Commanders vs. Cowboys: Who Has ‘Sense of Urgency’?

With legacy and his future on the line Washington Commanders rival quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys feels the pressure and is looking to make good on it.

The Washington Commanders split the season series against the Dallas Cowboys last year, but the win came in the final week of the regular season.

For the Commanders it was an encouraging sign of what might come with quarterback Sam Howell. 

Meanwhile, for the Cowboys it was a pebble in the road to the playoffs with their trip to the postseason - and their seed - already secured. 

So really, it meant a lot more for Washington than it did Dallas. 

But both teams, and both of the starting quarterbacks from that season, are entering this new year with a certain amount of pressure. 

Pressure that Prescott admits he’s feeling. 

“One thousand percent,” Prescott told CowboysSI.com’s Mike Fisher and a handful of other DFW reporters when asked about feeling a sense of urgency as he turns 30 years old this month. “Understanding that you don’t have forever to play this game. I’m blessed for every moment that I get. Just trying to take it with a sense of urgency.”

That urgency comes from Prescott having led the Cowboys to three NFC East Division titles and four postseason appearances. 

But Dallas has never gotten past the Divisional Round under Prescott, something his predecessor Tony Romo experienced as well. … Though Romo started the majority of games for the Cowboys until he was 34 years old.

But that urgency Prescott is feeling may also be coming from another source. 

After 27 years of not reaching the NFC Championship Game since the team last won a Super Bowl in 1995 soon-to-be-81-year old owner Jerry Jones may be losing patience as he tries to get his franchise back to the top of the NFL.

'I'm the Old Man Now!'#DakPrescott - Almost 30 - Dances, Teaches & Talks #DallasCowboys Interceptions https://t.co/u7M8ciYO1S via @fishsports

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) July 8, 2023

New coaches, new schemes, and new philosophies don’t usually bode well for quarterbacks over the age of 30, though in Dallas coach Mike McCarthy’s view, he is installing what the QB’s are calling the “Texas Coast Offense” in a way that benefits Dak.

Dallas is planning on extending Dak soon … at which time his new contract will lock him in as the long-time QB. That’s “urgency” of a sort … maybe “the urgency of expectations.” That’s not a terrible place to be; indeed we bet Sam Howell and the Commanders would love to take that step on the march to relevance.

Especially with the Commanders visiting their rival for a Thanksgiving matchup the entire football world will have its eyes on. 

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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