Dez Bryant Defends Dak Prescott While Cowboys Get Dominated by Lions

Prescott and the Cowboys struggled offensively against the Lions.
Prescott and the Cowboys struggled offensively against the Lions. / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Dez Bryant watched the Dallas Cowboys get demolished by the Detroit Lions on Sunday and had a different takeaway than most observers.

Bryant took to X (formerly Twitter) and defended Dak Prescott against an onslaught of online hate. The former Cowboys receiver claimed Dallas wasn't a balanced team and that was the big issue, not Prescott's play.

Prescott and Bryant were teammates in 2016 and '17. In 2016, they both made the Pro Bowl together. Bryant probably has fond memories of working with him, so it's not surprising he'd defend his old quarterback.

In the end, Bryant is probably right. The Cowboys are on the verge of dropping to 3-3 and have almost no running game to speak of. The backfield combination of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott is not striking fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. Dallas entered Week 6 ranked 31st in the NFL in rushing yards per game (82.0).

On Sunday against the Lions, that trend kept up. Midway through the third quarter, the Cowboys trailed 34-9 and had a grand total of 15 yards on nine carries. An absolutely brutal showing.

Dallas signed Prescott to a four-year, $240 million extension in September and it's not surprising fans are putting this on him. But Bryant is right that the Cowboys are wildly unbalanced.


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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.