Dak Prescott wasn’t at his best in Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos, but he’s hardly the biggest problem facing the Dallas Cowboys right now.
It was his first bad performance of the season — no excuses there — but everything around him fell apart. From questionable play-calling and poor game management to sloppy execution by teammates, the whole operation unraveled in real time. And the defense? A disaster. Prescott just went down with the ship.
He’s always the first to take responsibility, but after that 44–24 beatdown in Denver, Prescott felt compelled to fire up his teammates. It wasn’t out of frustration — it was necessary.
Dak Prescott Sends a Message After Ugly Loss
“I hope. I trust and I like the guys we have,” Prescott said when asked if a trade might help the team. “I honestly do — that’s not just a political answer. Our roster is OK. Can it be better? That’s for you guys to write about and judge … Forget a trade, do more. Step up and shut the talk up.”
This wasn’t Prescott ducking blame. He was answering a specific question about the trade deadline. He didn’t walk into his postgame interview to point fingers, and he definitely didn’t single out the defense — even though he probably could have.
What he said was fair. The Cowboys don’t have a clear identity right now. They can’t sustain momentum because one side of the ball always collapses. Everyone sees it, but what good would it do for Prescott to blast head coach Matt Eberflus or the defense?
Jerry Jones already hinted that no major trades are coming. Eberflus isn’t going anywhere midseason. And truthfully, this was one of the rare games where the offense didn’t hold up its end of the deal.
Penalties and Poor Execution
The Cowboys’ issues went beyond missed tackles and bad play-calling. Penalties alone cost them at least 13 points in the first half. A James Houston offside erased what should’ve been a defensive stop — Denver scored a touchdown soon after. A false start by Brock Hoffman forced Dallas to settle for a field goal instead of punching it in. Later, a holding penalty on Terence Steele wiped out a scoring chance completely.
Even if Prescott had played like he did earlier in the season — and even if the defense managed an extra stop or two — they weren’t disciplined enough to win. Defense remains the core issue, but the entire team shared the blame this time.
That’s why Prescott’s message mattered. Someone had to say it.
And who better than the $240 million leader of the locker room — the guy everyone respects — to hold the team accountable?
If his words don’t hit home, then Dallas has problems that go far deeper than one ugly loss in Denver.
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