Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: 'A Win Is A Win'

Cowboys look to get hot after November rough patch

The malaise that’s vexed hit the Dallas Cowboys in November may not have passed completely, as there was a good deal of uneasiness in Thursday night’s 27-17 win at the New Orleans Saints.

But it sure is easier to build off a victory, especially with a 10-day break in the schedule. The Cowboys opened December without coach Mike McCarthy and others as a COVID-19 outbreak hit The Star.

“A win is a win. It means a lot,” Dak Prescott said. “The adversity we’ve had, we’ve faced coming off the last two weeks and then coming in this week and being hit with the COVID, losing the head coach this week. So many people stepped up.”

After dropping their last two games and three of four, the Cowboys improved to 8-4 and tightened their grip on the NFC East. No matter what happens this weekend, Dallas will have no worse than a two-game division lead before its next game Dec. 12 against Washington.

The Football Team (5-6) is currently the Cowboys’ closest competitor in the NFC East. Washington is at the Las Vegas Raiders (6-5) on Sunday.

Regardless of the outcome of the visit to the WFT, the following week, the Cowboys will leave that game still leading the division.

Though that’s a nice cushion to have, the drive to a first-round playoff bye means stacking up some wins. The Cowboys haven’t won consecutive games since their six-game winning streak ended Nov. 7 against the Denver Broncos.

Perhaps a new streak has started in New Orleans, even if the 10-point win was ugly at times.

“It’s good to be past this,” said Prescott, who threw for 238 yards with a touchdown and a pick. “Obviously, it didn’t go the way we hoped and planned it out. But sitting at 8-4, top of the division with a chance to get rested and recovered this week, we’ll put ourselves in a good spot as we hit these next five and we’ll hit them the right way.”

The Cowboys had several chances to put the Saints away early, but couldn’t consistently move the ball. Tony Pollard’s 58-yard touchdown sprint in the third quarter did give Dallas some breathing room with a 20-10 lead.

New Orleans, behind a gutsy showing from quarterback Taysom Hill, was able to stay in striking range in the fourth before running out of gas. The Cowboys had three interceptions down the stretch, including Carlos Watkins’ pick-six to ice the game.

The defense stepping up wasn’t lost on Prescott.

“That’s complementary football,” Prescott said. “When we’re not doing well, they’re going out there and continuing to get us the ball back. They played their asses off.”