‘I am glad it’s behind us.’ Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott on year after ankle injury

There is no question Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was sloppy early in Sunday’s 44-20 win against the New York Giants.

Was he pressing?

Was he thinking about Sunday’s game being the one-year anniversary of the gruesome fractured ankle he sustained against the same team on the same AT&T Stadium turf that sidelined him for the final 11 games of last season.

Prescott hugged Cowboys athletic trainer Britt Brown, who was in charge of his extensive rehabilitation over the last year, after the game and acknowledged the moment meant more than he expected it would.

“I am glad it’s behind us,” Prescott said. I am glad. I am past that. This was final shovel in burying this.”

And he provided enough offense to keep the Giants at bay.

Prescott overcame a tipped interception and fumble on a dropped snap on the 5-yard line in the first quarter that cost the Cowboys points, but he did toss two first-half touchdown passes of 49 yards to CeeDee Lamb and 24 yards to Amari Cooper to give the Cowboys a 17-10 halftime lead.

The second touchdown came one play after Giants cornerback James Bradberry dropped what would have been an interception.

By the end of the game, Prescott was Prescott.

He completed 22 of 32 passes for 302 yards with three touchdowns and one interception with a quarterback rating of 116.9.

Team vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys never worried about Prescott after the ankle injury, which is why they signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract in March.

And there no concern about the slow start on Sunday.

“We’ve never had any doubt in Dak,” Jones said. “We always wanted to have him on this football team. Certainly I know he feels good about the situation. His play is amazing, but what’s even more amazing is the leader that he is, the ‘it’ factor that he brings. He’s driven to be the best. Even though he is one of the best at what he does, he continues to work to be even better. So impressed with what he’s doing.”

The Cowboys simply took advantage of a Giants team — which played the second half without quarterback Daniel Jones, who left just before halftime with a concussion — and cruised to their fourth straight victory.

The Cowboys (4-1) now have a commanding two-game lead in the NFC East with the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles at 2-3 and the Giants in last at 1-4.

Prescott said he wasn’t as energetic early in the game as he normally would be and allowed that it might have been the awkward circumstances due to last year’s injury.

“Didn’t start as clean as we wanted, but we finished strong,” Prescott said. “And that was a big emphasis this week, throwing the knockout punch and finishing the team. We got the chance to finish them. We could have scored on that last possession, something to hang on to, but the defense did a great job of putting a nail in it.”

The Cowboys broke the game open in the third quarter when Prescott tossed a 4-yard touchdown to Ezekiel Elliott and followed an interception by cornerback Trevon Diggs against Giants quarterback Mike Glennon with a 39-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein to make the score 27-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

It marked the fourth time in this season that Prescott has thrown at least three touchdown passes in a game.

The Cowboys continued to stay balanced, rushing for more than 160 yards for the fourth straight game, led by Ezekiel Elliott’s 110 yards on 21 carries. Elliott’s 13-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter capped a nine-play, 98-yard drive to make the score 34-13.

It came after a crucial stop on fourth-and-goal at 2 by the Cowboys defense, which possesses the most exciting player through the first five games. Diggs tied a franchise record with an interception in five straight games to open the season now leads the NFL with six.

“I have never seen anything like it,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “The ball is going up in the air and he is coming down with it. I don’t even think it’s a 50-50 ball anymore. He is playing at an extremely high level. Tremendous energy he brings to the defense and the football team.”

Cornerback Anthony Brown finished the scoring with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. McCarthy said he liked the way the Cowboys played in all three phases and the way they finished the game.

“I am not going to jump up and down over the two giveaways,” McCarthy said. “That is for another day. We took a step in the right direction. We took a step today. That is a division rival. I really like the way we played.”

The Cowboys will play at the New England Patriots (2-3) next Sunday — their last game before their bye — seeking to extend their winning streak to five games for the first time since 2018. The Cowboys have lost six straight games to New England and have never beaten Bill Belichick since he took over as the Patriots head coach in 2000.

This story was originally published October 10, 2021 at 6:45 PM.