LANDOVER, MD – Dallas Cowboys will miss the playoffs, but after Thursday victory with a score of 30-23 against Washington commandersdefender Dak Prescott confirmed he wants to play the season finale next week at the stadium New York Giants.
“I'm going to have to fight back,” Prescott said. “It depends on how it happens, what the purpose is, what the reason is. Of course, I understand that we are being approached about this, but the conversations we have already had about this are intended for me.”
Prescott was sacked six times, a season-high, and the Chiefs hurried him 11 times. For the first time this season, he failed to complete 60% of his passes, completing 19 of 37 attempts for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed four times for 24 yards.
When asked if Prescott would play against the Giants, Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer was a little non-committal.
“It’s Christmas,” Schottenheimer said. “I'm going to enjoy Christmas, man. I'm going to have some eggnog. I'll figure this out when I watch the movie again, but some eggnog is a must. And we play to win.”
With the win over the Giants, the Cowboys avoided losing back-to-back campaigns for the first time since they lost three straight 5-11 seasons from 2000 to 2002.
Prescott said there is a “big difference” between finishing 8-8-1 or 7-9-1.
“There’s a lot of pride and I think that’s another reason why I want to play,” he said. “In the season [of] While healthy, I have never had a season below .500 in my entire life and career. So this draw will come into play very well. So it's a huge difference. It's one of those things that, I mean, yeah, it's just pride. Honestly, it's a matter of pride.”
Prescott went 8-8 as a starter in 2019. Twice when he played fewer than nine games, the Cowboys won by scores of 6–10 (2020) and 7–10 (2024). This will be the third season in which Prescott has started the majority of games and the Cowboys have missed the playoffs (2017, 2019).
Prescott said all the conversations he had with Schottenheimer after the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs revolved around the idea of him starting.
“I love this game,” Prescott said. “I love any opportunity to play it. So that being said, yes, if I go on the field, I will try my best. I will prepare in the same way. I'll be the same player.”
“I understand the reasons why perhaps not [to play]and if they come to me with this, I will deal with it then.”
The downside would be significant if Prescott gets injured. He's set to count for more than $74 million in cap space, although the Cowboys will restructure his deal to gain some cap space with a base salary of $40 million.
Schottenheimer said he didn't like that Prescott was hit as hard as Washington.
“Again, we want to win,” Schottenheimer said. “We play to win. Eight-eight-one. Do the math; sounds much better than the alternative. But again, the other thing is, right now we’re 4-1 in the division.” [NFC East]. This is a pretty good unit. Historically, this has been one of the best games in football and you can see how intense the games are just by watching the game today.”
Prescott won 14 straight games against the Giants, although the Cowboys needed a 64-yard field goal to force overtime in the second week of their triumph. He hasn't lost to New York since his rookie season in 2016. With wins, he believes the momentum can continue into 2026.
“Winning helps everything,” Prescott said. “Just getting two wins would be great for us.”
After Thursday's competition, Prescott wore a sweatshirt with the words “Wake Up Happy” on the front.
“I’ll certainly wake up happy,” he said, “but I’ll probably wake up with a little pain.”
