Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys have experienced a rollercoaster start to the season, which is especially clear from two recent performances by their quarterback.
Just after midnight during a rain-delayed game in Pittsburgh, Prescott made a winning throw in the final seconds, leading to a 20-17 victory nearly two weeks ago.
However, last weekend at AT&T Stadium, Prescott’s early interception set off a disappointing home loss of 47-9 to the Detroit Lions, marking the worst defeat at home since Jerry Jones became the owner in 1989.
Now, the Cowboys (3-3) find themselves at a .500 record, still looking for a win at home but unbeaten on the road. Their offense struggles to find a consistent rhythm, while their defense alternates between looking strong one week and performing poorly the next.
This raises a key question for the defending NFC East champions, who have made the playoffs for the past three years and are preparing for an important game against San Francisco on October 27.
“Why are we on this ebb and flow? Why do we perform seven days ago the way we performed at 1 o’clock in the morning and then come home and perform the way we did?” coach Mike McCarthy asked.
“So those are the kinds of things we’ve got to work on, focus on. At the end of the day, if we totally don’t believe it’s about us, it’ll always be about us, and play to who we are, what we do, how we do it, then we’re not going to get to where we want to go.”
McCarthy is in the last year of his contract, so if the Cowboys don’t make a deep playoff run this season, he may not have a future in Dallas.
Prescott and All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb will be around for a long time, as both received expensive contract extensions before the season began.
Since the heavy loss to the Lions, Jones has mentioned twice that he’s not thinking about changing coaches. The second time, he almost confirmed that it won’t happen during the season.
McCarthy is becoming brief when asked about his job security, even when talking about the strong support from Prescott.
“I think it shows how he feels, and I think it speaks to our relationship,” McCarthy said. “Support is a nice thing. We should do more of it.”
