‘The Main Moment’: Dak Prescott Wants Back The Drive After Dallas Cowboys Recovered Onside Kick Against Arizona Cardinals
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys recovered an onside kick with 2:11 left Sunday and started at the Arizona Cardinals’ 20-yard line with a 27-24 lead. They lost 3 yards on three plays, settled for a field goal, and lost 33-30 in overtime at AT&T Stadium.
Ryan Flournoy recovered Chad Ryland’s 9-yard onside kick and returned it 19 yards, and an illegal touch penalty moved Dallas to the Arizona 20. Javonte Williams was stopped for no gain, Arizona sacked Dak Prescott for a 6-yard loss, and Williams ran for 3 yards before Brandon Aubrey made a 41-yard field goal for a 30-24 lead with 1:09 left. Arizona used its final timeout after the first-down run.
Prescott wished the offense had been a little more aggressive on that possession.
“Maybe the drive after the onside kick,” Prescott said. “Just that drive in general. Wanting to be aggressive, understanding. Now knowing what was going to come afterwards, right? That 6 points wasn’t enough. And that would probably be the main moment, yeah.”
Gardner Minshew II needed 1:03 to drive Arizona 80 yards without a timeout. He completed passes of 21 and 27 yards to Michael Wilson before finding him for a 13-yard touchdown with 6 seconds left. Ryland missed the extra point wide left, and the game went to overtime.
Dak Prescott Says This Loss Is The Most Disappointing To This Point
Prescott opened his postgame news conference by calling the loss one of the toughest he has been a part of. Dallas led 24-10 with 14:20 left in regulation.
“I’m a guy that focuses on what’s in front of me now, so it’s hard to even go back,” Prescott explained. “And trust me, I try not to remember certain losses and things like that, but that’s what makes this one, yeah, the most disappointing. And I don’t know if there’s been a game in my career with this much time left with this lead that I haven’t or the team hasn’t finished, so yes.”
Dallas had the ball with 10:47 left and a 24-17 lead. The Cowboys ran 15 plays over 6:53, reached the Arizona 16, and kicked a 35-yard field goal with 3:54 to play.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said a team that jumps out 14-3 has to have a killer instinct, and Dallas did not. He said the Cowboys also had a four-minute opportunity they did not use.
“Have to finish,” Schottenheimer said. “Felt like we had a chance to put this game away early in the third quarter as a football team. And we didn’t do that. And because we didn’t do that, you let a team hang around, and then you guys saw it. The momentum swung, and the momentum swung in a big way.”
“And it’s unfortunate, but momentum is powerful in this business,” Schottenheimer continued. “And I really feel like, find a way to get one of those touchdown drives stopped, right, get off the field on the third down, finish in four minutes. I think those things turn the tide, if you will.”
Tyler Smith, Kenny Clark Say Cowboys Had Chances To Put Arizona Away
Arizona converted 4-of-5 third downs in the second half and went 3-for-3 in the red zone. A roughing-the-passer penalty on Rashan Gary wiped out a third-down incompletion on the drive that ended in Trey McBride’s 14-yard touchdown with 2:11 left.
Tyler Smith said every loss is frustrating, and this one came with a chance to put Arizona away.
“It’s extremely frustrating. Obviously, I feel like every loss is frustrating,” Smith said. “Just to have a chance to put them away, just not execute well enough. It’s just, I mean, it’s extremely frustrating. There’s really no other words I can put to it.”
Kenny Clark said Dallas had control of the game most of the afternoon.
“For sure disappointed. Had control of the game most of the game. And then it’s just unacceptable,” Clark said. “We can’t let that happen. So we got to go back and look at the film and all that, get back to work. But definitely disappointed in the loss.”
The Cowboys fell to 3-5. Dallas visits the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 8 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon CT on FOX.
