‘The Easy And Cheap Way Out’: Dak Prescott Defends Brian Schottenheimer After Dallas Cowboys’ Overtime Collapse Against Arizona Cardinals

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott said Sunday that putting the blame for the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals on one person would be weak and cowardly. The quarterback pushed back at AT&T Stadium on criticism of Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer after Dallas blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.

Dallas led 24-10 with 14:20 left in regulation and 30-24 with 1:09 to play. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 3-5, and Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones called it an indictment of the whole show.

For Prescott, the failure to finish starts with him and extends to every player and coach on the roster.

“It’s all of us. It’s all of us. Don’t put the blame on one person. Simple as that,” Prescott said. “I think that’s weak. I think that’s cowardly. This game is about all, as I said, all 11 that touch the field and every person that has a part in it, coaches and support staff. And it’s never just one person’s fault.”

“Even if I go out there and throw a bunch of interceptions, it’s never just truly one person’s fault,” Prescott added. “And so, yeah, don’t take the easy and cheap way out. This is about us, and it’s about us backing him up and backing one another up, and we’ll have to show it.”

Prescott finished 19-of-29 for 195 yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions, and he ran 7 times for 20 yards and a touchdown. The 5-yard score put Dallas ahead 24-10 early in the fourth quarter. Arizona scored touchdowns on its next three possessions after Gardner Minshew II replaced Jacoby Brissett late in the third.

Dak Prescott Says Cowboys’ Struggles Start With Him

The men in the locker room and the way they approach the game give Prescott confidence that Dallas can get back on track.

“Names don’t win games. It’s just that,” Prescott explained. “So I don’t think I’ve ever put a lot on, oh, we’ve got some great men in that locker room, men that care, men that do the right thing and try to come out here and give their best each and every game. We’re just not getting it done. That starts with me and goes to any and every guy on this team and coaching staff.”

“So, yeah, it’s the NFL,” Prescott continued. “Names change, names evolve, right? And that’s, yeah, we’ve got the firepower, we’ve got the talent, we’ve got to be a better team and put it all together.”

Schottenheimer told the players in the locker room that getting back to work is the only way to overcome anything, Prescott said.

“Not getting hung up on it, just telling the guys we’re family. Family stays family through hell and high water,” Prescott said. “And so we’ve got to move past this and, I guess, not act like it was just another loss. But at the end of the day, if we dwell on this, we’re only going to go in the wrong direction. So we’ve got to get to work. Simple as that.”

Brian Schottenheimer Owns His Part As Jerry Jones Declines To Point At Coach

Schottenheimer is in his second season as Cowboys coach. Dallas also lost 24-16 at home to Tampa Bay on Oct. 8, and Jones said the concern should be his because no one involved is getting it done.

“None of us are getting it done, and that should be my concern,” Jones said. “So I’m not pointing at Schotty. I’m not pointing at anybody, but none of us have it done. I haven’t been involved in too many games that we should have won it. We had the opportunities we had to win this game. That is a big snapshot that we want to put above our mirror.”

Schottenheimer stood in front of the team after the game and hit the players with the truth. He does not think he needs to light a fire under most of them.

“I’m going to always own my part of this as a head football coach,” Schottenheimer said. “It starts with me. And there are certainly things that I need to do better. But as a football team in all three phases, I can point out three, four, five, six plays right off the top of my head. I’m not going to. And so a lot of football left.”

“And no different than Philadelphia where you have to come out of that game and say, okay, we didn’t reinvent the game,” Schottenheimer detailed. “You’ve got to come out of this game and find the positives. There’s going to be positives. The way we played in the first half, Quinnen Williams, we’ve got some pass rush. So that’s what we’ll do.”

Dallas visits the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 8 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon CT on FOX.