![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1759157468_756_archer_todd.png&h=80&w=80&scale=crop.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Todd ArcherSep 30, 2025, 12:38 AM<\/p>\n
Close<\/a>Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.<\/p>\n ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott<\/a> did not know how to feel late Sunday night.<\/p>\n The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> quarterback threw for 319 yards, completed 77.5% of his passes (31 of 40) and had three touchdown passes without an interception. He also ran for a touchdown.<\/p>\n And the Cowboys did not win. They did not lose either, tying the Green Bay Packers<\/a> 40-40<\/a> for Dallas’ first deadlock since 1969.<\/p>\n It was all unfulfilling.<\/p>\n “You don’t play the game for ties,” Prescott said. “I don’t care about the stats, the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows. I just care about the end result and the win. When you don’t get that right now, it’s tough for me. In 10 years, it’s the first tie I’ve been a part of. It’s hard to wrap my head around it because I know I’d feel a lot worse if it was a loss. But I’m not satisfied. Not that I would be if we’d won. But it’s a weird feeling.”<\/p>\n Prescott became the franchise leader in completions, passing Hall of Famer Troy Aikman<\/a>, with 2,901. It was his 10th game with at least 300 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, passing Tony Romo<\/a> for the most in team history. It was his fourth game with three touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, breaking a tie with Romo and Danny White for the most in franchise history.<\/p>\n But it wasn’t the statistics that stood out. It was how Prescott delivered when the Cowboys needed him most. Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb<\/a> did not play because of a high ankle sprain<\/a>, but he completed passes to eight different teammates, including eight for 134 yards and two touchdowns to George Pickens<\/a>.<\/p>\n He was sacked just once — by Micah Parsons<\/a> in overtime for no yards.<\/p>\n He continually answered when the Cowboys’ defense came up empty. Trailing, 27-23, he connected with Pickens for a 12-yard gain on fourth-and-3 on a drive that ended with a Javonte Williams<\/a> rushing touchdown. With 1:38 to play, the Cowboys trailed, 34-30. He completed three straight passes for 54 yards, including a 28-yarder to Pickens with 43 seconds left.<\/p>\n In overtime, he found Jalen Tolbert<\/a> for a 34-yard gain, escaping the Packers’ pass rush, to the Green Bay 5. Unfortunately, the Cowboys had to settle for a go-ahead field goal, and once again the Dallas defense could not hold the lead, giving up a 34-yard field goal as time expired for the tie.<\/p>\n Prescott’s performance had owner and general manager Jerry Jones searching for a better outing by the quarterback in his decade-long career, and he could not think of one.<\/p>\n “I’ve got to tell you that I think he’s played well every game this year, and well enough at quarterback for us to make the playoffs,” Jones said. “If he continues to play like this, and we can keep putting it together and paste it up there, then we’ve got a chance.”<\/p>\n Coach Brian Schottenheimer went one step further.<\/p>\n Best of NFL Nation \u2022 Fake spike and revenge: Aaron Glenn’s ready<\/a> “I mean if there’s a better quarterback playing right now than Dak Prescott in the league, I’d love to see him,” Schottenheimer said.<\/p>\n On the season, Prescott has six touchdown passes and three interceptions. One interception should have been overturned by replay when the ball clearly hit the ground versus the New York Giants<\/a>. Another was a drop by Pickens into the hands of a Chicago Bears<\/a> defender.<\/p>\n If there is a parallel to Prescott’s start to this season, it’s 2021, the year after he suffered a fractured and dislocated right ankle. He had 10 touchdown passes and two picks in the first four games and completed 75% of his passes that season.<\/p>\n Coming off a hamstring avulsion that ended his 2024 season after eight games, he is completing 73% of his passes in 2025 despite a near 10-month layoff.<\/p>\n Now in his 10th season and 32 years old, he feels like he knows the answers before the test.<\/p>\n “It’s the way that I love to work,” Prescott said. “And I’ve told you that before, it’s something that I’ve got to balance as I get older. Trying to outwork everybody but doing it the right amount of time and making sure I’m not over-extending my body. And so I think there’s just … all the hard work paying off and it’s going to continue.”<\/p>\n During the broadcast, NBC reported he had a heating pad on his back. He did some extra stretching.<\/p>\n “Everything’s great, yeah,” Prescott said. “Just, I guess, getting older. Just things come up a little bit, but I’m fine.”<\/p>\n Health is about the only thing that can throw Prescott off his stride. He has missed games in four of the past five seasons due to injury.<\/p>\n “Experience is the best teacher, and whatever it is that you’re doing in life, especially in this game,” Prescott said. “These older quarterbacks or guys play until their 40s because you’re getting better as you get older because the way that you’re seeing things. The quickness and recognizing the defense or their blitzes or what they’re trying to give you that allows you to play ahead of it. That on top of me working, being healthy and having trust in my teammates and the playcalling, I think it’s all of that combined.<\/p>\n “It’s not just me out there. I still miss throws. I’m never satisfied with whatever performance that I put out there. I’m thankful to play this game and the peace that this game brings me. I never want to cheat it. It’s just about getting better at it, each and every day.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Todd ArcherSep 30, 2025, 12:38 AM CloseTodd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-177766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is averaging 280 passing yards and scored seven touchdowns in his first four games this season.\u00a0Matthew Pearce\/Icon Sportswire<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/r1552477_608x342_16-9.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u2022 Fitzpatrick happy to be home<\/a>
\u2022 Best vs. best with Chase, Surtain<\/a>
\u2022 Panthers search for answers<\/a>
\u2022 Bears flip script with blocked FG, win <\/a><\/p>\n