FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott said Thursday that he is super blessed, thankful, and hungry 10 years after his first NFL start, which came against the same New York Giants team the Dallas Cowboys face Sunday night.
Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. A lot of hard work went into those 10 years for Prescott.
“Blessed,” Prescott said. “Yeah, super blessed. A lot of hard work. I can’t say it’s by any surprise just from the amount of work and detail that I put into my job and just trying to get better each and every day.”
“And thankful,” Prescott continued. “Thankful for all the different opportunities to play this game. Thankful for all the different teammates I’ve had throughout the years. And lastly, hungry and excited to go make this the best one.”
Dak Prescott’s First Start And 10 Seasons Against The New York Giants
Prescott’s first start came Sept. 11, 2016, at AT&T Stadium, and New York won 20-19 on a late field goal. He had taken over as a rookie fourth-round pick after Tony Romo was injured in a preseason game, and Dallas then won 11 straight and finished 13-3 with the NFC’s top seed.
Prescott was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. He is 14-3 as a starter against the Giants, and his 14-game winning streak against them ended in the Jan. 4 finale, a 34-17 loss he started and left at halftime.
In November, he passed Romo for the franchise record in career passing yards. Last season, he led the NFL with 404 completions and threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said Thursday that Prescott has seen it all.
“And you have a quarterback that knows where he’s going, has seen it all a little bit,” Wilson said. “He gets the ball, and he’s decisive where he’s going.”
Dak Prescott On Leading A Young Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line
Dallas will start T.J. Bass at left guard Sunday in place of Tyler Smith, who is on injured reserve after thumb surgery. All five linemen have to be on the same accord for Prescott, along with the tight ends and receivers.
“You just have to over-communicate,” Prescott explained. “I’m very fortunate when I came in, right, to have a center like Travis Frederick that maybe when I didn’t quite fully know exactly what it was, he could be that helping hand and he could get us in the right position and help me out. And then, obviously, after a year or two of just getting it in and learning it and then things turn over, you can’t miss anything and you can’t take a moment for granted.”
“So all these mock games, these practice reps, they’re crucial,” Prescott continued. “You have to over-communicate. You’ve got to make sure all five of those guys are on the same accord and you’ve got to make sure that outside of that, whether it’s tight ends, receivers, they all understand what’s going on. And we’ve got a good group that does a great job of communicating and embraces their unity.”
Bass has 10 starts in 48 games over three seasons. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday that Bass has played next to the Cowboys’ center and left tackle, so the communication is nothing new.
“We tendered him the way we tendered him because we trust this guy as a football player,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s a damn good football player that unfortunately is just playing behind a lot of really, really good players. So we have great confidence in T.J.”
Cowboys players voted Prescott a team captain for 2026. Dallas has won 11 of its 12 season openers against New York, and Prescott is 3-1 in openers against them.
