Getty Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy pulled no punches in diagnosing quarterback Dak Prescott’s “tough, uphill” day comprising Sunday’s ghastly loss to Denver.
“I thought particularly the match man game, there wasn’t a lot of completions, as far as readily available as some prior contests,” McCarthy said after the 30-16 defeat at AT&T Stadium. “I thought they did a really good job challenging our perimeter and pressing our tackles.”
Under duress all game, Prescott completed 19-of-39 balls for 232 yards, two garbage-time touchdowns, and one interception while absorbing five hits and a pair of sacks from an opportunistic Broncos defense — sans Von Miller. Dak averaged a paltry 5.9 yards per pass and logged a 24.1 QBR, one of the lowest outputs of his six-year career.
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Prescott Shoulders Blame for Dallas’ Poor Performance
Ten-point home favorites, the Cowboys played like heavy underdogs, its offense inefficient on third down (5-of-13) and even worse on fourth down (0-for-4). Their leading receiver, tight end Dalton Schultz, managed just four receptions for 54 yards. Their leading rusher, running back Ezekiel Elliott, converted 10 carries into 51 empty yards.
This, to say nothing of crushing drops committed by their most reliable of pass-catchers: Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Tony Pollard. This, to say nothing of a defense that came entirely unglued, ceding 407 total yards to Denver, including 190 on the ground.
It was, to quote beat reporter Clarence Hill, a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day” at Jerry World.
“They were more physical than us,” Prescott admitted in his post-game press conference. “I think it was the first time this year that we weren’t the more physical team. To say they did something that we weren’t expecting or we weren’t ready for… To say that they did something to stop us…They were more physical we didn’t execute as I said. We didn’t throw and catch the way that we’ve done all season long. On those third downs and even the fourth down, when we needed to execute, I missed a throw, we dropped some passes and we weren’t clean. And it starts with me and we’ll be able to move forward from this and learn from this. Credit to those guys.”
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Dak Emerges Physically Unscathed
The overarching storyline prior to kickoff was the return of Prescott, who sat out last week’s win against Minnesota due to a right calf strain. The $160 million field general was itching to take the field; he did, and left it no worse for wear.
“I didn’t think there was any setbacks,” McCarthy said in his post-game address. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to Dak today, I didn’t visit with him after the game, but I’m not aware of any setback today.”
Prescott suffered mightily from the absence of stalwart left tackle Tyron Smith, inactive with an ankle injury. The musical-chairs experiment of stationing Terence Steele at Smith’s spot and re-inserting La’el Collins at right tackle was an abject failure. But while it forced Prescott to utilize his legs more than he would have preferred — here’s a bright spot — it also proved his health is no longer in doubt.
“Held up fine. It was great,” Prescott said of his calf. “Did a lot of moving, did a lot of scrambling there, getting outside of the pocket. No issues, hadn’t felt it. I’m fine.”
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Mike McCarthy Criticizes Dak Prescott’s Performance vs. Broncos