DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys finally had their full, disruptive defense show up.
The Cowboys turned Washington over four times — three fumbles and an interception — and sacked quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke a combined five times to seal a 27-20 win on Sunday in Week 14 at FedEx Field. With the victory giving the Cowboys their first season with at least nine wins since 2018, you can't call them losers anymore.
A big reason for that is the Dallas defense has arrived.
However, quarterback Dak Prescott looked as dismal as his Washington counterparts. The two-time Pro Bowler completed 22 passes on 39 attempts for 211 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, including a pick-six to linebacker Cole Holcomb that gave Washington a realistic shot to tie the game with 4:24 to play.
Just as the Cowboys have built their championship-caliber defense to protect leads in January, their offense remains shaky and dysfunctional, a trend that started with their Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos.
According to Cowboys Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones, if Prescott is what is wrong with Dallas, then they are still in an optimistic place.
"The biggest thing of all are, his expectations of himself are higher than anybody else’s," Jones told "K&C Masterpiece" on 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM], Monday. "So, I feel really good that if that’s our biggest problem, that it’s going to get fixed. He’ll get that where everybody feels that it should be. He’s just a great competitor."
After the win, Prescott acknowledged the high expectations that their resounding play through the first eight weeks of the season wrought, but emphasized no one outside The Star had higher expectations than they have for themselves.
"We’ve created these high expectations and high standards, and we have them for ourselves," Prescott said. "So, I mean, just as much as the outside world isn’t pleased, we’re not. I guarantee we care a whole lot more than the outside world about what we’re doing. I know I do. I know the guys on the field do, and I know the coaches do. So, as I said, it’s all things. We can get better and learn from - and it’s much better to do that in a winning setting.”
Prescott sustained a calf injury on the last play of a 35-29 overtime win at the New England Patriots in Week 6. Despite the bye week in Week 7, he missed the Sunday night tilt at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8.
Do you believe that Prescott and the Cowboys will turn things around on offense? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.