Too many negative plays from “frustrated” QB Dak Prescott in the Cowboys’ loss

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Somehow the Dallas Cowboys still had a chance to win Sunday night when they were trailing by six with three minutes left. That seemed highly unlikely at the start of the fourth quarter.

But that's all Dallas could accomplish, as the next four plays resulted in incomplete passes from quarterback Dak Prescott. For the fourth straight time in the last four years, the Cowboys fell to the San Francisco 49ers, this time 30-24 at Levi's Stadium.

“I’m personally frustrated,” Prescott said. “I’m frustrated with myself and my game. I imagine the rest of the guys can't get a win and are at 3-4. But I can definitely tell you that no one is shaken or giving up. The frustration is very high, but it's a long season. There is still a lot ahead of us. Frustrated is the best way I can put it. … I have to make the plays, period.”

Prescott said last week that he was average in Dallas' first six games. To beat the 49ers, the Cowboys needed an above-average QB. On two series, Prescott was just that, connecting with star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on two fourth-quarter touchdown passes that capped 70-yard drives.

But when they needed a third straight drive, starting at their own 25-yard line, Prescott couldn't think of any other big plays.

“That’s all I can ask for, is a chance,” he said. “Ball in our hands, six points less to win the game.”

To be honest, none of the four pieces were very high proof. The first throw hit the hands of the 49ers' star linebacker Fred Warner and nearly ended the game with an interception. Prescott moved out of the pocket on second down looking for TE Jake Ferguson but had to throw out of bounds. On third down, Prescott decided to take advantage of a chance on a deep ball to KaVontae Turpin on the left sideline. The ball hit Turpin in the hands, but he couldn't catch it. It seemed that even if he had secured the ball he would not have had both feet in the field. There was pressure early on fourth down, so Prescott targeted Jalen Brooks, hoping for a highlight grab or pass interference call. Neither happened.

“I have to make throws, pressure or not, and I'm capable of doing them,” he said. “So I have to do it.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy: “We have to keep working. We did some things, but we were able to stop the run and stay committed to the run for four quarters. As long as this pattern does not work coherently, we cannot play to our strengths.

“That’s a big part of the complementary… pic.twitter.com/yh7hbFplCw

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 28, 2024

For the first time in his career, Prescott had his third straight game with multiple interceptions. He now has eight this season. He threw nine pitches all of last season.

“I don’t have to be perfect,” he said, “but I certainly can’t lose the ball.”

The first call looked like a bad call as it was thrown to a double cover by Turpin on Dallas' second possession of the game. Prescott saw a single coverage, but his arm was hit on the throw, forcing him into submission, allowing 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown to make the play.

“If I can get this clean, it will be outside, away from security,” Prescott said, “probably somewhere on the front pylon. It would have been a completely different story. Unfortunately I didn't do it. I left the ball in and it was intercepted. Such a great game from the front up there. Maybe I can just get off it, eat it and think I can release the ball before I get hit. … A sack is often better.”

He described the second instance as “the stupidest of interceptions I have ever seen.” San Francisco opened the second half with a 60-yard touchdown drive. The last thing Dallas needed was a turnover three plays later. Prescott rolled left when he thought he might throw a ball over the head of 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. The pass was intended for Lamb, but the ball never got past Lenoir, who made an impressive diving attempt down the Cowboys sideline.

“I'm trying to make a play and I'm overconfident in that moment,” Prescott said. “Of course I should have just thrown it away. I wish I had put a little more heat on it and it would have been (completely too) CeeDee or out of bounds.”

INTERCEPTION! Deommodore Lenoir went up and got it @49ers 🙌

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– NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024

Seven plays later, the 49ers scored another touchdown and built a 20-10 lead.

“Once again we fell behind in the turnover battle, and that’s on me,” Prescott said. “That’s not possible if you want to win games. I have to clean this up, period.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said he wished he could get the play call back on that interception.

“The place wasn’t clean and I called too early,” he said. “The leverage wasn’t there and he’s trying to make a play. We have to throw the ball away.”

If there's one positive to take away from the loss, it's the fact that there were several periods where Prescott and Lamb looked more like themselves. After it was difficult to be on equal terms at times in the first six games, the two connected on 13 of 17 targets for 146 yards and two touchdowns. It was Lamb's first 100-yard game of the season.

“We’re in the process of getting this thing going,” Lamb said. “We’re definitely trying to get this thing going.”

Prescott has played without anything resembling a quality running game. His offensive line didn't do much for him. But in the end he has to get better. The Cowboys' schedule isn't getting any easier. They should get defensive help in the coming weeks, but that might not matter if their QB turns the ball over multiple times per game.

“We just have to take it one at a time,” Prescott said. “Everything is still in our control. We lost four, but we can get hot and that's the plan. We just have to keep building.”

(Top photo of Prescott: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)