FRISCO, Texas – On Sunday, September 17, 2017, second-year quarterback Dak Prescott led the Dallas Cowboys onto the field at Mile High in Denver looking to move to 2-0 on the year after beating the Giants in Week 1.
Prescott, who was on the heels of a magical rookie season that won him offensive rookie of the year in 2016, finished the game completing 30 of his 50 passing attempts for 238 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in what ended up being a 42-17 Broncos win.
"That was one was probably one of the uglier games of my career for sure," Prescott said. "I remember the big rain delay or lightning delay early in the game, I remember Von Miller, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, they had some guys. Definitely remember that one. Fresh, obviously, going back there."
It certainly was difficult to forget the two interceptions, including one to Aqib Talib that he returned for a 103-yard pick-six with :53 seconds left in the game, and was at the time the largest margin Prescott had lost by in his NFL career.
A lot has changed since then, but going back to that game, why were things not the same for Prescott in his second year with Dallas? Had the Cowboys not found the future of their franchise?
"I came in as a rookie and played so well that I was just telling the coaches, no knock to any of my coaches, but I almost didn't get coached in the details of the position because I started off so hot. 'Hey, don't mess with him. Don't ruin it...'"
"Year 2 was tough, and that's probably why it was a down year for me. I'm a guy that wants to push, wants to get better, wants to be coached hard. I didn't have a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2, which is also on myself… every part of my game has evolved and changed and gotten better since then."
There you have it. Fast forward to his 10th season in the league, and Prescott is playing some of the best football of his career as he returns to Mile High for the first time since that humbling moment in 2017.
He does so with the league's #1 offense, and will face a defense led by the man who was Denver's head coach back in 2017: Vance Joseph, the Broncos now-defensive coordinator that is helping lead the league's leading pass rush unit and third best defense in yards allowed per game.
"It's what you play the game for," Prescott said. "Regardless if we were both first or not, it's what you play the game from. Elite competition, an amazing environment where the fans are going to be loud. Our communication is going to be tested, the non-verbal part of it. Yeah, super excited. It'll be a great one."
Whether it be the reigning NFL defensive player of the year in CB Patrick Surtain or the team's leader in sacks Nik Bonitto, the Broncos marry their pass rush and coverage in the secondary better than many.
"They go hand in hand for them," Prescott said. "Corners can be a little more aggressive, sit a little bit more, play those routes and knowing that they're getting home on defense with just their rush. Leading the league in sacks, dominating on third down, so a lot of credit, a lot of respect for them."
"Just continue to go in there and play my game. It starts with beating the pass rush, and when you've got the receivers I do, having confidence in them to win."
Speaking of third down, according to Cowboys OC Klayton Adams, Denver's defense has forced the most third and eight's amongst all NFL teams this season. That means opposing offenses aren't having a lot of success on first and second down, so how do Prescott and the Cowboys win that department?
"You've still got to throw the ball on first and second down, and they're doing a good job of pushing the pocket and playing physical outside. They're just making it all grimy, and so we've got to go in this game expecting to do just that: Win dirty. No matter what it takes and whatever we have to do."
"Run into some tight boxes, but we've got to make our plays outside when they give us one-on-one and put ourselves in some of those third and manageable, right? Shorter than 3rd and seven and we'll have the upper hand."
The good news is Dallas ranks seventh in the league in third-down conversion rate this year (44.05%), a sign of the identity that Prescott has seen this team take on through the first seven games of the year.
"We can play, we're going to be tough," Prescott said. "You better be ready to come in and fight on all phases, we're going to give you everything that we've got. Resilient group. More importantly, a group that trusts each other, that has each other's back, and we're going to do whatever it takes."
There are only two teams that Prescott has not beaten in his career as the Cowboys' starter: The Bills and the Broncos. On Sunday, he'll have a chance to narrow that list down to just one, and is eager to do so.
"Hell yeah, for sure…" Prescott said. "Going up there, going to their place, yeah this is one you definitely want to cross off when you've been playing 10 years or so and you get to see these people twice and multiple times, you're trying to get all your wins."
