Dak Prescott is the undisputed leader of the locker room for the Dallas Cowboys. However, his comments following a 40-40 tie on Sunday night are more evidence that he is failing in the role.
Last night, the Cowboys had opportunities to score a big win at home against the Green Bay Packers. The game was never going to be easy. Especially with Green Bay looking like early Super Bowl contenders after acquiring former Cowboys star Micah Parsons in a trade before the season.
After being behind for much of the night because their awful defense can’t stop a nose bleed, Dallas was able to get a 30-27 lead with just under seven minutes left. Then the defense blew that lead. However, Prescott and the offense again fought back to retake a 37-34 lead with just over a minute left. And then the D again did what it always does by coughing it up, and the Packers forced overtime.
Well, guess what? Dallas again got a lead in the overtime period. And to the surprise of no one, the Pack were able to march down the field and get a field goal in the final seconds. Ending the game in a 40-40 tie. Now, instead of being 2-2 and getting some momentum, the Cowboys head into Week 5 with a disappointing 1-2-1 record.
- Dak Prescott record: 77-48-1
Dak Prescott won’t hold the Cowboys’ defense accountable
Yet, what makes the tie even more maddening than the Dallas defense again showing why they are among the worst in our NFL defense rankings is the team’s leader, Dak Prescott, not holding them accountable.
“I believe in my defense. Yeah, I can be mad about the one second on the clock, I can be mad that they drove the ball, but at the end of the day, I’m pissed that we didn’t score in the red zone,” Prescott said after the game (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We had an opportunity to score in the red zone. . . Not for one second am I looking at the defense.
“I’m a guy that looks inward first, looks at what we need to do and what I need to do to help this team, and if we score in the red zone or start faster, who knows if we’re in this position.”
While the response is admirable, it is not what is needed right now from their leader and captain after falling into a 1-2-1 hole with a quarter of the season over.
- Dak Prescott stats: 4 games, 1,119 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 95.4 passer rating
Dak Prescott can’t be everybody’s friend
Is it nice to be on good terms with teammates? Sure. Is it easier than being hard on them? Of course. But that’s not what makes a great leader at the highest levels of the sport. Sometimes a true leader has to get up his teammates’ tush when they are not playing up to the standard needed. And this Cowboys defense simply isn’t.
In Week 1, the defense gave up 24 to the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. It was understandable. It was the first Sunday of the season against an elite team with an MVP candidate in 2024, Saquon Barkley. But that ended up being the best version of the defense.
Over their last three games, the Cowboys D has given up 108 points — 37 to the Giants, 31 to the Bears, and 40 this weekend. Two INTs by Prescott didn’t help against Chicago, but otherwise, the unit has simply been terrible. There is no getting around it, and if they aren’t getting better, they need to be publicly called out for it.
Dak Prescott is 32, and his Super Bowl window is getting shorter every year. And 2025 is looking like a lost year because of the horrible play of his defense. There is nothing wrong with a leader feeling the championship pressure and wanting his teammates to have the same intensity — see Tom Brady and Michael Jordan. Yet Prescott chose to blame himself for leading the offense to 40, instead of the other side that gave up just as much.
That is not the leadership the Dallas Cowboys need. If rookie QB Cam Hayward can call his team “a**” after a 0-4 start, Prescott’s messaging with far higher expectations is a huge red flag.
