The Dallas Cowboys quarterback didn’t sugarcoat it at all.
The Dallas Cowboys might’ve tied the Green Bay Packers 40-40 on Sunday Night Football, but the reality is Week 4 feels like a loss much more than it does a win. For many reasons.
First of all, a tie does little to help the Cowboys’ playoff chances, which are firstly determined by winning percentage. But mostly, this is about what was there for the taking. The Cowboys wasted yet another elite Dak Prescott performance. Down CeeDee Lamb and two starting offensive linemen, Prescott did what elite quarterbacks do. He elevated the talent around him.
George Pickens had a monster game worthy of a top-tier WR1 by accumulating 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Tolbert had the best catch of his career down the sideline on a 34-yard bomb that few quarterbacks in the NFL could make. Jake Ferguson stepped up. Javonte Williams had quality carries. Backup linemen stepped up.
All of that gone to waste because of a defense that couldn’t force one more stop. Prescott’s postgame message reflects how little the tie does for the Cowboys going into week 5 of the 2025 NFL season.
“I’m unfulfilled,” Prescott told reporters via Patrik Walker from DallasCowboys.com. “I don’t play the game for ties. And I’ve told you before, I don’t do it for stats. [. . . ] It’s tough to wrap my head around the tie.”
It’s a simple message. But one that says it all about the game. It was a great battle. But one that isn’t enough. Not for a team with longshot playoff odds entering Week 5.
Cowboys defense needs to do better but it’s tough to believe it will
The most telling moment for the Cowboys defense happened in overtime as Jordan Love and his offense moved the chains on fourth and six trailing 40-37. At that moment, it felt obvious. If Dallas was going to win the game, there would need to be a takeaway. There was no way the Cowboys defense would get four consecutive stops.
It was a little bit of everything for the Cowboys defense, too: missed tackles, lack of pressure on Love, failure to cover receivers, bad angles. And the worst part is while we could put together a long list of players who looked bad or on defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the reality is the front office didn’t put together a good enough roster. And now it’s likely too late to change any of it.
The Cowboys knew about their cornerback problem. They knew about their linebacker issues. They knew defensive end was the lone strength of the team and then they dealt away Micah Parsons, who didn’t have a huge outing but still had one of the biggest tackles in the game in overtime.
The Cowboys are now 1-2-1. And if Prescott isn’t fulfilled with the win, let me tell you, Cowboys fans: You shouldn’t either. That “1” does close to nothing to improve Dallas’ playoff chances. But more than that, good luck buying into the idea the defense will get any better any time soon. Until proven otherwise, it’s hard to believe in it.
