Dak Prescott hailed a “huge win” for the Dallas Cowboys and head coach Brian Schottenheimer after they eased past the Philadelphia Eagles to stay in the hunt in the NFC East.
The Cowboys came into the game on the back of two defeats but Prescott threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns to help his team to a 38-21 victory and move them to 3-4 for the season.
It also lifted the pressure on Schottenheimer, who had received criticism during the week for describing himself as an “elite playcaller” in a radio interview.
CeeDee Lamb scored two touchdowns and George Pickens one on Prescott passes while Javonte Williams ran for a career-high 155 yards and reached the end zone once with 2:21 to play.
The win means Dallas remains on the coat tails of the New York Giants, who lead the division at 4-2-1.
“We say the division’s right in front of us. It is as long as we win,” Prescott said. “And if you lose another game, then you’re probably checking to see what New York’s doing. You’re probably checking and watching the other teams more than we should. So yeah, I mean you got to win games, got to win division games. How big of a game this was, understanding how much they’re hurt on their offensive side, yeah, huge road win for us.”
Cowboys coach Schottenheimer had ‘heard the noise’ – Prescott
Scottenheimer was uncharacteristically subdued after the game and Prescott admitted it was due to the pressure he’d put on himself.
“It’s not like he’s naive,” Prescott said. “It’s not like he hadn’t heard some noise about him and whether it’s the call in the games or whatever doubt that’s been out there. But we’ve got his back. He knows that. He’s a guy that takes a lot of pride in his job, a lot of pride in his team. Everybody handles everything different, so I don’t blame him to an extent. We’ve got his back. More importantly, it’s just about us going out there and executing on Sundays.”
The Cowboys will look to keep rolling when they host the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“Nobody’s going to give it to us. Nobody’s going to say, ‘Yeah, you’re the better team. You got it,’” Prescott said. “That’s what’s so great about the NFL, so we’ve got to come out and earn it each and every week, and there’s going to be no difference coming next Sunday.”
Cowboys defeat another setback for decimated Eagles
Defeat was another disappointing outcome for an Eagles side whose offense has been decimated through injuries this season.
The positive was the return of star running back Saquon Barkley, who missed the two previous games due to a hamstring strain but toughed this one out with seven carries for 62 yards and a touchdown, and two receptions for nine yards.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said: “When you go into something like that, you make sure the player’s health is first and foremost. Do they feel ready to go? Do the doctors and trainers feel like he’s ready to go? And we felt like that was the case today. But obviously wanted to keep a close eye on him.
“He’s tough as heck. He wanted to be out there for his teammates, probably had to slow him up. He’d be out there every play because of the person he is and the teammate he is and the toughness that he has.”
Barkley eventually exited in the third quarter after tweaking his back.
“It’s kind of the school of thought I come from: I truly love this game, and I feel like if you’re able to go, sometimes you’ve got to push your body to the limit,” Barkley said. “I’m trying, it’s just not responding the way I want it to respond right now. It sucks because I’m trying to be the best leader I can be, and it’s hard when you’re not able to be out there and perform for your team.”
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