Dak Prescott has made a habit of thriving when the clock is working against him, and Thursday night gives him another chance to prove it.
The Dallas Cowboys are set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, just four days after Prescott helped engineer a wild comeback against the Houston Texans. That quick turnaround puts his numbers on exactly three days of rest back under the spotlight - and the record is a strong one.
Per ESPN Research, Prescott is 7-3 in starts on exactly three days of rest, which ranks fourth among starting quarterbacks over the last 30 seasons among those with at least 10 starts. Only Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Joe Flacco have posted better marks in that split. Manning went 9-1 (.900), Brady was 10-2 (.833), and Flacco finished 9-3 (.750).
Dallas is asking Prescott to do it again after one of the most draining games of the season. The Cowboys erased a double-digit deficit and beat Houston 34-30, with Prescott completing 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards. CeeDee Lamb was right in the middle of it too, catching 17 passes for 189 yards, a career high.
That kind of performance leaves little breathing room before another test arrives. The short week means less time to recover, less time to reset and less time to prepare, especially for a Dallas team that has already had to grind through a demanding early-season schedule.
Still, Prescott isn’t walking into Thursday night sounding rattled. He told the Cowboys’ official website that the team would be ready despite the short week.
Tampa Bay brings a different defensive look than Houston. Through four weeks, the Buccaneers have allowed 204.3 passing yards per game, though they have given up seven passing touchdowns.
So Prescott gets another shot at adding to a very specific kind of résumé. If Dallas wins, he’d improve to 8-3 in games on exactly three days of rest.
In Other News...
Todd Bowles Had A Sideline Scare During Bucs' First Win
The Buccaneers first win of the season came with a brief sideline scare for Todd Bowles, who was caught up in the kind of post-play celebration that can get chaotic in a hurry. Late in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys, Tampa Bay was erupting after an interception and a run by Buccaneers players when Bowles took a shot in the stomach from a helmet, turning a moment of relief into a few tense seconds on the sideline.
Bowles was seen grimacing and dropping to one knee before being reported as okay shortly after, which allowed the focus to shift back to a much-needed victory. The incident was part of the emotional release that followed the play, though reports did not identify which player made the celebratory contact. [Read more 🡒]
Dak Prescott's Postgame Frustration Has Cowboys Fans Debating This Team
The Cowboys left Thursday night with another loss, and the postgame mood around AT&T Stadium turned testy almost immediately. Dallas dropped to 2-3 after falling to the Buccaneers, and what should have been a straightforward reaction to a rough defeat quickly shifted when Dak Prescott took issue with a stadium workers comment about the result being embarrassing.
Prescott made clear he can live with blunt criticism, but he was bothered by the way the exchange unfolded after he noticed the comment. For Tampa Bay, it was the kind of road win that does more than add to the standings, because it also leaves the opponent sorting through frustration, accountability and a little bit of drama long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Sideline Scare Added Tension To A Much-Needed Bucs Win
The Buccaneers finally got the result they needed, beating the Cowboys 24-16 for their first win of the season behind rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels. It was a much-needed lift for a team that had spent the first month looking for something to stabilize around, and getting to 1-4 at least gives Tampa Bay a little breathing room heading into next weeks matchup with the Steelers.
The win came with a brief scare on the sideline when Todd Bowles was seen down on one knee and appeared to be dealing with discomfort before getting back up and saying he would be okay. For a team already trying to find its footing, even a moment like that can add tension to an afternoon that should have been about relief, and it only underscored how much the Bucs needed a cleaner, calmer path to their first victory. [Read more 🡒]