ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott was not having a good Thanksgiving by halftime at AT&T Stadium.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback had thrown two interceptions and the New York Giants used one of his turnovers to add a field goal as part of their 13-7 lead at the break.
“As I’ve talked about, I am going to be aggressive at times," Prescott told reporters after the Cowboys' 28-20 win.
On the first interception with 7:15 to go in the first quarter, cornerback Rodarius Williams picked off a pass intended for receiver Michael Gallup on what Prescott presumed was a free play due to a perceived Giants offsides penalty.
"I knew it was closed, I just didn’t know if the flag came out or not," said Prescott of the turnover at the New York 43-yard line. "I tried to make a safer throw to the sideline, but the guy just made a great play. I can’t necessarily put the team in that position."
Prescott's second pick was also within striking distance of the Giants' red zone. From the 35-yard line on a third-and-15 at the two-minute warning, Prescott threw deep over the middle for receiver CeeDee Lamb, and safety Julian Love came up with the football.
"It was a little bit behind CeeDee," Prescott said. "Honestly, in a sense, where I wanted to go with the ball was a kind of a bang-bang play. Most of the time, the ball is dropping to the ground and however it bounces up is just bad luck on our part, on my part. I’ve got [to acknowledge] risk versus reward."
Even though Prescott's interception led to a Giants field goal to establish the 13-7 halftime deficit, Dallas' defense underscored their belief in Prescott and the offense.
Said Prescott: "The defense telling me, 'Hey, we got your back, keep rolling.' The offense was understanding that those were just two throws, and we were moving the ball just fine. We were [producing] self-inflicting mistakes so as long as we didn’t do that and I wasn’t too aggressive, we were able to get the thing rolling."
Coach Mike McCarthy was also impressed with the way the Cowboys didn't let the halftime deficit and sputtering offense affect their confidence in the second half.
"I think our players do a great job of staying present, staying in the moment, just really focusing on — I mean we talked a lot about focus and discipline because it’s a division game," McCarthy said.
Prescott finished completing 21-of-30 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and posting a 91.1 passer rating while avoiding New York's pass rush as Dallas moved to 8-3.
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