Cowboys Country

Dak Prescott 1-Word 'Expletive' for His Play in Cowboys Loss at Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys' performance against the doomed Washington Commanders remains concerning.

Geoff Maggliocchetti

The Washington Commanders beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-6 in Sunday in NFL Week 18, with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys hardly looking ready for next week's Wild Card playoff game at Tampa Bay.

And if you don't believe us, ask Dak for his self-evaluation.

“(Expletive),'' Prescott said, "if you’ll excuse the language. ... It’s hard to explain it. Not good enough. … Just couldn’t get off on the right foot.”

The playoff-bound Cowboys, who ended up in the fifth seed and top NFC Wild Card spot, got nothing from Dak (14 of 37 passing 128 yards, one TD, one pick and a 45.8 passer rating). But he wasn't alone ...

Worth It?

Dallas perhaps deserves a bit of credit for daring to dream the impossible dream of a division title and a first-round bye by keeping their starters in against the doomed Commanders. But with Philadelphia bullying the New York Giants' practice squad at Lincoln Financial Field, leaving the starters in felt like it could do more harm than good. 

Dak was already looking shaky in last week's win over Tennessee and a pick-six in this meaningless game won't help. 

Eventually, at the 5:19 mark, Cooper Rush came in. But at the 8:00-minute mark, just before that, the wounded likes of Micah Parsons remained in the game while Dallas was down 20.

Why?

Special Screams

The Cowboys' special teams were special in name only: in addition to Brett Maher's missed PAT, they lost two ugly turnovers in the early going. Bryan Anger's dropped punt feels like a freak accident but KaVontae Turpin's drop hints at perhaps some unique fatigue: the Pro Bowl return has been involved in, more or less, non-stop football from April to January thanks to his unique rise from the USFL. 

That's all the more reason why the Cowboys should've considered removing starters. 

In Their Defense...

It doesn't have to count for anything.

Tampa Bay's up-and-down offense likely won't be so forgiving, but if this coaching staff is as good as it thinks it it, this is a learning experience.

A painful, "(expletive)" learning experience.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Maggliocchetti
GEOFF MAGGLIOCCHETTI

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