Getty Cowboys LB Micah Parsons defended QB Dak Prescott following the loss to the Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys aren’t allowing a close loss to their division rivals affect their confidence moving forward.
Following a tough 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, linebacker Micah Parsons isn’t losing faith in Dak Prescott. Although Prescott and the Cowboys came up short on the game-deciding drive when CeeDee Lamb caught Prescott’s pass but was tackled at the Eagles’ 4-yard line as time expired, Parsons sent a strong message on his franchise quarterback following the game.
According to Jon Machota of The Athletic:
“Dak is a freaking warrior,” said Parsons on Sunday, November 5. “That’s Dak M************ Prescott, bro. He’s a dog. He’s a warrior. I have an unbelievable amount of confidence in him. I felt he had a great game. People need to put more respect on him. He outplayed everyone today.”
Dak Prescott Posts Arguably Best Game of Season
Although the Cowboys came up short in their quest to unseat the Eagles as the NFC East’s team to beat, it wasn’t due to a lack of production from the 30-year-old quarterback. In fact, Prescott had arguably his best game of the season, posting a season-high 374 passing yards with his second-highest number of completions (29), passer rating (115.2) and QB rating (72.6).
Prescott’s performance in a losing effort actually drew rave reviews from others, including his former head coach, Jason Garrett. The current NBC Sports analyst actually complimented Prescott’s play, saying that Prescott carried the team.
“That quarterback in Dallas, Dak Prescott, put the entire team on his shoulders throughout this ballgame,” Garrett said. “Time and time again in the big moments, he was the guy making plays. Unbelievable job. A classic in the NFC East.”
Why Dak Prescott Will Still Receive Criticism for Loss
While Prescott’s stats were certainly stellar, critics will point towards the game-deciding drive as a way to detract from his performance.
With the Cowboys trailing by five points with 46 seconds remaining, Prescott drove the team down the field from their own 14-yard line all the way to the Eagles’ 11-yard line — all with no timeouts remaining.
However, the ensuing plays led to the Cowboys’ demise. With 27 seconds remaining, Prescott took a sack for a loss of 11 yards, which then resulted in an incomplete pass with five seconds remaining. Before the ensuing play, the Cowboys were called for delay of game. By the time they took their last snap, they did so from the Eagles’ 27-yard line — 16 yards back where they were just a couple of plays earlier.
The offensive line obviously didn’t play great, allowing a season-high five sacks on Prescott. However, it is also partly Prescott’s fault for taking the final sack, knowing the team was lacking timeouts with under 30 seconds remaining. Secondly, the delay of game penalty is the quarterback’s fault.
Prescott also had his own strong message to the team following the game.
“It sucks in the moment, but there’s a lot of good we can take [from this game]. … We’re doing things the right way,” said Prescott. “It’s just an inch here, an inch there. We gotta find a way to gain that.”
Despite the humbling loss, the Cowboys will look to bounce back and gain ground on the Eagles when they play the New York Giants in Week 10. They’ll match up with the Eagles again in Dallas in Week 14.