Prescott rebounds with ‘assertion sport’ in Cowboys’ wild-card win – Dallas Cowboys Weblog

TAMPA, Fla. — As Dak Prescott jogged off the Raymond James Stadium area Monday, there was no nice exuberant cheer by the quarterback. He made a easy wave to the Dallas Cowboys followers crowding the tunnel to the locker room and casually tossed his hat into the stands.

Prescott was performing like what he simply completed within the Cowboys’ 31-14 win in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was no huge deal.

Besides it was an enormous deal.

Eight days earlier in opposition to the Washington Commanders, Prescott had what may need been the worst sport of his profession. He accomplished simply 14 of 37 passes for 128 yards in a 26-6 loss. He was intercepted for the seventh straight sport and had a pick-six for the third time in 4 video games.

On Monday, Prescott had a sport for the ages.

He threw for 305 yards, finishing 25 of 33 passes with 4 landing passes and, maybe extra importantly, he was not intercepted. He additionally ran for a landing.

“I bought away from the way in which I play this sport,” Prescott mentioned of his Week 18 efficiency. “I bought grasping, tried to simply drive some throws, tried to take the large ones — and that’s not who I’ve been all through my profession; taking what they offer me, ready on the large shot. I believe it was uncharacteristic. … However I wiped that clear and I knew what this sport meant. I knew how essential it was for us.”

How good was he in opposition to the Buccaneers?

“I imply, nearly as good as I’ve seen,” coach Mike McCarthy mentioned. “That’s for certain.”

McCarthy coached Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers, successful a Tremendous Bowl with the latter.

How good was Prescott? He joined Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach as the one Cowboys quarterbacks with 4 landing passes in a playoff sport. Like Prescott, Aikman’s additionally got here with out an interception in his Tremendous Bowl XXVII efficiency in opposition to the Buffalo Bills. Staubach’s got here within the 1975 NFC Championship Sport in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams.

“I can doubt with the perfect of them, and Dak didn’t when it comes to his play when it counted. And we must all construct from a very — I’d say this with out exaggeration: that was an awesome efficiency,” proprietor and basic supervisor Jerry Jones mentioned. “That’s the way you raise at that place. That’s the way you assist create a championship crew proper there. As a result of it was all in opposition to him … and had an awesome participant on the opposite aspect of the ball at his place [Tom Brady] and got here on the market and performed at that exact stage.”

Prescott outplayed Brady, who threw for 351 yards however wanted 66 go makes an attempt and 35 completions to get there. Brady had two landing passes however was intercepted within the second quarter.

Coming off that interception, Prescott directed the Cowboys on a 15-play, 80-yard landing drive. He accomplished all 5 of his passes to a special participant: RB Ezekiel Elliott (9 yards), WR Michael Gallup (4 yards), RB Tony Pollard (5 yards), WR T.Y. Hilton (14 yards), TE Jake Ferguson (34 yards).

He ended the drive with a 1-yard bootleg that upped the Cowboys’ result in 12-0.

“He was unreal,” All-Professional proper guard Zack Martin mentioned. “I imply like each time we gave him sufficient time, he was making performs … No shock. Clearly, being the quarterback right here, he will get talked about greater than anybody, however the man simply retains coming again, you already know?”

Prescott set a Cowboys postseason document with 11 straight completions after lacking on his first three passes of the sport. He’s the fifth participant with 4 landing passes and a dashing landing in NFL postseason historical past and the primary since Matt Ryan within the 2016 NFC Championship Sport. By the way in which, McCarthy noticed Rodgers do the identical within the 2009 wild-card spherical.

Prescott grew to become the second participant in NFL postseason historical past with 4 landing passes and a dashing rating whereas finishing 75% of his passes in a sport, becoming a member of Peyton Manning (2004 wild-card spherical in opposition to the Denver Broncos).

His 96.5 Complete QBR was the third highest by a beginning quarterback in a wild-card sport since 2006.

“Dak confirmed that he’s a warrior,” large receiver CeeDee Lamb mentioned. “He’s a baller, and he got here out slinging it. I really feel prefer it was a press release sport for him.”