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Dak Prescott on If He Supports Mike McCarthy Guaranteeing a Cowboys Win: 'S--t Yeah'
December 9, 2021
On Thursday, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy guaranteed the team would beat the Washington Football Team in a crucial rivalry showdown on Sunday.
"We're going to win this game," he told reporters. "I'm confident in that."
Quarterback Dak Prescott was a fan of his coach's comments:
"I mean, what am I supposed to say?" McCarthy added. "Yeah, I fully expect to win every game I've ever competed in. That's what sports is all about. That's what the NFL [is all about]. Trust me, I understand how hard it is. They're working hard. We're working hard. But, yeah, we're clearly planning on going to Washington and winning the game. There's no doubt about that."
It's a crucial contest. The Cowboys sit at 8-4 atop the NFC East and would put a vise grip on the division with a win. Washington is 6-6 and in second place, needing a win to stay in the No. 6 spot in the NFC playoff picture.
These two teams will play twice in the next three weeks, and McCarthy's comments might serve as some serious bulletin-board material for Washington. Not that he's worried about that:
"With respect to your job, I think it's a waste of time. I'm more focused on the real stuff. I think it's important you go through the week to identify how the opponent is going to play you things you're expecting. By Friday, they're blank faces to me. We're about winning, doing the things we need to win, just stay on the details of where we need to improve. To me, that's enough work."
Washington is already relishing its underdog status heading into Sunday:
Ben Standig @BenStandigRon Rivera to the <a href="https://twitter.com/JunksRadio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JunksRadio</a> on Washington, 4-point home underdogs to Dallas on Sunday, still being viewed as a "David": "I'm fine with that. ...Remember this: When he became King, he was there for 30 years, baby."
The Cowboys also face the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles down the stretch as they attempt to remain in postseason position; they host WFT on Dec. 26. While none of their divisional counterparts have winning records, there are no gimmes when it comes to NFC East rivalry games.
Ed Werder @WerderEdESPN<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cowboys</a> take two-game NFC East lead into final five games, all except one vs division opponents. Begins Sunday at WFT. Mike McCarthy: “I love the gauntlet of this division stretch. This is going to give us everything we need as a football team to be the best we can be."
It's a stretch that will likely define Dallas' season, and Prescott's play will go a long way toward determining the team's fate. In his first season back after suffering a gruesome leg injury that cut his 2020 campaign short, Prescott has thrown for 3,170 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games, completing 69.0 percent of his passes.
He'll need to play at a high level to knock off a Washington team on a four-game winning streak and against a defense that has held its opponents to 21 or fewer points in each of those wins.