Dak Prescott "surprised, Hurt, Pissed Off, Frustrated" At Where Cowboys Are

On Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys' playoff hopes were alive and well. They were coming off back-to-back wins over the Super Bowl LIX teams, had a favorable remaining schedule and, after a trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, had the defense playing better.

That good feeling didn't last nearly long enough for Cowboys fans as Dallas lost to the Lions and Vikings in back-to-back games.

The Cowboys aren't mathematically eliminated, but realistically, the team knows it won't be advancing for a second consecutive season.

Quarterback Dak Prescott called it "shitty" to be in the position the Cowboys are in now.

“Yeah, definitely surprised," Prescott said after the 34-26 loss to the Vikings on Sunday night. "Especially after the bye week and the trades got rolling like we did for those few weeks, and then watch the confidence just skyrocket. [We] stopped teams scoring at will, coming back from 21 points [against the Eagles]. Just a lot of good wins there to be in this position. Just reminds you that every play matters. It's a hard game. Those guys get paid, too. They practice throughout the week and prepare no different than we do. It's tough. I'm definitely surprised, hurt, pissed off, frustrated, but all I can do is get better tomorrow.”

Prescott said the Cowboys won't stop playing hard just because the playoffs appear out of reach. They have the Chargers on Sunday in the home finale before closing out the season at the Commanders and at the Giants.

“You're a professional football player. You have to come to work and give your absolute best, regardless," Prescott said. "Unfortunately, I'm sure the playoffs are out of the picture. But, it's about taking pride in who you are as a man, and not only that and your job and everything that's gotten you to this point. I know for a lot of guys, it’s just the business of the world, right? That's interviews for some people. You can't just give up. You can't just stop. You can't just say, ‘Oh, we're not going to playoffs.’ It's the National Football League. I just saw a team Thursday night that's not going to the playoffs [in the Falcons] beat a good team [in the Bucs] and knock them out.

"We've got to show up and just do our job, and that starts throughout the week. When you get to the game days, it's a celebration of the hard work that you've put in through your preparation. Nothing's going to change for me, and that's going to be my influence as a leader. My message to anybody around me is take pride in who you are as a man and as a football player and the job responsibility that you have and what that entails is giving your best every day. And if you don't, you probably won't be in this league for long.”