Dak Prescott, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, 4, celebrates after hitting Brandin Cooks, who is not shown in the picture, for a two-point conversion during the second half of an NFL football game on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. (Roger Steinman/AP Photo)
Texas’s Arlington After falling to Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys have triumphed in four lower-level games, accomplishing all that was expected of them.
Tonight’s rematch is for first place in the NFC East, which comes with the automatic right to host the opening round of the playoffs. Dallas has won its last 14 games at home, which is a club record dating back to 1981.
The fact that Prescott and Hurts, two elite quarterbacks, are meeting in December further suggests that the stakes won’t be much higher during the regular season.
After Coach Mike McCarthy left the team midweek for an emergency appendectomy after becoming ill Wednesday morning, the Cowboys must regain their focus and performance from the previous month. On game day, he plans to be on the sidelines.
“These are the moments we’ve prepared for, to be honest with you,” Prescott stated. “It’s not that we didn’t for all of those past games, but we understood that this is the stretch in the season when you look at the schedule that you have to be excited about.”The Eagles (10-2) defeated the Cowboys (9-3) 28-23 to start the November season with a two-game advantage in the division.
After San Francisco’s 42-19 victory in Philadelphia last weekend nearly matched its Week 5 rout of the Cowboys at home, that lead is back to one game.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni once said, “You have to drag yourself through the mud in order to grow.” “Although uncomfortable, it’s an essential step. The next step is to have that confidence going into the next game and to know why you are here in the first place.”
The Eagles, the defending NFC champions, would be greatly aided by a victory in their quest for an NFC East championship, which they haven’t had since Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak from 2001 to 2004.
If Dallas wins, the two teams would be virtually tied for the sixth time in the last seven seasons as one of the two teams wins the division title.
“In the sense of trying to get home field, understanding our success through the past couple of years and how great it would be to play the postseason here at home, it’s huge,” Prescott stated. “It’s definitely a big game.”
McCarty’s Medical
When the 60-year-old visited the Dallas medical staff, he was experiencing stomach pain. They sent him to the hospital right away, and a few hours later he had the appendectomy.
McCarthy stayed home on Thursday, but he stayed in contact with the coaches and players. He also scheduled his customary Thursday night call sheet meeting with Prescott and Brian Schottenheimer, the offensive coordinator.
McCarthy has been the Cowboys’ coach for four seasons, but this is his first as the play-caller because Kellen Moore is out of the picture. After serving for a year as a consultant on the Dallas staff, Schottenheimer assumed Moore’s role.
In the Thursday meeting that McCarthy typically runs, Schottenheimer gave reporters the reassurance that he was discussing football over the phone with the head coach.
Hey, without this, it’s impossible to talk to Mike. Regarding the Pittsburgh native, Schottenheimer stated, “He’s going to talk about two things, Pittsburgh or football.” “I don’t know if Pittsburgh came up, but football definitely came up.”
The 50-year-old son of late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer declined to answer when asked if he was “warming up in the bullpen” in preparation to call plays, as he has done with the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams, and Seattle.
Schottenheimer remarked, “We’ve both called it and installed it enough.” “He’s gonna be ready to roll.”FanDuel SportsBook lists Prescott, Hurts, and Niners quarterback Brock Purdy as the top three candidates for the AP NFL MVP award.
