FRISCO, Texas — Every team in the NFC East failed to win in Week 5, leaving the 2-3 Dallas Cowboys 1.5 games behind the first-place New York Giants heading into Sunday night’s game at the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas lost 24-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles lost 19-17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, their third straight loss, and the Giants and Washington Commanders tied 27-27 after Washington let the clock run out in overtime before attempting a game-winning field goal.
The Giants are 3-1-1, the Eagles and Cowboys are 2-3, and the Commanders are 1-3-1.
The week was the fourth since the 2002 realignment in which an entire division went winless despite playing a divisional game, CBS Sports reported.
Dak Prescott Says NFC East Remains Wide Open
Dak Prescott said after Thursday’s loss that no NFC East team had run away with the division. The Giants led at 3-1 at the time.
“Thankfully, we’re five games into the season. Thankfully, our division hasn’t looked like somebody hasn’t taken off and run with it, and everybody’s still in front of us, so that’s the beauty of it. And that’s the unique part about an NFL season and these divisions and the ups and the downs of just the years,” Prescott said. “We’d feel a lot worse if somebody in our division was 5-0 right now. And so having pretty much everything still out in front of us gives us, gives myself and all the guys in the locker room a lot of confidence.”
Prescott told teammates to keep believing in one another and said the Cowboys still control their own destiny.
“If anything, it’s making sure our team, my teammates and guys don’t lose belief in one another. And just even from the question of saying our defense hadn’t gotten better and, let’s like make sure that they’re not listening to that. Honestly, like, we control what we do,” Prescott explained. “So for me, it’s just about being contagious and saying the right things to make sure my teammates understand that they control and we control our destiny.”
“And that’s the good part of it being five games into the season, as we absolutely do. We don’t have to look left and right and go check the numbers of who’s winning, who’s beating who. We still control that,” Prescott continued.
Cowboys Face Green Bay, Philadelphia Over Next 2 Weeks
After Green Bay, Dallas plays at Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 26. Prescott mentioned both games after Thursday’s loss and said the Cowboys have to treat games they are expected to win like the big ones.
“Just talking to Sam Howell just about what’s in front of us, Sunday night game going to Lambeau and then coming back from that and getting to go a chance and getting up to Philly, one of the great places to play a bitter rival,” Prescott said. “Games that you know people are going to be excited for and hyped about and prepared and ready for, it’s these kind of games that you feel like you should just walk in and win.”
“I guess that some of us may feel that way, that we’ve got to find a way to make them mean just as much as the big games. Or you get what I’m saying, the teams that have a lot of wins,” Prescott added. “Because these are the ones that when we look back at the end of the year and we’re looking at seeding, hell, if we would have gotten the game that we were supposed to win, we would be at higher seeding or we would be better. And that’s to Schotty’s point is you just got to handle your business in this league, and that means winning the games you’re supposed to win.”
Dallas is 1-1 against NFC East opponents, with a Week 1 loss to the Giants and a Week 2 win over Washington.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that roster adjustments are coming after the team’s weekend review, and the Cowboys hired Mike Pettine as a senior defensive assistant.
The Packers and Cowboys tied 40-40 on Sunday Night Football last season. Kickoff at Lambeau Field on Oct. 18 is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC, and the Philadelphia game kicks off at 7:15 p.m. CT on Oct. 26.
