Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott Reacts to ‘Most Humbling Loss Ever’ at San Francisco 49ers
The Dallas Cowboys showed the world that the NFC is a two-team race to the Super Bowl, and that they aren’t one of the two teams.
Sunday night’s 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers was as embarrassing of a regular-season game as one can find, especially considering the hype the matchup conjured up.
The Cowboys could have gone into San Francisco and put a statement win on their résumé. They could have lost a close game and pointed to a critical drop or a blown call and said they were one play away from taking down perhaps the best team in the conference.
Instead, they wet the bed on national television. No one’s sheets are as stained as quarterback Dak Prescott’s.
Make no mistake, losing this badly is a team effort, and virtually nobody played their part. But the Week 5 loss felt like a distinct low point in recent Prescott memory. He threw for 153 yards on 24 attempts, throwing three interceptions in a performance that mirrored the quarterbacks Dallas had destroyed in the season’s early going.
Sunday night, he spoke about his, and his team’s, humiliating performance.
Prescott delivers a pass against the 49ers.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“I didn’t see it coming,” Prescott said. “This might be the most humbling game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Humbling is right. The Cowboys’ defense stood no chance against a team with real skill position players and ways to mitigate the pass rush. It’s yet to be seen whether or not that trend will continue, but the concern that this defense is a paper tiger—it’s there.
However, the offense didn’t help them out. Running back Tony Pollard’s fumble felt like a dagger and receiver Michael Gallup didn’t look like the ball-winner he’s been asked to be. Even on the plays when Prescott was right to attack one-on-one downfield, his receivers weren’t able to reward him.
Prescott struggled out of structure and, against a defense as fast as San Francisco’s, looked perpetually out of sorts. It’s not the type of quarterbacking that fans have grown accustomed to, and it’s certainly not the type that wins games.
This is a quarterback, an offense, and a team that cannot survive an extended slump of any kind.
Getting back on track in the coming weeks will be imperative to the one thing they can do to re-establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the NFC: ensuring the Philadelphia Eagles feel the same way the Cowboys did on Sunday.
