DETROIT – With four games remaining in the regular season, the Cowboys sit at 6-6-1 after a 44-30 loss on the road to the Detroit Lions.
Heading into Thursday night, Dallas knew that their best chance to reach the postseason would likely mean winning the NFC East, as owner/GM Jerry Jones said earlier in the week. Winning out would give them the best chance at that, and now that's out of the equation.
"At this point, I don't know if I can say we control our own destiny," Quarterback Dak Prescott said following the game. "I know it was not a stretch saying that before, but I'm pretty sure if we won out, we were going to have a pretty damn good record only having five losses and one tie… we're going to need some things to happen for us, I don't think it's in our control at this point. But what we can do is control the way that we approach this game."
Coming into the night on a three-game winning streak and having beaten both teams that play in Super Bowl LIX last season in the span of five days, the Cowboys' confidence was riding high.
Even in a difficult loss that featured a lot of miscues of their own doing, Prescott doesn't see it as the end-all-be-all for his team.
"I don't think that's something I've truly got to make sure of," Prescott said. "Schotty does a hell of a job with the messaging, controlling the temperature of this team, we've got great veteran leaders."
"I think guys are pissed off right now. I don't think this is any deflated moment like, 'Oh, hands are up, we're done.' No, no, absolutely not. I think you're going to get a team that's pissed, especially as we talk about a team that's kind of changed since the bye week."
Prescott was 31 for 47 through the air, throwing for 376 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Dallas finished in the negative again in the turnover battle, and is now -8 on the year, something Prescott knows needs to improve.
"You can't win a game losing that, not in the NFL, and not against a team like that, being minus three in the turnover battle, simple as that…" Prescott said. "We've got to stop that. I know I've had an interception the last three games or so, then obviously two tonight, who cares whose fault it is?"
Additionally, Prescott was sacked five times by Detroit's defensive front, and he was hit 11 more times as well. On one instance where Prescott had right tackle Terence Steele fall on top of him, he was a bit slow to get up, but was able to return and is not concerned about it.
"I'll be sore, but I'm fine. Nothing major at all. Took some hits, bumps and bruises, but I'll be fine." Prescott said.
Half of Dallas' points tonight game on the leg of Brandon Aubrey, who connected on all five of his field goals including his third 60+ yarder of the season from 63 yards out. It's a blessing to have a kicker that can make those types of plays, but Prescott knows the offenses' self-imposed struggles can't continue to occur to the degree they have thus far.
"They're self-inflicted… you can't turn the ball over when you've got such a safe haven in a kicker like that. We've got everything we need, we're stepping on our own foot." Prescott said.
On third downs, the Cowboys went just six of 15, as Dallas struggled on early downs and continued to have penalties and sacks back them up over the course of the night.
"We were third and six, seven plus a majority of the night, or at least on the ones that we didn't convert. And that's tough, especially against a defense like that," Prescott said. "And if you're like that, that means you're probably in second and seven as well, right? So you're giving them two opportunities to play third down, and that's where they thrive. We made it hard on ourselves by not winning first down."
After playing four games in 17 days, the Cowboys now get a 10-day break in between games, with their next coming against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football on Dec. 14.
