Everything the Dallas Cowboys said about beating the Detroit Lions

Everything the Dallas Cowboys said after beating the visiting Detroit Lions 24-6 at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

Quotes courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys public relations staff.

Coach Mike McCarthy

On the defensive performance today

“That’s really part of the fabric I feel like we created last year. Our defense was tremendous here in the second half. The ball extraction was obviously a huge factor in the game. At halftime, just in the statistics, the way the game was going it was an evenly played game. The big play opportunities were pretty equally distributed and executed. The big plays were huge for us in the second half.”

On if he felt like Dak Prescott’s performance improved throughout the game

“I thought Dak performed better as the game went on. Like anything it’s his first time he’s been out there in quite some time. Start with the command of the huddle, the whole operation, I thought he was really on point there. He handled the adjustments that were going during the course of the game. Those are the big things that don’t show up in the stat column. I thought the operation was really good. It’s just like anything, especially at the quarterback position, to come back from an injury on your throwing hand, just he needs reps, he needs to continue to get the reps. We’ll get a full week this week going into Chicago. I think that’ll really help him a bunch. Coming out of the Sunday night game and no practice on Wednesday we were just more throwing routes on air. As much team activity that we can participate in, that’s only going to get him back to where he was coming out of training camp. Obviously, I thought he had a winning performance today.”

On if any changes were made to the offense for Dak’s return, such as not going under center as much

“No, the under center is really not an issue, if you really break down the mechanics of taking a snap. If the ball hits his thumb that’s a really bad snap. Just really the final stages of throwing is always the finish. He’ll just continue to get that where he wants it with reps.”

On if he encouraged Ezekiel Elliott to jump over people like he did his rookie year

“I think it’s more the play call, more importantly than I think the defense, with their 6-2 goal line. Zeke has had a heck of a year. You just have so much faith and trust in him down there in those tight spots.”

On what adjustments were made at the half

“We really just stayed the course on our scheme adjustments. My message really we talked a little bit about last week, the third quarter in last week’s game. I felt like we needed to pick up the tempo, going to a no-huddle offense on the first drive was obviously very productive for us. I think the pace of the game increased, the intensity increased and our players did a phenomenal job delivering with the big plays.”

On if he sensed the defense used last week as motivation

“Well really, self-scout is the biggest motivation for us every week. That’s why we take the time on the front-end of the week to make sure we go through it. Regardless of the outcome of the last game. That’s the only way you grow, the only way you improve from the last contest. But also, the fact of the matter is, we need to continue to grow the youth of our football team. I’m just so proud of our rookies and our young players. The opportunities that they’ve had so far, this early in the season. More importantly how they’re delivering. There were some big plays by some young guys out there today. But yes, they had a lot of respect for Detroit’s offense. This was an extremely productive offense coming in here. To get six points at halftime and hold them to no points in the second half was huge for us.”

On Sam Williams

“Outstanding. Sam is an excellent example of one our rookie players, our young players playing great today. Very proud of Sam. He had some learning experiences earlier in the year, I think the last two weeks he’s flashed big time with his opportunities.”

On how the offense fed off the defense today

“Takeaways are huge. Obviously, field position and momentum. I thought the crowd was phenomenal, especially for a noon game. Just the whole atmosphere in the second half is the competitive arena you dream of. A big part of that goes to our defense.”

QB Dak Prescott

On his first game back

“It felt great, and I felt comfortable with everything. The thumb definitely didn’t bother me once I got out of my head. I felt like after a few throws I was back into it. That drop before halftime, I felt like I made a few. I just said hey we are good to go, don’t think about anything again. I felt fine, but this is about the team. This was a great team win, this is what I had been watching for the last five weeks with this defense, special teams, and us playing complementary football. It was great to be back and be a part of it.”

On the pass to Noah in the endzone

“Honestly, when I came out, there was also supposed to be a tight end getting knocked off on his route and initially in my head I was thinking to run and then Noah flashes which is kind of why the ball placement was there. It’s part of maybe next time I run, I’ll still be running.”

On value of defense playing the way they are

“It’s huge. You understand the overall picture of this game and knowing that our defense is going to help us out. It’s important for us to make sure those turnovers or those long punt returns payoff, and we weren’t able to do it with that one Turpin had. Just play within the game, don’t try to do too much, know that you got the defense to help you out. You just have to play the field position. These guys know that when we score touchdowns, they can pin their ears back and go do what they do to create turnovers.”

On the juicing the defense up

“It’s playing complementary football. When those guys go out there and get turnovers, it’s important for us to make sure we get points out of that. That’s how you win games and it’s also how you blow them away, honestly. This whole group, how hungry they are and the way that they attack is something I’ve seen in training camp and something I’ve seen in these last five weeks. It’s great to be able to go out there and be a part of it.

On throwing into double and triple coverage

“I think once I made some throws and knew my thumb was good, I felt like I had the spin and the confidence that I’ve always had. Some of those throws were just overconfident in a sense. I’ve got to guard against that because sometimes it can lead to turnovers. The last thing I’m trying to do is put this team in a bad position because I’m overconfident. When you have a defense like this, you have to continue to go through the reads and take a check down here or there and it will pay off.”

On the value of the running game

“It was huge. As I’ve been watching for the past five weeks, these are all the things I’ve seen. I feel like we have been running the ball better than we have in a couple of years. We get the offensive line going and you can see how excited they are. They come back out to possessions saying, ‘hey continue to run it’. You want to feed the backs and the offensive line to make sure they get into that rhythm and feel good about what they’re doing. We were able to do that tonight and it eventually paid off in some touchdowns.

On tonight’s lack of touchdowns

“A win is a win. I don’t really care how it gets done because a win is a win. I thought it was going to be pretty cool to leave this game without a touchdown, honestly, and that’s just kind of where my head is right now. I know how talented this team is and who we can be. It’s not about me, it’s about all of us. I’m just trying to make sure I play my part and put this team in the right situation each and every play and to make the most out of whatever situation I’m given.”

On the team’s support

“I don’t know if I would have felt it without being able to watch these guys for the last five weeks. Everything happens for a reason. This time that I had off, was a blessing and Coop(er Rush) did an amazing job of keeping us in this position. The defense and the team playing complimentary football was important for me to see and recognize coming back. Don’t try to do too much, we’ve got a hell of a run game and a defense that can make turnovers and get touchdowns themselves. We have a great special team’s that’s aggressive and a kick return game that’s makes me wonder why people keep kicking it. It’s great just to be a part of and I’m just trying to play my role and put this team in the best chance to win each and every game.”

On the unselfishness of the run game

“This team is selfless all the way around and I think we can look at Zeke and he’s the epitome of that. He’s going to do whatever it takes, whether it’s coming off the field and Tony getting in or whether it’s pass blocking or lining up as fullback and blocking that way. That’s what’s so special about this team. It’s the brotherhood and the culture that we have created in the locker room and it’s a privilege jus to be a part of it and to see how many guys just care about the team’s success. They put the individual success to the side and all that will come when the team wins.”

On Zeke’s toughness and determination

“He’s relentless. When I saw the play, I thought it was a little ugly and I ran over to the sideline, and he said he would be good. It wasn’t too long before he was jumping a guy and that’s Zeke for you. He is going to go and give everything he can, each and every play. We are blessed to have a back like that and the person that he is special.

On his excitement of being back

“I’m just blessed to be able to play this game. This game puts me in a place that nothing else in this world does. It’s just being able to go out there between the lines and go out to war with all these selfless guys, that’s what’s most important to me. Seeing the success our defense can have, the success the team can have and the way the run was going was important for me to realize. All of the special things we have around helps me to make sure I’m doing everything I can to put these guys in successful positions.”

On adding RPO’s to the game

“It will happen. It depends on who we are playing and what they give us. It’s just a schematic part of this game. Some games it may be more than others, but I feel good, and I can definitely run. I feel like I should have run on that last one but when a receiver flashes, you just react and throw. All of that will come in time.”

On the rookie class’s contributions

“This is one of the best rookie classes I’ve seen in all of my seven years here and I feel like I said that last year. For this class to come in and just approach each and every single day. The way that these guys believe in themselves and the team. They are selfless and just want to play whatever role they can and it’s serving us well. It’s huge to our team’s success. The flat to the right was the first read and Jake was second read. When I looked at him, he was covered, and I saw Peyton in the back of the endzone doing a jumping jack and I throw it. They were giving me stuff when I got back to the sideline like ‘oh you didn’t throw to it to Jake because he scored last week’. I’m like its tight end day so let’s feed them all! It’s just great for two young guys.”

On his chemistry with Dalton Schultz

“He’s another tough guy that’s selfless and will do whatever he can in whatever role to help this team out. Schultz is just a guy that’s always been ready to work and always been communicating to get on the same page. I say we took a big step this off-season. We spent a lot of time together whether it be routes or personal things and I think it just shows. I have a lot of trust in him, and we see the defense the same way. He’s important to this team and to the tight end room, growing these young guys. He’s another epitome of what they team is about.”

On chemistry of this year’s team compared to previous years

“Not to say in these past years that we haven’t had that. But its impressive how we have built on it every year that I’ve been here to where we are now. Its huge, not only just on offense but on defense too. You see a guy like Micah Parsons chase down that screen right there, get the guy down to the one-yard line and then boom, fumble the next play. Our motto this year was just resilience, and you can just see that. It was a close game all the way through, nobody budged or blinked an eye, and everybody knew we were capable of this game. We made a few plays there and we were able to pull away at the end.”

On Zeke’s performance this year

“If you look at last year, the guy played with an injured knee over half the year which shows his toughness. When he got himself better and got himself healthy, I saw it in the spring, just the bounce in his step and the way he was moving. Even when he got hurt, that’s a guy trying to cut back in and make a play he knows he can make. He’s impressive, just his approach and how he goes at it. He was actually practicing a hurtle in practice. He didn’t jump over him, but he did the whole slow feet start. I bet he jumps a guy this weekend and sure enough it just happened. Its impressive; A guy in year seven with as many carries as he has had and what he does for this team. It’s just awesome; I’m proud of him.

On feelings of tonight

“There is nothing that can substitute this. This game has always been a safe haven place for me. Just being able to get back between those lines and go to war with my brothers. There’s nothing like celebrating in the locker room after a hard-fought week of preparation and a hard-fought game in the NFL. I’m just blessed and privileged just to be back at it and a part of it

On how good team can be this year

“The sky is the limit. We are not going to put any limitations on what we can do. As I said, it’s important to grow each and every day. That’s what I told the team today. This was a great win, celebrate it and enjoy it but tomorrow we have to come in and get better. We have to go to work and grind. That’s what you have in that locker room, a lot of men that love to work and love adversity. We are going to run through it, lock arms and that’s the culture we have built. We are going to do great things this year.”

RB Ezekiel Elliot

On the game:

“The Lions, they came out and played tough. We knew they were going to play hard. But we knew we were going to have some success running the ball. We just had to keep getting those attempts at it.”

On his goal line touchdowns:

“I’m happy Kellen called the runs down there. The O-Line, they were asking for it. So, you got to give the bigs what they want.”

On Dak returning:

“It was great to have Dak back. It’s always great to have Four out there. I know he missed being out there with us. He came out and did his thing today.”

On the defense:

“We know what kind of defense we have. They’ve been doing their thing week in and week out. They came out today and took the ball away five times. It’s hard to lose when you take the ball away that many times.”

On his knee injury:

“I took a hit in my knee. I think I’ve got a contusion on it. I still have to go back and talk to the trainers.”

On the second half success:

“We knew they were going to play hard. We know we just had to tired them out a little bit. That’s what those rushing attempts do. When you lean on them, it starts to become a little bit easier, and you start getting those explosives. I think we just had to stick with it, which we did, and those big ones start popping.”

On scoring twice:

“It felt good to get in the end zone twice. The big fellas, they wanted to run it down there and Kellen called it.”

More on Dak returning:

“It felt great having Four back. He was ready. We love having our leader out there.

More on being able to win when the offense isn’t clicking:

“That’s kind of how the year is been going. It’s been grinding, tough games. It’s the NFL. You’re not going to have any gimmes. But when the defense plays the way, they do and they take the ball away like that, it’s really hard for us to lose.”

WR CeeDee Lamb

On if Dak looked as good as he thought he might:

“Yeah, and he’s going to look even better next week. Glad to have him back in all honesty. He looked good out there. I’m excited to see him in the future.”

On how he felt:

“I felt pretty good. Just having almost everyone back, as far as the offense goes, we’re back to scoring touchdowns. I love Sundays.”

On the offensive success:

“It felt so good. The running game with Zeke and TP, I can name all the guys who just looked good today. I’m happy to experience that and be a part of it and get ready for next week.”

On both sides of the ball doing well:

“It’s a great thing. We look cohesive as a unit. We preach playing with each other all phases of the ball, complementary football. Obviously, Turpin had a crazy return. He’s an exciting player.”

On opening things up with the running game:

“I feel like we have two great backs. The offense should definitely go through them. We’re going to do everything in our power, the other 10 people, to support them. The least we can do is block for them. If we create lanes for them, you can see their explosiveness.”

On Dak being back and some throws into coverage:

“Those weren’t bad passes. I ain’t complaining. That just proves how much trust that we’ve put in with each other between now and last off season. We’re just now getting back on the road and getting things moving again. I’m glad to see him out there throwing ball, ripping it and having fun doing it.”

T Tyler Smith

On second half adjustments:

“Definitely coming in at half time and talking about it. We knew at that point we were our own worst enemy. We let ourselves down in a couple of situations, like we didn’t execute to the level we knew we could. We just came in and held each other accountable. We told each other the only reason we’re not winning this game is because of us. Let’s come out here, do what we need to do and capitalize.”

On the getting the running game going:

“It felt really good. All day, we were able to move those guys and we knew we could move those guys. It was just a deal of executing the right plays, converting what we needed to convert and just keeping ourselves in the good situations.”

On the defense:

“It’s a testament to how able those guys are. They came in here and played their tails off. They did everything that you could ask and more. That’s the type of defense we have. That’s the type of attitude we carry on both sides of the ball. It’s starts up front. They’ve been doing a helluva job and will continue to do so.”

TE Dalton Schultz

On the impact of defensive takeaways:

“That’s football. That’s momentum shifts. It’s something you talk about all the time especially when you get into these types of game when it’s kind of back and forth and stuff’s not going your way. Big plays are huge just to turn the tide. I don’t think anyway came of it…but just to flip the field and get good field position in that moment was huge for our football team.”

On the late long drive:

“It’s huge for us. We knew we were able to move the ball well just went we didn’t inflict our own penalties. We didn’t have any negative plays…I think that’s just huge for a football team to put together a clean drive especially after the way we started the game.”

On Dak’s return:

“From my aspect, he was back to normal. I was nice having him back out there. I know everybody says it, but you can’t underestimate the amount of leadership that guy has. The command he has in the huddle, it was just great to feel the normalcy back in our offense. Coop did a helluva job. But having Dak back is huge for us. It felt like it’s back to normal.”

TE Peyton Hendershot

On Dak’s return:

“The biggest thing about Dak being out there is the way he controls the whole offense just talking to everybody. His calmness, his confidence, he just brings a swagger that helps this whole offense play.”

On Dak’s confidence:

“He brings a ton of confidence. The way he brings himself around and stuff. He carries that charisma and confidence and makes everybody play better.”

On the defense:

“The defense gives us the confidence that if we go out there and put some points on the board that we won’t lose a game because no one is going to be able to drive in and out and score touchdowns on our defense.

Cornerback Trevon Diggs

On being tested when the ball is in the air…

It just feels like they’re playing into my game. I want the ball to go up in the air especially on the deep routes. I feel like that’s when I’m at my best.

On how much confidence the defense is playing with…

I feel like we’re playing with a lot of confidence and poise. Just going out there and executing. We know how to keep teams out of the endzone from scoring. If they get down there we know we’re not going to let them score. Just keep that mindset, and the game: keep it close and our offense is eventually going to start clicking and get it working like they did.

On feeling if it’s time for you to make a play during a game…

When I make it?

Do you feel it coming at all?

I feel like I should make a play every game. So, I don’t just necessarily feel it, or going into the game like… I’m going to do my job. I feel like it’s part of my job.

Defensive End, DeMarcus Lawrence

On making plays with your backside pursuit and it being contagious on with the team…

That type of energy goes a long way. Like you said, it is contagious throughout the whole room. We’re just going to keep it going. Never get too high, too low. Just try to stay balanced and keep working.

Can you walk us through the punchout you had on the goal line?

No. Just stay relentless. Appreciate you all.

LB Micah Parsons

On the strip sack late and how much of a release that was for you..

Not so much a release, just understanding the situation. You’ve got to understand that teams don’t want to drop back against us. They understand the weapons we have on this defense. It’s just more frustrating trying to adjust to new game plans every week. Obviously, we’re going to face a lot of run. A lot of teams aren’t just going to drop back against us. So, it’s just more of that and once we get them to those downs we can get them to that’s when we’re going to go eat and finish.

On bouncing back and the feeling…

It’s feeling great. Last year people gave us the memo of the teams we’re supposed to beat; we tend to lay off. This was a statement win for us letting us know it doesn’t matter who comes here, we’ve got to come to play.

On having Dak back…

It was great to have Dak back, knowing that you’ve got someone on the offense who has your back. He did his thing today. Super happy to have him back. (I) prayed over him this week; I was like, I’m going to ask God to just bless him and make sure he did his thing that he knows how to do.

This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 5:12 PM.