Jerry Jones Says Dak Is Why Cowboys a Playoff Team After Loss to Caleb Williams, Bears

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones remains bullish on the team's playoff hopes despite starting 1-2 after Sunday's 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Jones cited the performance of quarterback Dak Prescott and the rushing attack in Week 3 as why he's still optimistic.

"It's because you saw No. 4 out there today and you saw what we're capable of doing in the run game…" he told reporters. "As we evolve toward the playoffs, we have to get better defensively. Certainly."

Prescott went 31-of-40 for 251 yards and a touchdown, though he through two interceptions. On the ground, Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders combined to gain 117 on 19 carries.

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Dallas couldn't overcome the performance of its defense, though. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had 298 yards and four touchdowns through the air, and Chicago averaged 6.8 yards per play.

The biggest indictment of the Cowboys is that it probably wouldn't matter if they still had Micah Parsons on the edge. The flaws were obvious before his trade to the Green Bay Packers, so removing him from the equation simply made a bad situation even worse.

The idea that Prescott can carry Dallas to the postseason is somewhat at odds with the fact that his best season in terms of yardage (4,902 in 2019) came when the team finished 8-8. And the defense actually finished 11th in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed that year.

Jones was clearly trying to portray a level of confidence in the squad, but everyone can see the underlying truth. This isn't a roster that's good enough to contend for the playoffs without reinforcements.