Dak on message to the Cowboys after the defeat before the start of the bye week: “Look in the mirror”

FRISCO, Texas – There is very little positive to be gleaned from what the Dallas Cowboys endured against the Detroit Lions in Week 6. The Detroit Lions defeated the Detroit Lions with a 47-9 loss at AT&T Stadium, beating Dak Prescott and his teammates suffered their third straight home loss to start the 2024 season.

A lot has gone wrong for the Cowboys, and Prescott is playing his part in the failure.

When asked if he could play better up front, the All-Pro quarterback didn't shy away from taking responsibility after managing just 17 completions on 33 attempts for 178 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the face of the Lions' pass rush . Instead, he leaned all the way in.

“Absolutely,” Prescott said. “Yes, it's that simple. I don't want to say that I have to play perfect by any means, but I have to play better, better than I did and close to (perfect). Especially when you play team like that.

“As talented as they are, they’re hot right now – good on defense, great on offense. Yes definitely.”

Unfortunately, as they stand, the Cowboys can't say the same about themselves on both sides of the ball, as the offense has failed to score touchdowns while the defense has allowed 167 points in their last four home games, the third-most in NFL history over those Period of competitions.

The owners of a 3-3 record are heading into their bye week and with their Achilles heel, the San Francisco 49ers, waiting on the other side, Prescott's message to both himself and the entire squad is clear and head coach Mike McCarthy repeated this in an emotionally charged speech after the game.

It's simply about self-reflection.

“We have to get better – plain and simple,” Prescott said. “And of course at the start of the bye week we are 3-3 after six games and still have a long season ahead of us. I've been in worse situations, I guess you can tell by the terms and when we did it.” I think of 2018 as being about us sticking together.

“I think after a defeat like this there is no better time than to test the character of that defeat.”

This upcoming bye week is all about the man in the mirror in Dallas.

“Look in the mirror. Look in the mirror,” Prescott said. “On the bye week, look at these six games. Take a few days off, reboot and be ready when we get back in the building on Monday to refocus and do everything you can to help this team and everyone has his role.” So whatever that role may be, make sure you understand what it is and how it is structured. And if she's bigger than she was a few weeks ago, if she's smaller, whatever she may be, find a way to make her just be absolutely the best at it.

“And like you said, there are 11 games left. We'll take it one thing at a time, next up is San Fran the games and as I said, be ready to refocus after this reset.

The gauntlet certainly won't suddenly unravel in the future, as the 49ers, Falcons, Eagles, Texans and Commanders will all make the effort to face the version of the Cowboys they faced on Oct. 13, and each of those opponents will head to fight Dallas by Thanksgiving.

How they finish the bye week or not will determine whether they can continue a run similar to what Prescott describes or whether they go into a tailspin.

Therefore, first make sure that the mirror is clean and free of cracks so that the reflection is not distorted.

Second and finally, stare closely into it.