FRISCO, Texas — The year was 2016, and Dak Prescott was a compensatory rookie fourth-round pick who clawed his way from the fourth spot on the depth chart, behind Tony Romo, Kellen Moore (yes, that Kellen Moore) and Jameill Showers, to the role of not only starter for the Dallas Cowboys, but one of the hottest quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
Prescott won 13 games that season, including a record-setting 11-game win streak as a rookie QB, but his kryptonite was the New York Giants — the only team to sweep him.
He hasn't lost to them since, currently enjoying a 13-game win streak versus Big Blue.
"I want to keep it going, period," said Prescott. "I want to do everything I can. I know these guys that are in this locker room want to keep that going. It's hard to get streaks going in the National Football League, and a streak like that,
"I'm sure it's a selfish streak, in a sense; but not necessarily, when you think about all the guys that it takes to win. It's not just [about] me, and I want to keep that going."
Speaking of streaks, the Cowboys are on the wrong side of that spectrum as it relates to their play at AT&T Stadium recently. Far and away one of the most dominant teams in the league at home heading into the 2024 season, the train flew off of the rails last year en route to a 2-7 finish at home — the antithesis of a home field advantage.
During that stretch, they averaged only 17.9 points per game at AT&T Stadium, allowing nearly double that amount at 35.1 points every time an opponent stepped foot in Arlington.
Prescott is staring through the windshield though, and not into the rearview mirror.
"We're focused on this season, focused on this team," said the All-Pro quarterback. "The opportunity we've got to write our own slate and get this win streak started at home, and after that, it'll be one at a time. But it's important, right now, because this is the game that's up. This is our opportunity to make sure that we start this home field advantage thing the right way, and build on the good that we did last week, but we've got to finish out with the win."
There's plenty of reasons for the Cowboys' offense to enjoy home cooking on Sunday, considering they might've neared a 40-point explosion against the defending champion Eagles in Philadelphia in the season opener, if not for self-inflicted wounds such as a fumble by Miles Sanders and critical drops from CeeDee Lamb who, far more often than not, has proven he catches those passes to help break games open.
And the latter point is exactly why Prescott isn't blinking when asked about Lamb's ability to bounce back from a bad day at the office when the Giants come knocking.
"CeeDee is a true pro," Prescott said. "It started off with him after that game, taking accountability, whether it was in the locker room to players or whether it was to you guys in the media, but not only just right saying it — coming in that next day. We've all heard he was on the Jugs [machine] just getting his reps. That doesn't wipe that away, but that just allows you to feel better about the next opportunity that you get, and he's taking the right approach to do that.
"And look out for those guys in the back end that have to catch him and cover him. … You can just tell from his demeanor that he wants to make up for [the drops]."
If the two can get going, and keep going, along with a greater injection of George Pickens and potentially Jake Ferguson into the passing attack, it could be a special day for Dallas.
With at least three touchdown passes against the Giants, Prescott can become only the sixth player in NFL history to throw for at least three touchdowns in the 40 games through his first 10 seasons — joining a list that includes Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and, guess who, Russell Wilson — the Cowboys' three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Lamb could also make history, in several ways, among them being joining the incomparable Randy Moss as the only players, all-time, with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage and five touchdown receptions in each of their first six career NFL seasons (there's a chance Justin Jefferson joins them in this category this weekend, as well).
This would all go a long way to not only defeating the Giants, but in convincing fashion, and it would send a very real message that home field advantage has returned to Dallas.
The year is currently 2025, and the Giants might still be trying to figure out how to handle Dak Prescott.
