ARLINGTON, Texas – After a late comeback from the Cardinals saw Arizona defeat Dallas 33-30 in overtime, there wasn't much Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott could say.
"Very disappointing; it sucks," Prescott said. "One of the toughest [losses] I guess I've been a part of. Yeah, no words for it really. Other than that, really, really disappointing, and frustrating. It's part of this league."
The Cardinals put up 26 points in the second half, including a game-tying touchdown with six seconds remaining, and trailed by 14 with 14:20 left to play in the fourth quarter. After that, the Cowboys were only able to score six points off two field goals and gained just 52 yards.
Prescott finished the night completing 19 of his 29 passing attempts for 195 yards and a touchdown, adding 20 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. He was sacked four times, and Dallas was only able to rush for 93 total yards on 39 carries. Dallas is still looking for their first win streak in 2026.
"It's frustrating," Prescott said. "You want to stack wins. You want to show that you can put back-to-back days ahead. People tell me often, good game this or that. I go, 'yeah, we got to do it again.' What's in the rear-view mirror doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It's what's in front of us."
"We can check the side mirrors here and there. But, we've got to focus on what's important now, this moment, this play, this game. And if you do that, you have the chance to stack wins. We didn't tonight. That's what's frustrating about it. We had the opportunities to put them away on offense. Obviously, defense had opportunities to stop them and we just didn't get any of it done as a team."
One of the common themes postgame with Prescott and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was Dallas needing to figure out how to finish games. There's no clear answer to that question.
"It's the NFL and it's the parity," Prescott said. "I talk about it each and every week and I don't know if people in general understand. Every play matters, and these plays will come back to bite you. It's no different than [a reporter] asking me last week, 'why aren't you happy after the game?' I'm just thankful. I'm thankful to get a win, but we've got to go do it again and it's hard to do."
"I'm not going to get high or get too low when this business is the way that it is. It's a tough game. It takes everybody that's involved, every 11 that's on the field, the coaches, the support, everybody. We just haven't got it done and haven't been able to stack wins. And at the end of the day, that's what's frustrating about it and disappointing."
The 2026 Cowboys roster is one that the team has invested heavily in. From bringing back all 11 starters from their explosive 2025 offense to adding players like Joey Porter Jr., Caleb Downs, and extending Quinnen Williams long-term. Sitting at 3-5 heading into Week 9, Prescott pointed out that talent alone won't allow the Cowboys to be successful.
"Names don't win games," Prescott said. "It's just that. So, I don't think I've ever put a lot on, oh, we've got some great men in that locker room men that carry men that do the right thing and try to come out here and give their best each and every game. We're just not getting it done. That starts with me and goes to any and every guy on this team and coaching staff. So yeah, it's the NFL. Names change, names evolve. And we've got the firepower, we've got the talent, we've got to be a better team and put it all together."
Even with some crushing losses this season, Prescott is confident that he and his team can find a way to put all the pieces of the puzzle together down the stretch.
"The men in the locker room…" Prescott said when asked what gives him confidence the Cowboys can get back on track. "The men and the way that they approach the game, the way that we do things. It's every guy that contributes, everybody that has a hand in that, being able to contribute, being able to lock in and practice, which as I told y'all, the process and all that's right. We just got to find a way to play better complimentary football and at the end of the day put a team away in the NFL and you got a team up 10 points with, I don't know the time that was left exactly, you've got to finish them, period."
As the head coach of the Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer has already begun to face scrutiny for Dallas' performance on Sunday afternoon and has earlier in the season as well. Prescott said that the blame for Dallas' loss doesn't fall squarely on Schottenheimer's shoulders.
"It's all of us," Prescott said. "Don't put the blame on one person. Simple as that. I think that's weak. I think that's cowardice. This game is about all 11 that touch the field and every person that has a part in it coaches and support staff. It's never just one person's fault. Even if I go out there and throw a bunch of interceptions, it's never just truly one person's fault. And so, don't take the easy and cheap way out. This is about us and it's about us backing him up and backing one another up and we'll have to show it."
In 2018, the Cowboys started the season 3-5 as well. After trading for WR Amari Cooper, Dallas went on to win seven of their final nine games and reached the postseason at 10-6. Could a similar run be in order eight seasons later?
"At this point, talk is cheap," Prescott said. "Telling stories is cheap. We've got to go write our own story. We put ourselves in this position. Thankfully, we've got the pin. Thankfully, we're in control of it. It's a season where our division -- nobody's taking off heavy and putting everybody else behind, and that's the blessing in it. Yeah, that gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I can do it, we can do it… but we just got to take care of what's in front of us at that moment, whatever it may be."
