Dak Prescott isn’t treating Week 2 like a routine early-season reset. After the Cowboys dropped their opener to the Giants, the Dallas quarterback made it clear he sees Sunday’s matchup with the Commanders as one Dallas has to have.
“There’s definitely must-wins in this league,” Prescott said Thursday, via Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys’ website. “I know you don't want to say it, and at the end of the day, if it didn't happen, there's still time.
There's a lot of opportunity. But just from a team, this team, all the changes, all the excitement, yeah, we've got to go win.
What a great opportunity to do it against a division opponent that we know pretty well.”
The Cowboys’ 28-20 loss on Sept. 13 wasn’t just about the defense drawing heat afterward. Prescott and the offense played a part in the mess at MetLife Stadium, too. Prescott threw a costly interception with the game tied 7-7 late in the first half, and Dallas’ offense stacked up other mistakes that hurt badly.
For long stretches, the Cowboys couldn’t get much going at all. Dallas was stuck on seven points against the Giants until Javonte Williams scored with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. After halftime, the Cowboys had only two offensive possessions.
Prescott said the fix starts with the opening whistle.
“We're looking forward, feel great about our game plan,” Prescott added during his comments. “We've got to start fast.
Looking back at last week, especially on our offensive side. We start fast, that's a different game.
It's about starting fast, being our best version just through the discipline, through the little things and allowing our playmakers to take over.”
He also asked Cowboys fans to bring it Sunday.
“Just to stick to it,” Prescott said about his approach to the Commanders game after the loss to the Giants. “A lot of times, people panic.
A lot of times people want to change everything. For me it's about doubling down.
I know our approach, I know the coaches and everything that we did in that game plan was right. We just didn't get it done in a tough NFL game, in a one-possession game, and still had opportunities.”
As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Dallas listed as a 3.5-point home favorite over Washington. Prescott, though, sounded less interested in the number than in what happens when the game kicks off.
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Commanders Lose Key Piece Of Jayden Daniels Attack Before Cowboys
A hamstring injury will keep Chig Okonkwo out of the Commanders Week 2 trip to face the Cowboys, taking away one of Jayden Daniels more useful early-season targets just as Washington tries to build on its opener. Dan Quinn confirmed the tight end will not play, and the timing stings with a divisional game on deck.
John Bates and Ben Sinnott are expected to absorb the added snaps at tight end, giving the Commanders a different look in an offense that was already sorting out roles in the passing game. For Daniels, it means another adjustment before facing Dallas, and for Washington, it adds one more layer of uncertainty to a matchup that rarely needs any extra help becoming complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Terry McLaurin's Quiet Opener Has Commanders Fans Watching One Problem
Terry McLaurins Week 1 line was a quiet one by his standards, with just two catches for 14 yards in Washingtons loss to the Eagles, and it immediately put a familiar question back on the table for the Commanders. When defenses spend extra attention on McLaurin, the rest of the passing game has to do more than simply hope he gets loose a few times.
Jayden Daniels said Washington has answers for the coverage McLaurin is seeing, and he stressed the need to make the most of those moments when the receiver does get free. That is the tension hanging over the offense now: McLaurin remains the player opponents are built to stop, but the Commanders need the rest of the operation to turn those openings into something more before another tight game slips away. [Read more 🡒]
Stefon Diggs Faced A Defining Commanders Moment After Eagles Mistake
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Diggs addressed his teammates directly and took responsibility for the mistake, speaking candidly about what it meant to him and his role in the room. The follow-up was the important part for Washington, because the way a veteran handles a miscue can say plenty about the culture a team is trying to build, and this one was framed as a step toward accountability rather than avoidance. [Read more 🡒]