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FRISCO, Texas — With eight games left and the Dallas Cowboys at 4-5, chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Monday that he will not call any game a must-win until the math says so. Jones spoke during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan’s K&C Masterpiece.
Dallas beat the Indianapolis Colts 27-23 on Sunday, a week after a 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys put themselves in position to win both games, Jones said, and they needed both.
“I mean, not, like I said, I’m not in the must till it’s mathematical,” Jones said.
“Certainly, we need those games. I mean, we needed the game the week before. We needed, I mean, it’s hard to win in this league, and when you put yourself in a position maybe to win a game and then you don’t, it’s certainly difficult,” Jones continued. “Felt like we put ourselves in a position to beat the Cardinals, and we didn’t. You got to give them credit for getting it done and got to give credit to Indy for fighting till the end and almost doing the same thing to us.”
Dallas led Arizona 30-24 with 1:09 to play. Gardner Minshew II found Michael Wilson for a 13-yard touchdown with 6 seconds left, and Chad Ryland won it with a 42-yard field goal in overtime.
Dak Prescott Called Every Game A Must Win
Dak Prescott used the word in the locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium after Sunday’s win. The New York Giants winning the same day did not make the climb any easier, Prescott said.
“I mean, our record. We’ve done it to ourselves. We put ourselves in this position. It is what it is. I mean, at this point, just thank God for the opportunity that we have to fight out of this hole that we’ve put ourselves in,” Prescott said. “Understanding the Giants did win today, so it’s not like they’re making it easier for us. So at this point, simple as that. It’s a must win.”
“Every game’s a must win, and I hope every, as I said, man, woman in that building, support staff, coaches, everybody have this mindset,” Prescott continued. “And just how can they better the team?”
New York beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19-11 on Sunday to move to 5-2-1. The Giants are the only NFC East team with a winning record, and Philadelphia fell to 2-7 with its seventh straight loss. Dallas has also let fourth-quarter leads slip in losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona.
San Francisco 49ers Open A Three-Game Homestand
The Cowboys have not won consecutive games this season. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after Sunday’s win that the team would enjoy it before turning to San Francisco on Monday, and that the parity in the league is why every week is hard.
“All teams in this league are good. [The] 49ers are a good football team. So every team in this league is good. That’s why there’s so much parity, and that’s why it’s such a popular sport,” Schottenheimer said. “But we’re gonna enjoy this game, see what we can figure out to clean up. I thought the defense did a good job with the takeaways. We had the two turnovers there. We got to win the turnover battle.”
Dallas hosts the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 15, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX. The Tennessee Titans visit AT&T Stadium on Nov. 22, and the Eagles come in on Thanksgiving.
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