The Green Bay Packers have given Dak Prescott grounds to reconsider one of the first conclusions he reached at Lambeau Field.
Prescott went into Green Bay as a rookie in 2016 and left with a 30-16 victory over the Packers. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott piled up 157 rushing yards.
Ten years later, Prescott remembers what he said after making an intimidating road environment in the NFL look manageable.
The Cowboys quarterback revisited that moment Thursday ahead of Sunday night’s return to Lambeau, and his latest comments reflected back on his original words.
Prescott Revisits Old Lambeau Boast Before Packers Game
Prescott recalled being told how difficult it was to play in Green Bay before his first trip there. Dallas then controlled the matchup, building a 17-6 halftime lead before pulling away.
That performance left the rookie feeling pretty confident about the challenge.
“What’s so hard about playing up here?” Prescott remembered joking after the victory, per DallasCowboys.com.
Time has changed his perspective.
“I’ve been back since and didn’t win, so I understand,” Prescott added.
That admission comes with history behind it.
Prescott is now 1-5-1 against Green Bay across the regular season and playoffs, according to the Cowboys’ team site. His only victory remains that 2016 game at Lambeau. Dallas managed a 40-40 tie with Green Bay last season, but Prescott is still yearning for win No. 2 against the Packers.
Green Bay has authored some painful moments for Dallas since his rookie victory.
The Packers eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs later in Prescott’s rookie season, winning 34-31 at AT&T Stadium in the NFC divisional round. Green Bay nailed an even bigger postseason blow in January 2024.
Jordan Love led the seventh-seeded Packers into Dallas and shredded the Cowboys in a 48-32 wild-card victory. Love completed 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a 157.2 passer rating.
Green Bay led 27-0 in the second quarter and stretched the margin to 48-16 prior to Dallas scoring late.
Packers Can Give Prescott Another Difficult Lambeau Memory
Prescott’s comments also land before a matchup in which Green Bay’s defense has motivation to make him uncomfortable again.
Dallas allowed Tampa Bay to pressure Prescott 13 times last week, and Prescott acknowledged Thursday that he expects Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to study that approach.
Green Bay has the NFL’s fifth-highest pressure rate at 42.2%, according to DallasCowboys.com, despite Micah Parsons remaining on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from a torn ACL and meniscus.
Prescott knows Gannon’s pressure packages, too. Gannon’s Arizona defense pressured him 15 times and sacked him five times during a 27-17 Cardinals victory over Dallas last season.
Prescott essentially invited Green Bay to test him again, saying, “Let’s do it.”
The circumstances are not the same as Prescott’s first Lambeau appearance. He was an burgeoning rookie quarterback of a Cowboys team that would finish 13-3. And Dallas was in the midst of a four-game winning streak and left Wisconsin looking like one of the NFC’s best teams.
This time, the Cowboys are 2-3 and trying to stabilize their season against a 3-2 Packers team.
Prescott once left Lambeau wondering what all the fuss was about.
A decade has gone by, and he sounds far more aware of what Green Bay can do to him.
Packers Get Dak Prescott Admission Over Old Lambeau Boast