For Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, the numbers coming out of Sunday’s 44-24 drubbing at the hands of the Broncos in Denver were not pretty. He threw for just 188 yards on 19-for-31 passing, putting up two interceptions and no touchdowns on the day. Prescott notched a quarterback rating of 51.5, which was his worst since the Cowboys were knocked around by the Lions a year ago before a hamstring injury ended his season.
Prescott termed his own play “unacceptable,” but added that the team as a whole just did not show up with the level of effort and focus it was going to take to beat a team like Denver on the road. Coming off a season-best win over Washington in Week 7, the Cowboys continued to show themselves to be wildly inconsistent.
With the NFL trade deadline looming, Prescott had a message for his teammates, especially those whose jobs might be in jeopardy amid this bizarre 3-4-1 season.
“I just echoed to the guys in the locker room, forget a trade,” Prescott said. “Do more. Shut that talk up. … Step up and shut the talk up.”
Dak Prescott Frustrated by Lack of Identity
Prescott’s frustration was obvious during the game, which saw him be replaced in the fourth quarter by backup Joe Milton. Through the first seven games of the season, Prescott had been sensational, and even when the team had its struggles, the offense usually played like one of the best in the NFL.
It was deflating, then, to see that aspect of the Cowboys identity disappear on Sunday.
“Talking about identity, trying to find identity, right, it’s hard to even give you an identity until we can put a couple of games together in a row,” Prescott said. “Right now, our identity is up and down. And that’s not anything that I am proud of and that’s not anything that anybody should be proud of on any side of the ball or the coaches—so, like our identity now is inconsistent. And that’s unacceptable.
“We’ve got to be better, we’ve got to find a way to be consistent whether it is at home or on the road, regardless. We’re too good, we’ve got too many good players, we’ve got a great coaching staff.”
Cowboys’ Clowney Also Had a Message
Prescott revealed that veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who signed with the Cowboys last month, sent a similar message to the team after the game. Clowney is a three-time Pro Bowl edge who has played 12 seasons with seven teams and was brought in for his experience as well as his pass-rushing ability.
He told the Cowboys they’re too good to be this bad.
“Hell, Clowney was just saying in the locker room, this roster should not be going up and down like we’re doing,” Prescott said. “A guy like that, when he says it, he has been on seven teams, that hits. It’s real. And so we’ve got to look in the mirror, like I said, like I challenged the guys and, what can we do more?”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post ‘Frustrated’ Dak Prescott Sends Fiery Message to Cowboys After Week 8 Loss appeared first on Heavy Sports.