FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott said Thursday that his old winning streak against the New York Giants is over and is the last thing on his mind, three days before the Dallas Cowboys open the season at MetLife Stadium.
Kickoff Sunday night is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. The Giants have a new coaching staff and new personnel on defense, Prescott said.
“That streak’s over with,” Prescott said. “Unfortunately, I started the last time we played them and we didn’t win that game. So according to, right, the [stat keepers] and all that, I’m pretty sure that streak’s over with. So my point of that is I wasn’t even thinking about that. That’s the last thing in my head.”
“Each opportunity to play against an NFL team is a new challenge in itself,” Prescott continued. “Obviously, there’s a new coaching staff over there and new personnel, right, on defense and just different spots. So it’s about us. It’s about our focus. It’s about the team that we’ve built this whole offseason and the work that we’ve put in throughout training camp and this week as well, and excited for that opportunity.”
The End Of Dak Prescott’s 14-Game Streak Against The New York Giants
Prescott started the Jan. 4 finale at MetLife Stadium and played the first half of a 34-17 loss. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards before Joe Milton III took over in the second half. Both teams were already out of the playoff race, and the Giants played their starters the whole way.
The loss ended Prescott’s 14-game winning streak as a starter against New York. It was the second-longest streak by a quarterback against one opponent in NFL history, behind the 17 straight Bob Griese won against Buffalo from 1968 to 1979. Prescott’s last loss to the Giants before that came as a rookie in 2016, when New York swept Dallas.
Prescott said after that game that he was a little selfishly upset about the streak ending, The Dallas Morning News reported. He also said then that it was good it ended so it would not be a conversation this year.
Prescott is 14-3 as a starter against the Giants. That is his second-best winning percentage against a division opponent, behind his 13-2 record against Washington, and he is 3-1 against New York in season openers. Against the NFC East, he is 37-10 with 89 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions.
Dallas has won 11 of its 12 season openers against New York. The Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime at AT&T Stadium in Week 2 last season, then lost the rematch, and Sunday is the eighth time in the past 15 seasons the teams have opened against each other.
Dak Prescott On John Harbaugh’s New York Giants
New York hired coach John Harbaugh on Jan. 20, two weeks after Baltimore fired him following 18 seasons and a Super Bowl XLVII title. Quarterback Jaxson Dart was a reason Harbaugh chose the Giants over other openings, and Dart said in the spring that his teammates could not wait to play for him. Dallas’ message this week is to be ready to win in the fourth quarter, according to Prescott.
“Tough,” Prescott explained. “He’s obviously coached a lot of winning teams, so to me, you expect a game to go into the fourth quarter, and that’s kind of our message. You can’t win it in those first three, so be ready and do whatever it takes to go get it in the fourth, and anytime you’re playing a good coach like that and his winning history, you’ve got to be ready for it.”
Receiver George Pickens faced Harbaugh’s Ravens twice a year during his three seasons with Pittsburgh. Physicality is what Harbaugh harps on personally, Pickens said.
“Physical,” Pickens said Wednesday. “I feel like John Harbaugh, that’s one of the biggest things he likes to harp on, just him personally. Just be physical, and I feel like when he drives that notion through the guys that he’s got on his team, I feel like they’re going to come out and be a physical group.”
Across the field, Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson will run his first game with New York. He said Thursday that Prescott has seen it all.
“First of all, a lot of respect for Dak Prescott,” Wilson said. “He’s a top quarterback in the National Football League. He’s seen it all. He’s very decisive with where he’s going with the ball, he gets the ball out of his hands quick.”
Harbaugh has declined to say who will play for New York on Sunday night, including receiver Malik Nabers, who practiced in full and took contact Wednesday. The Giants went 4-13 last season, and Dallas went 7-9-1.
