FRISCO, Texas — Two weeks in, and the Dallas Cowboys are only five points away from being one of the 2-0 teams in the NFL to start the 2025 season, as their four-point loss on the road to the Eagles combined with their 40-point explosion in their overtime win over the New York Giants to send a clear message, if not for some errors taking points off of the field in Philly.
That message? Dak Prescott is starting this campaign at an MVP pace, and the Cowboys' offense with Brian Schottenheimer as the playcaller and Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator is lethal both on the ground and in the air for the first time in a very long time.
It's simply undeniable as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
"It's just a lot of work's paid off," said the All-Pro quarterback a couple of days ahead of their flight to the Windy City. "Obviously, going back to the offseason, it started back in, what, April, I guess, and carried over to OTAs and all that. And then the time we got together in the summer, all that's been quality. Then you get into training camp, where we just have a lot of banked reps.
"I have a lot of trust in those guys. You see it [when I'm] throwing into some of the coverages and windows I was. That doesn't happen without trusting those guys are gonna go make those plays, and they're gonna be right where they were back in the spring when you were working on this type of stuff. So I'm not gonna put any limitations on those two guys and the connection, and what we can do."
In case you missed the throws Prescott is referencing, you're in luck, because there’s a deep dive here for you to enjoy.
The bounceback game from fellow All-Pro CeeDee Lamb combined with the overall stabilization created by Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson, a clutch performance from George Pickens, a potent outing by All-Pro returner KaVontae Turpin in his capacity as a receiver and running back Javonte Williams all landing haymakers in the most critical moments of the barfight.
The latter headlines a top-3 rushing attack that sets the stage in allowing Prescott to cook in the air, and all of the aforementioned plays a huge part in why the former MVP runner-up says he feels more confident throwing the ball in 2025 than he has at any point previously over the course of his 10-year career.
"Most definitely," he said. "I'll just say it's the experience on top of all the work. Yeah, everything, all of that adding up and compounding, really. Just the years of playing this game and seeing defenses, and when you've got guys like CeeDee — in his prime — and then you've got a guy like George, that we were able to add with the rest of the crew, Ferg, a great run game, it's hard not to be."
This is, of course, saying a lot, considering the numbers he amassed in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Not to get ahead of himself though, Prescott is staying where his feet are and understanding this is all well-and-good for now, but one false step against an 0-2 team in Chicago craving a first win for head coach Ben Johnson, and hoping to use none other than the Cowboys to get it on a national stage, could lead to a very different conversation one week from now.
Historically, Prescott has struggled against defenses run by Dennis Allen, the defensive coordinator for the Bears, and that fact isn't lost on him — though it's also true there are a lot of different variables in the equation this time around, for both sides.
"Fortunately, it's his first year there, right?" said Prescott. "I don't think they're gonna be as multiple as they were in his time in New Orleans, but you've got to be ready for all of that, right? That's a great defensive coordinator. The guy has been around this league a long time and had a lot of success, and put together great defenses — year after year."
It's no secret the Bears are desperate in Week 3, and desperation breeds unpredictability, so being ready for Chicago to throw the kitchen sink at the Cowboys' offense is a wise decision, the Giants having gone from being a laughingstock one week prior to nearly upsetting Dallas at home after dropping 37 points on their front porch.
There are lessons to be learned from that narrow escape, on both sides of the ball, and Allen will undoubtedly try to empty to bucket against Prescott and the Cowboys.
"[I have to] just be ready for a little bit of everything, honestly, whether it's pressure, whether it's every coverage in the book, and just knowing that we've got to play to our strengths. We've gotta … just attack these guys," Prescott added. "It starts with us being the attackers."
They certainly have the right weapons to do exactly that.
