Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott entered the 2023 postseason after one of his best regular seasons. He set a career high for completion percentage, led the NFL in touchdown passes, and greatly reduced his interception rate from a year ago. Prescott’s season earned him his third career Pro Bowl appearance.
How Prescott performs in the postseason — and if he can improve on a 2-4 playoff record — played a large role in how his season is viewed.
Dak Prescott Endures New Heartache in Playoffs
Prescott now drops to 2-5 overall in the postseason.
This time, he and the Cowboys fell behind by 27 points before getting ousted 48-32 at the hands of the seventh seeded Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Prescott may have ended up shredding the Packers with 403 passing yards. However, he got shredded by Green Bay’s defense in return by getting picked off twice — including this pick six executed by Darnell Savage.
Dak Prescott throws another INT 😳
This time, #Packers S Darnell Savage takes it to the crib 🔥#GoPackGo | #DallasCowboys
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 14, 2024
Prescott was blunt about his own performance.
“I sucked tonight. That was it,” Prescott said to reporters. “We got it going a little bit late, but none of that mattered at that point. Fought. That’s all I really know how to do. But it’s about winning, and it’s about winning in the playoffs and getting to the last game and winning that as well. Yeah, tough.”
This loss adds to his string of other postseason disappointments. And it dates all the way back to his first year in the NFL.
There Was Rookie Season Heartbreak for Prescott
As a rookie, the Cowboys won the NFC East and entered the playoffs as the second seed after a 13-3 regular season. Dallas started in the Divisional Round at home against the Green Bay Packers in the 2016 postseason.
After falling behind 21-3, Prescott and the Cowboys rallied to tie the game at 31 with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Aaron Rodgers got the Packers in position to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Prescott completed 24 of 38 passes for 302 yards with three touchdowns and one interception in the loss to the Packers.
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In the 2018 postseason, the Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card battle. Prescott threw for 226 yards with one touchdown pass and a rushing score in the home win.
Dallas played the Los Angeles Rams on the road in the Divisional Round but were eliminated after a 30-22 loss. Prescott finished the 2018 postseason with two touchdown passes and two rushing scores.
Losing to an Old Rival
The Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have played memorable games in the postseason dating back to the 1970s. Prescott was introduced to the rivalry during the 2021 playoffs, when the Cowboys hosted the 49ers in a Wild Card game.
Dallas trailed 23-7 entering the fourth quarter, but Prescott led two Cowboys drives to cut the lead to six points with eight minutes left. The Cowboys couldn’t find the end zone on their last two drives. On the final possession, Prescott scrambled inside the 49ers’ 25-yard line but time expired as he tried to spike the ball to stop the clock. He finished the game with 254 yards passing, an interception, and two touchdowns (one pass, one rush).
Last season, the Cowboys defeated Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road on Wild Card Weekend for Prescott’s first playoff win away from Dallas. He passed for four touchdowns and rushed for another in the 31-14 win. The win sent the Cowboys to San Francisco for another matchup with the 49ers.
The Cowboys offense only scored 12 points against the 49ers, with Prescott completing 23 of his 37 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown pass. His two interceptions were costly, with one leading to a 49ers field goal and the other being inside the 49ers’ 20-yard line when the game was tied at six.
Prescott’s career postseason stats are similar to what he has done during the regular season. All four playoff losses were by one possession, which puts great emphasis on how he performs this postseason, with Dallas guaranteed to play a second home game if they defeat the Packers this year.
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