Everything QB Dak Prescott said after Dallas Cowboys’ win over Giants
The Dallas Cowboys pulled out a 40-37 overtime victory over the New York Giants on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and erased multiple fourth-quarter deficits in a wild finish.
Here’s everything he said to the media after the win:
On what he said to head coach Brian Schottenheimer after the game
“I gave him the game ball for his first career win. I told him how much we all appreciate him. Told him that game was the epitome of him and his coaching style, just the resiliency that he has. The way that he carries himself, the way he coaches, [that’s] the standard. At the end of the day, that’s winning and that’s what this game was. Credit to him, we’re behind him. He deserved that first win, a tough one to get and a fun one to get. I know he’ll never forget. I won’t forget it, and I know the guys in the locker room won’t forget this one.”
On running this season compared to last season
“I think it’s from the way that I rehabbed. Last year not running took a toll and honestly why I got hurt. I wasn’t running, and then in one game, I decided to start running and my body wasn’t ready for it. That’s where that injury came from. From this whole offseason recovery process, it was about getting back to who I am, my game, and understanding how much my legs are a part of my game. In a moment like that being able to bring them out and use them to seal the win was awesome. I feel great, I feel healthy and just thank God that I am. Standing in the moment and staying present.”
On if tonight’s win was a coach and culture win
“There was a lot of communication throughout the game, from offense to defense. It was complementary football, maybe at its finest. I’m not sure, right? That would be just shutting them out and scoring 100 points. When I throw an interception, those guys out there make a fourth-down stand in the red zone and don’t allow them to have any points when we score. Even though they gave up a touchdown for us to come back and score again, that’s having your brothers’ back at all costs. That’s believing in your brothers, believing in your teammates, not doubting yourself, and not doubting this team. The culture, the brotherhood that we built, and ultimately the resilience and that faith paid off. We were able to get in range there and Butter [Brandon Aubrey] does what he does and finished it off.”
On practicing last-second scenarios in practice
“We practice every scenario over and over. It’s probably as much as any team in this league. That last one that Javonte [Williams] had and went down. That’s literally what I said to the group in the huddle. We practice this all the time. There was one before the half that we didn’t execute it right, but that’s another unique situation that we practice often. We just got knocked backwards and didn’t get out of bounds. That’s the details that the coaches put on us, and that’s the way that these players and myself answer it by staying locked in and focused. Making the most of these opportunities when they come up.”
On needing the chunk play late in the game
“I knew we needed to have it. Jake Ferguson took it a little deeper, which was great and smart. I trusted him and let it go knowing he’s going to turn around when he gets that yardage. He secured the catch, got down, and special teams came out and sent it to overtime.”
On wins carrying over
“No doubt about it. It’s a confidence-builder and momentum. All of that in hand, coming from the first game where we played well and battled, but didn’t win. We didn’t take advantage of that two-minute drive at the end of the game last week. To be able to come into this week and really be a different game and shootout there until the end. We had to go into overtime to do it, but we were able to finish it off and get a win against a division team. This is definitely going to carry over.”
On where he and George Pickens are after two games together
“They keep pass [interfering with him]. We can get better. Me and CeeDee can get better, all of us can get better. That’s the standard and I’ll hold us all to that in a sense. We’re never going to say that we made it or that we’re complacent in our relationship and there’s no room for improvement. So, we can definitely improve more, but I think that touchdown at the end of regulation, before they got their last little heave, was a prime example of the trust putting that ball right there on the front pylon. I know he’s going to run a great route and coming out of it in the overtime with the catch right across the middle. He had to go a little early, pulls away and goes and make the catch. He’s continuing to grow in the right direction, and [I’m] proud of the work that he’s put in and the trust that we have in each other.”
On if he thought about his previous success against the Giants during the game
“Not during. Afterwards, I kind of realized it. I started walking in and I said 14 was hard. That was tough to keep the streak going. It was tough, credit to them, that’s a great team over there. They made some plays. They battled. It’s not about like someone having their number, it just worked out. I feel comfortable against these guys. When we go up to New York, it’s going to be another dogfight after this one. It’s how its been.”
On how the team kept mental composure to come back after the Giants’ long touchdowns
“We credit those guys. I imagine that they practice that especially to execute on them as much as they did. Just believing in ourselves, having faith in what our ability is, and what we can go out there and do. I kept telling myself that it’s been too big of a game for us on offense and you can’t win like that. Just stay to it and trust the process. Stay in the play and stay in the moment. That’s what we did and that’s what I reminded the guys to do. We got into overtime and the defense made the plays. They were three-and-out or whatever it was, and then the turnover for us to go out and seal it.”
On Javonte Williams’ play
“I told him right there in the locker room. Man, he’s a beast. A physical runner, never down, always moving his legs and greedy. That’s what you want in a running back, greedy and physical. When he can get space like he did in the third quarter, he’s running away from people. He’s a big part of this offense. Super proud of him, super thankful that we have a guy like that. He’s a true pro’s pro. A super smart player. He knows every part of the game plan, helps other people and gets the guys going in the locker room. He’s a key to this offense.”
On what he said to Brandon Aubrey coming off the field
“I thanked him. I even gave him a kiss on the forehead.”
On the value of George Pickens to the offense
“He’s huge. He’s the guy who is going to win one-on-one or, if not, draw fouls. Very physical. He’s a mismatch for any DB in this league. So, they are going to have to double. And that’s your troubles right there. You want to double him or double CeeDee? And if you double both, then at that point, the other guy’s got to win, whether it be Tolbert or the backs. Right now, those guys are stepping up, and that’s what we are going to continue to preach to the guys. You’ve got to win your one-on-ones. When these guys aren’t doubled, they are going to take advantage of it. But when they are, we need other players to step up or me use my legs as I did right there at the end of the game. He’s a huge part of this offense, and a big asset and so valuable to us.”
On the game becoming a scoring contest and how he avoids being frustrated by the defense putting him in a bad situation so often
“You just said it. I am never frustrated. I am thankful for the opportunity. There’s times I literally before I take the field, I thank God for the opportunity to go out there. Having been hurt times, different parts of the season, you are just thankful to be out there. You’re thankful to go out there and do what you love, just in the moment. Stay in the moment. You’re not thinking about the end result. You’re not necessarily thinking, oh, what if we win or what if we lose. You’re thinking that we are going to win. That is part of being present, staying in the moment, just reminding myself, reminding the guys, hey, let’s do our one-eleventh, believe in our brother, and if you do that, you will be OK with the results.
“Nobody likes to [lose], but if you do that, you can stay focused and lock in the details, you can live with the results. Let’s say that. That’s what it’s about for me. Three, four, maybe five guys on defense apologized to me in the locker room. ‘You know, we can’t put you in that position.’ After I threw an interception, they turned around and made it a four-and-out or whatever it was in the red zone. If that doesn’t happen, who knows what this game is. Let’s move on. We are thankful we won this game. What a great opportunity to show the brotherhood, the culture, what we are building on this team. That’s what we are going to keep doing.
On complementary football and how the passing game helped the running game.
“That’s what we were just talking about, right? Them having to double and them having to choose who they are going to double on the play and at that point, you have numbers in the box. We are able to take advantage of that and open up some runs. Offensive line got going, lowered their pads and were physical. We relied on those backs to get yards and yards after contact. It’s a credit to those backs and that’s just part of the offense, part of being balanced. We’ve talked about it before. You can run to open up the pass or you can pass to open up the run. So it’s about taking what the defense gives us and then attacking with whatever is working.”
On CeeDee Lamb’s performance after last week.
“We discussed it. I’m sure he discussed it with y’all. His approach throughout this week. Last week was last week. That wasn’t a game that he was proud of and he made sure he took the necessary steps to het himself focused, to do whatever he needed to do to get the confidence right. He practiced the right way, as he always does. I think I told y’all Thursday, ‘I expect a big game from him.’ He went out there and was CeeDee. He made a couple of amazing catches, one on that third down late in the fourth quarter, right over two people. That’s just trust. That’s me believing that the underneath guy can’t make the play and hopefully CeeDee will go up and get this. And he did. That’s just credit to his resilience, his character and how much this team believes in him.”
On Kavontae Turpin’s growth into a weapon
“He’s a weapon in every aspect. Obviously, we lost him for the back end of this game right here. And honestly, when you have a guy like that, especially with the way this coverage was, the coverage they were presenting us, and his speed, he might have been able to split the middle in the fourth and maybe we didn’t have these overtimes. Who knows? But my point is that this guy can do anything that we ask him to do, whether it’s running routes, obviously it’s kick returns. He’s made himself known, and that’s who he is, but he’s a running back, too. We’ll get it to him on screens. He’s a special player that we’ll just keep getting the ball to and understand that he’s a huge weapon for us.”
On what clicked for the offensive line in the second half.
“Locking in and trusting one another. You’d have to ask those guys individually. I can’t say that the protections changed. That we said, ‘Oh, we need to help these guys more or we need to do this.’ Communication between themselves. Me preaching to them how much I trust in them and I’ve got their back. They’ve got mine. That’s a tough group up there, a young group. We’re going to have adversity, right? And we had some early, but they responded the right way. They believe in each other. They believe in their ability. They know I believe in them and this offense does, and they’re only going to continue to get better. I just think that was an example of them improving and getting better and showing how experience helps throughout one game.”
On stadium chanting Brandon Aubrey’s name.
“That’s awesome. He deserves it. He is. He’s a closer. We might need some music, his own special music to play, just like the closer. He deserves that, so we’re thankful for that guy.”
On the culture of accountability in the locker room.
“That’s a Schotty [Schottenheimer] thing. It’s something that we talk about often. It’s about being a man. It’s about being responsible and disciplined. And when you realize you weren’t your best and when you’re talking to your family and people that know you and understand what you put into it, it’s OK to be vulnerable. That’s all those are. Just different moments of guys saying, ‘hey I’m better than that.’ And they know that they’re better than that and they’re comfortable enough to share that with the other men around them and say, ‘Hey I’m gonna pick it up’ or ‘Don’t lose faith or trust in me’. I can tell you, the more that we’re like that, the more this brotherhood grows. Nobody’s losing faith. As I said there’s ups and downs, ebbs and flows. Adversity is going to come, and you can only be thankful for the adversity. You can only be thankful for these tests because that’s where you get better. That’s where we get better, and that’s where this locker room is going to continue to grow.”
“Knowing and seeing his growth. I’m sure Schotty shared it with you. He called him to congratulate him. He said, ‘I just want to beat the Giants.’ That’s a guy that is just the epitome of what an offensive lineman is supposed to be like. Coming in young, learn from some of those guys, play next to Tyron [Smith], learning a little bit from Zack [Martin], but he’s a special player. He’s a special player from the moment that he showed up here, his approach, his mentality, his love for the game. The way that he knows his history of the game, his history of offensive linemen, his standard for himself and his play is super, super high. So he’s very well deserving of that money and everything, and more success is going to come.”
On impact of the crowd’s energy.
“It’s huge, and that’s why when the defense is up, I was trying to get the crowd going. Just let this crowd and these fans understand how much they are a part of. They are. Those false starts or big plays on third down. It’s led from feeling the belief in the people around you, and that’s something they can echo, right? I know the defense can’t hear me screaming ‘let’s go defense’ when I’m on the sideline, but they can hear the crowd. So that’s just me trying to pass my energy through that 100,000 or whatever the number is that’s supporting, and that’s what makes playing at AT&T special.”
On the difference between 1-1 and 0-2.
“[Expletive], I don’t know. I don’t want to know.”
On his success under pressure.
“One is presnap. There’s certain looks from film study, your preparation, that you realize, ‘Oh this is a look that pressure may come.’ So that’s where it starts. And then like you said, as the game goes, it’s just a feel thing. And you understand in this league, you don’t pass against the coverage as much as you pass against the pass rush, and that’s what the time clocks are based off of. When they are blitzing, there’s windows and when you’ve got receivers like CeeDee [Lamb] and George [Pickens] and Ferg [Jake Ferguson], guys who can get open, I feel like we have the advantage. So when they blitz the trust goes up, confidence goes up and it’s just something that we’ve been really good at. We have to continue to grow at that. Bring the pressure if you want. I dare you.
On his celebration after his late first-down scramble.
“It’s new. The game was done. Felt like CeeDee a little bit. He did that a few years back, right? It’s just like, ‘Man this one’s done. Brandon’s coming out here, finishing this thing off.’ Spur of the moment, happy, thankful.”
On team’s growing confidence in the new offense.
“Each and every guy in that locker room is special. Obviously the offensive guys you naturally spend a bit more time with, but my confidence in each and every one of those guys is through the roof. You’ve got a guy, Tyler Booker, who’s telling me, ‘I am going to be better.’ I don’t know if he must have missed a block or two or something, right, but just that accountability alone. I’m like, ‘I know you are. I know you are.’ You’re just thankful to have that type of man that loves this game that much and it starts up front with those guys and then you watch CeeDee, you watch George, you watch those guys take the field. You watch their approach in practice.
“They love the game. Not only do they love the game, they love the men that they’re doing it with. And that’s important. That’s something that Schotty preaches, and tonight was just a good example of that, not just on offense, on both sides of the balls. That’s why I explained complementary football. So it’s a blessing to be out there with those guys and something that I don’t take for granted. It’s about just staying in the moment, taking one play at a time. Something I always say to guys is, ‘Do your one-eleventh. Do your job and trust the man next to you is doing theirs.’ Tonight was great example of that.”
On unlocking the offense in the second half.
“I’ve gotta go back and look at the film, but honestly we’re probably a little bit better on first and second down later. Probably converted a third down or two. We didn’t do that early. That’s where your three-and-outs come. That’s where the frustration comes, but at the end of the day that’s where the trust in one another and, hey, do your job. That’s why I said, do the one-eleventh. Let’s not try to do anything outside of that, myself included, right? Coming out of the half, throwing that interception, trying to be perfect and make a great throw. I felt a double on CeeDee even though I was about to get hit. That’s bonehead, right? I can go to the tight end. I can find somewhere else too. Maybe even just throw a lower, understand it’s going to be incomplete, but this offense is explosive, and that’s why I just echo and staying in the moment, doing your job. And when we do that, we’ve got the right guys that a simple play you look up and it’s a 50-yard gain or it’s a touchdown.”
On winning divisional games.
“I’d say this was a must-win just like you said, going 0-2 in the division. [Reporter Todd Archer] asked me how 0-2 would feel. I would say it was a must-win. Every part of my mind. I think that’s why throughout the game and every situation that happened, I never lost faith. I never lost confidence in this group and what we’re going to be able to do and we’re going to be able to respond. Getting the ball back with 30 seconds or so, you’ve got a kicker that you’re only down by three. My confidence is through the roof. The only thing is after the incomplete, they ran all that clock off. I’m like, ‘Come on, guys.’ Other than that, that was a little bit scary. But other than that, I believe in these guys, and not for one moment did I think that we’re not going to win. So it was a must-win and we answered the bell. 1-1, it’s a completely different feeling than 0-2. It’s confidence booster, especially in a late game like this and overtime in an NFL game versus a division opponent. Credit to every man in that locker room.”
