain this. They just did this with a lot of adversity. A lot of credit to them. A lot of guys were out, and the guys that got to play stepped up. That’s awesome to see. That’s credit to them, I’m proud of them, the coaches and everybody for buckling down and answering through the noise and the adversity. They’re not naïve to what they’ve been doing and to what everybody’s saying. They answered the bell. I most definitely think they can continue this. The energy is electric, and for us on offense, all we want to do is repay them and go score touchdowns.”

On running back Javonte Williams opening up the play action

“It’s huge. I’ve talked about it going back to the spring how important the run game is. It helps with the box count. You can run the game. They’ve got to load it. We can run the ball. They’ve got to load the box, and then you can take advantage of outside with the one-on-ones. Te’s [Javonte Williams] a very smart runner, obviously, but physical, patient and just does a hell of a job. It starts with the offensive line, them creating holes, and he knows where he needs to go and how he needs to set it up. That’s only gonna make us continue to get better, the more success we have on the ground.”

On homecoming and spending time with legends

“A lot of gratitude. I’m somebody who appreciates the history before them, the men who have played this game, that wore this uniform and particularly played this position and dealt with the success, the adversity. Roger’s [Roger Staubach] been a guy who from the day that I’ve got here has been so supportive. I remember my rookie year I was asked to sign a ball for him for his Christmas gift that his daughters were giving him, and that was one of those welcome to the NFL, pinch-me type moments for myself. Just as the years have grown, I mean he said it right there. I’ve got your support. I’m always pulling for you. I don’t want to bother you. I’m like, ‘Roger you’re never gonna bother me.’ Please. It’s something that I don’t take for granted, blessed to have his support. Being a Cowboys fan, seeing all those players down there, all it’s going to do is push you a little bit more. Love the history of this team, love everything that they’ve done, and as I told you before, I’m trying to chase a lot of those men and win a championship.”

On what he’s learned about his team through seven games

“We’re gonna keep fighting. We’re gonna keep fighting, and as I alluded to last week, we’re gonna find a way to win some of these close games. I know this one wasn’t necessarily in the fourth quarter, going back and forth, but that’s the difference. We’re gonna win some games like this, but when we flip the switch and we win those close games, a resilient group that loves one another. That’s gonna stick together and is explosive and we’re gonna play complementary ball more and more each week.”

On trusting Pickens

“When I throw a ball like that, it’s 80 to 90% chance of gaining yards at that point. And that’s why I say that one in the third quarter, I just didn’t quite give him a chance. That’s on me because there might be a PI [pass interference] or he might make one of those grabs that he’s been making so tons of confidence. They’ve resulted in, as you said, 135 yards of penalties and how many have they resulted in yards for him. It’s a very successful play for us, and if they’re gonna give it to us, we’re gonna keep attacking it.”

On his feeling on where the team is

“I was about to say I’m OK with where we’re at, but I guess I am. I have be, right? That’s the reality of it. We’re getting past the point where you can say it’s early and we’ve got ourselves in a position to compete and that’s most important. Nobody cares about your records in September, October. It’s November, December and on that really matters, so I think we’ve put ourselves in a great position. So we put ourselves in the position that we shouldn’t and we don’t need to be looking at what other teams are doing and watching their records. We need to put our head down and go to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and get better and understand that we control what we want to control, then it’s all in front of us. Being 3-3-1 we’re in a good spot. We’re right where we need to be playing a game like this that was so complementary on both sides of the ball. I don’t know how anybody in that locker room can’t have confidence and excited to get to work tomorrow.”

On if Pickens and Lamb are his best wide receiver tandem

“It’s up to y’all to decide. Dez [Bryant] was just in there, too, so don’t say that too loud. Those dudes are unbelievable. They are and that’s credit to them. That’s credit to the way they show up and work each and every day. That’s credit to the standard that they have for themselves. That’s credit to the love they have for one another, the way that they push one another. They definitely are.”

On the reason for his impressive four-game stretch

“A lot of things coming together. It’s all the work that I’ve put into this. Personally, a lot of offseason work to the team getting together in the spring, to training camp. Success through these last few games is just only growing the confidence. I know who I am. I feel great throwing the ball. When you got pass catchers like those two guys, CeeDee, Turp [KaVontae Turpin], [Jalen] Tolbert, Flo [Ryan Flournoy] that are making plays and taking advantage of their opportunities whenever they come. I’m just gonna keep pushing myself to get better. You’ve been around, you understand that, that’s all I want to do. It’s not about the results. It’s about how great can I be and how much better can I get from one day to the next. So I’m as excited as anybody to get in there tomorrow and clean up mistakes from this one and push forward and get ready for the next game.”

On if this is the most fun he’s had

“I don’t know if I have. Not a knock to any other group that I’ve been a part of, but the chemistry, the camaraderie, the trash talking, the emotions and passion of this unit. It’s there as much as I’ve ever seen it. Sure, we’ve got some youth that’s probably a big part of it. But we’ve got guys who just work their tails off every day, and I say it all the time, confidence is earned. You don’t just wake up and say, yeah, I know I can do this. No, you gotta go do that, prove it to yourself and then you feel good about talking about it and walking the walk. So this group practices the right way, and they’ve earned the confidence and they go out there and we play with it and it’s fun. It really is fun. It’s in a collaborative effort, and it’s not about me. It’s not about any one person in that group. It’s about the way that we all play for one another, doing our one-eleventh each play and seeing what the result is afterwards.”

On hearing about what Lamb and Pickens have said about his hot streak and what that means to them

“It’s awesome. It’s something I don’t take for granted, but they’re not telling y’all anything that they don’t tell me. We’re out there on the field, and they’re telling me that I’m the best to do it. They know how important that is, and they want me to take those heat checks and throw it to them. That just reminded me to give them a chance. That’s the love that I’m talking about and the expectations and the standard that I’ve alluded to when I say that we all believe in one another. We understand that we can only do so much alone, but together, we’re a hell of a group.”

On playing Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and if the Cowboys’ offense could be considered one of the most dangerous in the league come December

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. I mean that’s definitely our standard and something that we talk about as a group. It’s not necessarily putting pressure on us, but it’s just the way that we work and the players that we have. With good fortune and good health, I don’t see why this group won’t be one of the best. Yeah, for Jayden, a young player. Obviously, I watched him last year all throughout the year, especially in my time being hurt. Very talented, throws the ball super fast. His stop-and-go is ridiculous, him and [Ravens QB Lamar Jackson] both, right? I wish I had that. I mean I ran to the sideline one play and somebody grabbed me, and I was scared, I didn’t know what was going to happen. But point being, I wish I could slow down and speed up like that and put defenders on skates. Impressive player. I know he’s getting coached by the right man over there, and he’ll only get better and better.”

On who won the pregame dance off between backup QB Joe Milton and Pickens

“I think Joe was really setting the stage, giving the alley oop to George. He was just the opening act for George. I won’t say there’s a winner. That was just a cool moment. The energy was great in pregame. Lot of guys were just dancing throughout pregame. Usually they’re waiting for me to make a speech at that point. I was just like, ‘Hey, let’s keep dancing.’ I’d say maybe Joe won, ‘cause I just threw him out here. Like, hey Joe, start dancing. He took the lead, got it going and then GP jumped in. That was really just a way to tell guys to stay loose. Like play free, you’re confident. I see it, I feel it. You’ve earned that. Stay right here where we are, let’s play for the brother next to us, and that’s exactly what the group went out and did.”

On what it says about this group to have that kind of moment right before kickoff

“That’s just who we are. If you’re around the guys throughout the locker room, at practice, I mean that’s just who we are. That was more of a moment, I guess, for you guys than anything. That’s George, Joe, CeeDee, everybody. myself, I even tried to at times, I’m getting better at dancing. That’s just part of practice and part of the energy that we carry into our workday. It was cool just do it before a game. That’s my point of just be the same guys that we are at practice. We put in the right work, we do it with the right intentions. So you should have fun when you’re doing that. Schottenheimer always mentions that. Sunday is a celebration. It’s a celebration of all the hard work that we put in throughout the week. No reason to play tight. Be free, let it go and fly around. Everybody did that, not just offense, but the whole team.”

On his pregame outfit and his thoughts on tight end Jake Ferguson’s performance (two TDs)

“Yeah, super proud of Jake. Obviously, I know how frustrating and hard I guess last season was throughout the year, not getting a touchdown, and even those first couple of games. It’s a guy that works as hard as anybody, and speaking of just intentions, being very intentional on his routes and his blocking and making sure he’s communicating with me on certain routes and where do I want him to be and what do I expect from him. It’s no surprise, and I’m super proud of him. He told me he had ordered the jersey [Prescott’s high school jersey]. I didn’t know it came in already, and I didn’t know he was going to wear it to the game. What was great was that we just happened to walk into the stadium together, so when I saw it, got hyped.”

On if he expects other wide receivers to start wearing more of the jerseys

“I told him pregame, listen I’m definitely throwing you some. I’m definitely getting you a couple. Thankful that the defense allowed him to get a couple touchdowns, and Schotty’s play calling, so it all worked out. But, yeah, it was cool. He’s a hell of a player, as I’ve mentioned before, and he’s only getting better each and every game. The touchdowns are going to keep rolling.”

This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 11:50 PM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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October 19, 2025
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott bemoans ‘frustrating’ late three-and-out in loss

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The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 25 of 34 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On going three-and-out in their last drive and not getting the ball back

“I wouldn’t say it’s demoralizing. I’d definitely say it’s frustrating, right? Even the last time we had the ball, probably not our best series of the game right there, other than the three-and-out to start the game off. At a crucial point like that, we can’t just do that. On top of that, that being the last time we touched the ball, it makes it frustrating. That’s the NFL. You trust that those guys are going to get a stop. Unfortunately, had a PI called on the third-down. After that, they just kind of ate the clock up, kept running the ball, did a good job. They won the fourth quarter. That’s the NFL. We won the turnover battle. Don’t know the big plays, but they won the fourth quarter, and that was the difference there. A team that’s obviously second-year coach, young quarterback playing well, getting better. Young running back that we’re familiar with. He told us to buckle up and he went and had a hell of a game and credit to them. They got the best, and they’re the better team this afternoon.”

On wide receiver George Pickens

“He’s just an elite receiver. He’s an elite receiver. He’s playing hard. He’s understanding everything that we throw at him. Whether it’s in different positions — you saw him in the slot a lot more today, making big plays. After he gets the ball in his hands, some of the things he does, it’s only George can do. He’s a special player. We’re lucky to have him. We’re only going to get better each game.”

On the fun Pickens is playing with

“For sure. Yeah, I mean, no, you’re right. It’s contagious at that. And obviously, I’m having a blast, but when you get to throw it to a guy like that, and he makes the catch, and you watch him do the — make the people miss afterwards, try to jump over them. He loves football. You see it on Sunday. I see it all throughout the week. There’s plays at practice, whether he catches a touchdown, and does a celebration, or catches a big play, and acts like — I don’t want to say, ‘Acts like it’ — he’s preparing to cut back and make people miss. That’s who he is. That’s the way he approaches it every day when he comes in. We’re crazy fortunate to have him. You see that every day that he touches that field. When he’s around the guys, he loves his teammates and he loves the game of football. It’s contagious and it’s fun to watch.”

On his team after the last two games

“Yeah, I mean, we can play with anyone. But it’s the NFL. We’ve got to make sure that we’re locked in because you can lose any game. That’s the beauty of the NFL – the parity. That’s why the draft is set up the way it is, it’s why free agency is the way it is. It’s great. It’s great. You get into a game like this, you feel like you’re going to win every second. Even the field goal block right there, [DE] Sam [Williams] is jumping over with the block. In my mind, we’re still going to block it, and we’re going to go win this thing in overtime. We got a good team that’s grimy. We’ve got to find a way to win these games. That’s the missing chink in the armor right now. Whether it’s the tied game or this game, we have to find a way to win games. If we do that, we feel a whole lot different in the locker room. Now the reality, is the team different? Not necessarily. You feel a lot better, you’re taking confidence and when you get that confidence that allows you to feel more confident at the end of games. Understanding and knowing, I guess you could say, and believing that you’re going to pull it out. Right now, we just have to find a way to win the fourth quarter.”

On if he was hoping that the defense let Carolina score at the end to get another chance on offense

“Yeah, for sure. Obviously, when they tried it, they went freeway. It’s NFL. Those guys know exactly what we’re going to try to do, too. That’s the beauty of the league — every play matters and every play is hard to execute. Even when you’re trying to give it to them, they understand that and they don’t want to take it. Yeah, maybe we have to install picking a guy up and running him into the end zone. That’s the beauty of game management. They did it better.”

On what gives him confidence that the defense can get things fixed

“That we go against them every day. It’s an iron-sharpens-iron mentality. I understand the players and the pieces that they have over there. You see them working each and every day. You see them getting better. At the end of the day, they’re getting better. The communication, they’re getting the ball out, so they’re going to get better.”

On what the season holds after a loss like this

“It’s a long season. It’s a long, long season. I’ve been 3-5 before, and we went and ran and made the playoffs. That’s my point. We’ve just got to find a way to win these close games right here. I have all the confidence that we will. That game right there, I just wanted the ball back in my hands knowing we’d go win and unfortunately it didn’t happen. The reality of it is we have to do better on that last three-and out. More importantly, we have to score in the red zone when we had that chance there. That field goal is for a tie, or they’re having to score to win. It’s a long season. It’s a long season. We’ve got a lot of great players. We’ve got guys getting healthy and guys coming back. That’s only going to make this team better and more explosive. We got to keep our heads down and keep working and understand it’s a process. It is a loss, but it’s also — we got to take something and learn from it.”

On not letting frustration boil over when the offense has to score on every drive

“That’s my standard. I don’t ever go out there thinking let’s punt the ball or after a first down, we’re good. If we don’t score, the last thing I’m doing is being frustrated at the defense. That’s my problem, that’s our problem. That’s somebody on offense or something that we didn’t do better. You guys know me, I’m a look-in-the-mirror type guy before I ever would think about pointing the finger. I have to be accountable. There’s two or three plays I can think of off the top of my head, and sure, it’s not big plays or maybe plays you won’t pick out, but that I’m thinking, ‘If I throw it there, if do this, what does that drive turn into? What’s the next play? What’s the next third down look like?’ It’s part of the game. You’ve got to look at yourself and fix that first.”

On if his relationship with Pickens is the quickest that he’s established a strong connection with a pass catcher

“I guess. I mean, [WR] CeeDee [Lamb] was pretty fast. Unfortunately, I was just hurt within five games and didn’t get to show the rest of it. That’s credit to these guys. That’s credit to them, one, to understand what I’m thinking, running their routes hard and then after we communicate, going and executing it. It’s fun to throw it to a guy like that. It’s fun to watch him. Speaking of CeeDee, when he gets back and gets healthy, good luck on how teams are going to play us. You have guys like ‘Ferg’ [TE Jake Ferguson], you’ve got other playmakers out there making plays in terms of getting healthy. We have ‘Flo’ [WR Ryan Flournoy], ‘J.T.’ [WR Jalen Tolbert] and [WR] George [Pickens] definitely opens it up. We’re thankful to have him.”

On connecting with tight end Jake Ferguson on the touchdown

“Yeah, it was great. I got a good look from the defense. The backer was kind of flat-footed and I saw he wasn’t getting depth. They leaned the safety over there. That’s probably one of the easier ones — trusting a guy like that. It was good to cash in on, especially after last week, if we talked about the one that should have been easy. Just to come back today and to get one, I’m proud of him.”

On the struggles of getting downfield on the last drive

“It was tough, and one, understanding that they’re going to try to put a lid on it. That not just because of the success we were having, but that’s kind of their get-back-on-track defense. They gave kind of a two-man look. It’s one of those things, looking at the picture, I’m like ‘Man, could I have taken that inside slot to [WR] ‘J.T.’ [Jalen Tolbert] right there?’ And you guys would probably go back and look at it and say, ‘Yeah.’ But it’s one of those thinking that nickel can drive and should potentially drive it with that coverage. Went through the progression as normal and got two negative plays in a row after the screen. That hurt us. On the third down, it was just about being smart. Trust me, I want to throw it into tight windows and make plays, but it’s a team game. You have to trust the other side. You have to trust special teams, defense, the coaching, the play calling. Unfortunately, we just didn’t get it back today.”

On if he is kicking himself more for having to settle for a field goal in the red zone or for the last drive

“The red zone. The red zone. The last drive, we’ll all have to go back and look at that, and try to dissect that. Good job by them. Just like I said right, I said it over and over. Nice, it’s the NFL, good job by them. We’ve been having a lot of success. They got us on first down. When you’re behind the sticks, it’s hard to get going again. But most definitely the red zone trip one. I know that there’s two balls in the end zone that were ops to cash in on – one was a scramble. [TE] Luke Schoonmaker would have had to make a hell of a catch, so not on him. Then they brought a cover-zero late. Didn’t get to necessarily alert the receivers that it was zero. ‘G.P’ [WR George Pickens] ran a good route, one of those ones we’ll communicate on. He’ll run it maybe a tad different next time understanding the situation, and we maybe cash in on that. But yeah, definitely, anytime we get in the red zone, knowing the players, the plays, what we’re capable of, and we don’t score, the game’s different. The rest of the, what, four or five minutes, what was left or whatever, six minutes, it’s different after that.”

On running back Rico Dowdle and if he misses him and if he has a message for him

“Great job tonight. Great job last week. He told us to buckle up. He got the last laugh. We got a hell of a group of running backs. I love my team, but I miss the guy. Rico is a hell of a friend. But I’m proud of him more than anything. As I said, I messaged him last week, but I didn’t get to see him right after the game. I’ll connect with him. He knows there’s nothing but love.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2025 at 8:06 PM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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October 12, 2025
Everything QB Dak Prescott said after Dallas Cowboys’ win over Jets

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The Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Jets 37-22 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 18 of 29 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns.

Here’s everything he said to the media after the game:

On WR Ryan Flournoy’s big game

“Super proud of him. A guy that’s in his second year. Very, very hungry. He’s not afraid to tell you how much he wants it. I had plenty of conversations with him going back to those Atlanta trips and offseason time spent together and getting to know somebody. That guy has a lot of, as an old coach used to say, “[Expletive] in his neck.” And he wants to be great and he wants every opportunity and responsibility he can, he wants to make the most of. And I think tonight was just an example of just that, of him getting that opportunity, him making every play that came his way, whether it was the deepers across the middle, the free play down the sideline, the arounds. He’s just showing that he’s very deserving of the ball and he’s going to make plays when he gets it. Super proud of him.”

On RB Javonte Williams’ performance

“He’s a hell of a player. Great player, great running back. Understands the schemes, understands the pass game, understands what we’re trying to get at. Always is going to get positive yards. There’s been numbers of plays now where it should have been a negative play and the guy just, he’s so strong, shakes his defender off of him, still gets a first down on a third down or fourth down, whatever it may be. He’s a huge help to this team. He’s been a great addition and credit everything he’s doing. But there’s a lot, a lot of those guys up front tonight playing with, not necessarily, I mean four backups I guess you could say, and I hate to say backups, but four guys who got their opportunity tonight who went and created holes for him and played nasty and played to the end of each whistle. And Javonte running hard like he always does resulted in a big night for him.”

On the Cowboys being able to perform with four backups on the offensive line

“It’s credit to these coaches, it’s credit to the players, it’s credit to the organization and I mean, everybody. There’s not many teams in the league that can put four guys who don’t start into the game and feel confident about going and winning a game, especially on the road against one of the most premier interior defensive lineman [Quinnen Williams] and some good rushers as well. So, credit from the front office of getting these guys, but just as important, these guys don’t see themselves as backups, as they shouldn’t. They’ve just been waiting on their opportunity. It goes back to April and OTAs, all the way through minicamp of guys taking advantage of each rep that they’ve gotten and knowing that their time’s going to come. Our [offensive coordinator] Klayton [Adams] says it all the time, if you don’t like your position or if you’re a little upset, you know that you’re not the guy, wait 10, 15 minutes, you never know. That’s the way that this league goes. And those four guys and Flo [Flourney] and other guys showed that tonight that you just keep your head down, you keep working, you control what you can control, and when your opportunities come, you don’t have to look around, you can take advantage of them.”

On playing with more intensity against the Jets than in 2019

“I was a young Dak, and not this team. I don’t put this team in that same category. Everything’s different, man. I mean, each year, each team’s different. I 1000% get what you’re saying, but I saw this coming just from the simple fact of this team knows how confident we are, what we’re capable of doing. We know how important it was to get the taste of last week out of our mouth and out of our mind. Sure, it was a good game, but it was a tie. You don’t play in this league to get ties. So, you know how hungry the defense is, right? I mean, they’re being asked and being called on from, I’m sure all of you guys, to do more. And they went out there tonight and played a hell of a game. We got some turnovers and numbers of sacks that allowed us to play a complimentary game on all phases of it, and super proud of the team. The way we came out, we fought, loved the whole end of the second quarter, right? That was huge. From that turnover to the way the offense was able to get the two touchdowns, I’m sure they’d all say the same, we want to finish more. And I know we left some plays and some points out there today.”

On how he maintains the confidence when the team is missing four starting offensive linemen

“It’s the time that you spend together throughout the building and it’s those moments, those reps that they get throughout practice. I had a conversation with the young lineman earlier in the week about how I became a starter. So, if there’s ever a guy who’s going to believe in somebody having to step up to the plate when their number is called and people don’t think they’re ready, it’s going to be me. So, to me, it’s just about encouraging those guys and motivating those guys to understand that you’re meant to be here. You’re here for a purpose. You’re here for a reason. Like, don’t overthink this thing. It’s football. It’s a fun, great team game. You’ve got teammates to count on and lean on. Just go out there and trust that and let it go. And going from Nate [Thomas], who I’ve talked about all offseason, right? To Keem [Hakeem Adeniji] or [Trevor] Keegan, who that’s the one I had the conversation with, to T.J. [Bass] and Brock [Hoffman], who have gotten tons of snaps and have started numbers of games here, I’ve got so much confidence in those guys and it just grows with each play and each moment when I see how much pride that they take in their jobs. You’ve got a young Nate Thomas coming up to me after the game saying that he can do better and he will do better. And it’s like, dude, I know you will. You know what I mean? Like, I know you will. But that’s as rewarding as this win is because you got guys who care about this as much as you do and want to be the best on absolutely every play. So, my confidence just continues to rise with those guys.”

On scoring three touchdowns on blitzes today and what he likes about playing against a blitz

“Yeah, I mean, you’re blitzing guys. You’re one on one usually with my guys outside, and I feel comfortable with my guys winning those matchups. Obviously, Jake [Ferguson] on a few of them, did the big one to GP [George Pickens] and then right there at the end, it was just an easy one. Yeah, it just goes into the film study, the preparation. You see those looks before the blitz happens, you know what coverage is behind it, and you feel great about taking advantage of it.”

On where Adams has helped the most as offensive coordinator

“Everywhere. I mean it would be hard to just say one area and damn sure disrespectful to just say one area. That’s a guy that loves football, loves the locker room, loves his players, loves coaching, loves inspiring. The run game, obviously, jumps out and that’s what’s going to scream whether you look at the paper, you watch the film and his intensity, how he coaches with him and [offensive line coach Conor Riley] and [assistant offensive line/quality control coach] Ramon Chinyoung [Sr.], all of them, and just the intensity they have, that offensive line and the details that they have them playing with. Credit to all of them. Clayton brings a sense of intensity and focus and grit to our offense that you really can’t quantify, I guess. He’s a great offensive coordinator. It’s a great mix between him, Shotty [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] and the rest of those guys with their putting together. We’ve got a great staff that, being in this a long time, I’m thankful for.”

On how Schottenheimer has helped the team and gotten them on the right path

“I mean that’s just him being him. He’s a standup guy who approaches each day the same, true to who he is. Win, loss, draw, whatever it may be, you’re going to get the same Schotty. And I think that’s something that makes it easy to follow and a lot of guys easy to respect and something just as a playcaller and you know, from our relationship that I appreciate is a guy who takes heavy accountability. And what I mean is, there was some drives today that didn’t go well, I’ll take responsibility for a number of them, whether it’s third down, should have got to this play or that play. But him even in my head says, “Hey, let me get something going for you. Let me do a better job of calling plays.” And whether it was his fault or not, when you’re the quarterback, man, I appreciate that. Maybe it’s not all on me and that they weren’t your play calls. It’s just taking accountability and then, he called the touchdown to GP. Then goes, “Hey, I’m back in my bag.” And I go, “Yeah, you are.” Just incredible the way he approaches this game each and every day. And when you get to Sundays or whatever the game day is, he talks about playing free and playing coaching and being loose, and he’s the epitome of that. If you want to see somebody who’s enjoying the moment, it’s Schotty.”

On the play call to George Pickens

“I can’t give the play call. It was a touchdown, it was a big post. No, he didn’t call this and say throw it to GP [George Pickens], he just called the play and GP happened to get a touchdown and it was just a great play call.”

On how today’s win reflected Schottenheimer building a culture within the team

“Yeah man, it was evident. As I said, for those guys to start who don’t normally to get in, to play like starters, and to own their roles, and play at the standard that we did. Too many three-and-outs and too many things that we know we can get better at, but that’s not on those guys, that’s on just myself and just the whole process of it. But to stay consistent and the belief in each and everyone of those guys, I mean he’s [Schottenheimer] doing a hell of a job building this culture and he deserves a lot of respect and credit for it.”

On his connection to Jake Ferguson

“Just a lot of communication. Not only give Jake credit, he’s the beneficiary of it, but credit to Lunda Wells their coach. You know, we spend a lot of time with them talking plays, talking specific plays where I want him to be in certain zones, or how do we see a coverage and it’s always grown. I mean, we missed that first third down, that’s a touchdown right there, I want it back, Jake wants it back and that was just simply a way where he saw it a little different than I did. You know, we talked about it, I hadn’t got that look again but I guarantee when we get it again we score on it. That’s what it takes. It’s just communicating, understanding one another, and understanding how you want to attack whether it be certain zones or it be certain players, and Jake is just doing a hell of a job of getting open, playing nasty, and just doing everything that you want in a tight end.”

On what stands out about Ryan Flournoy

“Yeah, strength. As simple as that as strength. He loves the game and he’s strong. He’s going to win when it’s man-to-man outside. Obviously, we’ve given him the ball in the run game back-to-back weeks now and you’ve just watched how he’s turning the edge, covering up the ball, and he turns into a running back. It’s mad impressive. He’s a guy that’s just going to take advantage of every opportunity he’s given. Super, super proud of him. He just has to keep preparing the way that he’s been preparing and he’s going to keep playing that same way.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM.

Jim Barnes

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.

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October 5, 2025