Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are already staring at a pressure game in Week 2.
Dallas opened its 2026 season with a loss to the newly revamped New York Giants, a result watched by more than 25 million people. Prescott’s handling of the ball drew immediate criticism after he put together a shaky performance, including what CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan called “an inexplicable interception before the half that helped New York go up by a touchdown.”
What was supposed to be an early statement win instead left the Cowboys at 0-1, and now they head into a matchup with a Washington Commanders team that is also chasing its first victory. The margin for error is shrinking fast, and Prescott is the face of that conversation.
Sullivan made it clear how quickly the temperature rises if Dallas slips again. “If the defense doesn’t show signs of life and/or Prescott turns the ball over at a critical juncture again as they head home to face the Commanders, the Cowboys will be a Defcon 1,” he warned. “That would not only mean they’ve fallen to 0-2 for the season, but also that they’ve dropped two divisional games in the process, which could prove monumental for tiebreakers later this season,” he added.
The schedule only adds to the urgency. After Washington, Dallas goes to face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3 in Rio de Janeiro, then hits the road again for a Week 4 meeting with the Houston Texans. A loss on Sunday would send the Cowboys into that stretch at 0-2, and if things go the way Sullivan outlined, 0-3 would be waiting right after that.
The Cowboys have added pieces on offense, but the job of pulling this team back on track still falls to Prescott in Week 2.
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