Dak Prescott drawing motivation from Dallas Mavericks, Stars' deep playoff runs

Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott is fired up about the Mavericks and Stars playoff success, embracing the pressure it puts on the Cowboys to make a deep postseason run of their own.

Josh Sanchez | May 22, 2024

JUAN CARLO/THE STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2024-25 NFL regular season and hoping to do something they haven't been able to do in nearly three decades: reach the NFC Championship Game.

Dallas has reached the postseason, but has yet to make a deep run since beating Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, 38-27, in the 1995 conference championship. The Cowboys would go on to beat Bill Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.

Since then, the Cowboys have been relegated to brief playoff stints.

This season, the pressure will be on. Dak Prescott is in a contract year, All-Pros CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are also looking for new deals, and Dallas' own Mavericks are finding playoff success with a run to the Western Conference Finals, where they will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a best-of-7 series.

He is also drawing motivation from the Dallas Stars, who face the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL's Western Final.

The Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and Texas Rangers have all reached their respective conference or league championships in the past two years. The Cowboys have not been there in three decades.

Prescott recognizes the pressure it puts on Dallas to find some postseason success of their own, and he fully embraces it.

“F*ck ya, it fires you up… go win it! Put more f*ckin’ pressure on us (Dallas Cowboys),” Prescott said during his media availability after OTAs on Wednesday via Cowboys SI's Bri Amaranthus.

“F*ck ya, it fires you up… go win it! Put more f*ckin’ pressure on us (Dallas Cowboys.”

-Dak Prescott on the Dallas Mavs and Stars playoff runs #DallasCowboys #cowboysnation @CowboysSI pic.twitter.com/uYXDWjldml
— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) May 22, 2024

Last season, Prescott had one of the best seasons of his career. He threw for 4,516 yards, an NFL-leading 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The effort earned Prescott second-team All-Pro honors and a nod to the third Pro Bowl of his career. He will now set his sights on the 2024-25 season as he sets out to exceed his 2023 numbers and prove he deserves the largest contract in NFL history.

If he can find that same success, along with the rest of the roster stepping up around him, the Cowboys could be poised to make a deep run of their own.

At least that's what the city of Dallas will be hoping for.

Dallas will kick off its 2024 campaign on Sunday, September 8, on the road against the Cleveland Browns. Tom Brady will be making his broadcasting debut for the game on FOX.