Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott denies slump talk but says he’s ‘not playing my best ball’
Dak Prescott does his best to appear unfazed by the questions.
In fact, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback does an excellent job of sliding from one slump question to the next, as he did after Thursday’s practice at The Star, unmoved by the repeated suggestion that his game has struggled for the past month.
“I wouldn’t say it’s slump material, but I’m definitely not up to my standards or expectations and when you play at a high level, that’s what you create,” Prescott said. “So I’m glad people have the same expectations for my game as I do for myself.”
Prescott’s four lowest quarterback rating scores have come in the past six games when the Cowboys went 3-3. That includes a 58.8 rating last week against Washington, slightly above his season-low performance against the Chiefs.
While Prescott dismissed the notion that he’s “in a slump,” he did acknowledge “I haven’t been playing my best ball.”
“Obviously, we haven’t been playing well,” he said. “As I’ve told y’all millions of times, the type of player I am, it’s about practices and repetitions and preparing so that’s what I’m sticking to.”
He also politely denied that he was anything less than 100% healthy since returning from a calf injury six games ago.
Prescott has heard the criticisms, not just from the media’s pointed questions, but also from frustrated fans who watched him lead the offense to historic numbers through the first six games and then flounder for much of the next six games.
The Cowboys (9-4) play the New York Giants (4-9) at noon Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
“I’ve been doubted my whole life, [people] said I can’t do this or can’t do that so, in a sense, I’m kind of glad it’s actually come back,” he said. “I’m glad that’s the way people feel and there’s a lot of that being said right now. Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hear it.”
Right guard Zack Martin said it’s fair to hold the offense up to the standards from earlier this season.
“It’s fair because we know what we’re capable of and it’s up to us to put it all together for four quarters and put it out there,” Martin said. “The solution is there is no magic potion. It’s right back to work. I know it’s kind of a boring answer but that, in my experience, is the best way to do it.
“You come right back out to work and you keep grinding at it. I know we have the right guys in the locker room to put this thing together at the right time and get it going.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
