Dak Prescott

Prescott completed 25 of his 33 passes for 305 yards at Raymond James Stadium, throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another with no turnovers to record the best playoff performance of his career to date.

It was ultimately a comfortable win for Dallas to record their first postseason victory on the road in 30 years, despite sections of the media casting doubt on whether the team was ready to make an impact in the playoffs.

"Didn’t listen," Prescott said after the game. "Simply just didn’t listen to anybody else's opinions, anybody else's thoughts. [I] made sure I was conscious of what I put in my own head.

"[I've] got a great supporting cast in my team, people that believe in me. That's all that really matters to me, and just stay focused on what I can do."

It was a less successful outing for kicker Brett Maher, who made NFL history by becoming the first player to miss four extra points in one game.

The 33-year-old remarkably missed his first four attempts before finally sending his fifth effort through the posts in the fourth quarter to an almost sarcastic cheer from the Cowboys fans in attendance.

He was backed by coach Mike McCarthy to bounce back in next week's Divisional Round clash against the San Francisco 49ers though, with NBC DWF quoting McCarthy as saying: "We need to get him ready to go [for San Francisco].

"We need him. He's been super clutch for us all year."

Maher made 50 of 53 extra point attempts in the regular season, but does hold the NFL record for most 60+ yard field goals with four.

Prescott felt he had spiked the ball in time to get one more shot at a game-winning touchdown in a bizarre ending to their Wild Card round loss.

The officials ruled that Prescott had not spiked the ball in time, as NFL rules state the ball must be spotted by an official which umpire Ramon George attempted to do, colliding with Prescott and Tyler Biadasz causing a delay that prevented the QB from getting a Hail Mary away.

Prescott was asked after the game about fans throwing objects at the officials, to which he replied: "Credit to them, credit to them."

However, the Cowboys quarterback apologized for those comments on Tuesday via a Twitter post.

"I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday. I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair," Prescott said.

"I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs. The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.

"That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry."

In his pool report after the game, referee Alex Kemp insisted umpire George had done everything correctly in spotting the ball.

The referees association posted on Tuesday via their official Twitter account: "The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials.

"As an NFL leader, he should know better. We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."

Prescott has guided the Cowboys to two playoff appearances in 2016 and 2018, though Dallas missed the postseason in 2019 as coach Jason Garrett lost his job.

Former Green Bay Packers coach McCarthy has since replaced Garrett and he has high hopes for two-time Pro Bowler Prescott.

"I think number one, you just look at what he's done during his time in the league. I think he's been impressive," McCarthy said. "I've been impressed with him since the first time I saw him play live up in Green Bay [in 2016], when they came to Lambeau there.

"First impressions, I think are very important when you see quarterbacks on the field because in-person evaluations, particularly at that position, have always carried more weight as far as how I felt about a player. So I think he's gotten off to a great start. He's built a really good foundation. I'm told he's a tremendous leader.

"Defenses get you to the championship. The quarterbacks win championships. And I definitely think Dak is that quarterback."

Prescott threw for a career-high 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns last season but the 26-year-old's future is still up in the air.

The Cowboys want to sign Prescott to a long-term contract, but they could be forced to utilise the franchise tag if negotiations are unsuccessful.

"Dak is in a business situation right now," McCarthy said. "I've gone through this as a head coach with a number of my players in the past. Like anything, it's just time to be patient and let the business people work out the business matters. 

"That's really where we are as an organisation and that's where Dak is, in a personal fight to get a contract done."

Prescott walked off the field at Cowboys camp in Oxnard, California after experiencing soreness in his right arm. 

The team said later that an MRI exam revealed a muscle strain in his right shoulder and will be "evaluated on a day-to-day basis." 

Wednesday was to be Prescott's first practice with the team in full pads since his 2020 season ended in Week 5 with a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle. 

Prescott, who turns 28 on Thursday, downplayed any concerns in a statement released by the team. 

"I felt some soreness when making certain throws today, and I really just decided not to push things too far," he said. "Better to be cautious and smart about it.

"I don't see this as any kind of serious setback. We'll treat it on a daily basis, and I'll be fine." 

Prescott is entering his sixth season as the Cowboys' quarterback. In 2019, his last full campaign, his career-best 4,902 passing yards were second in the NFL to Jameis Winston (5,109), and his 30 touchdown passes ranked fourth in the league. 

Garrett Gilbert ran the first-team offence in Prescott's absence for the rest of Wednesday's practice. 

The Cowboys have one more preseason game than most teams, the August 5 Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Canton, Ohio, but Prescott was not expected to play in that contest anyway. 

Dallas will open the regular season September 9 away to Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The 28-year-old Cowboys quarterback completed 21 of 27 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns against the under-strength Eagles.

Prescott, who missed the bulk of last season with an ankle injury, went past Tony Romo (36) for the most touchdown passes in a single season.

"It's special," Prescott told ESPN after the game. "A record like that that's this team, that's this offense.

"All the different guys that caught passes or the guys that protected, everybody played a part in it. I'm just the beneficiary of it.

"But to know where I was 12 months ago and to be where we are now, headed to the playoffs, I'm very excited."

The Cowboys win means they must wait on Sunday's results to learn their playoffs fate but they can be as high as the second seed in the NFC after finishing with a 12-5 record.

Among Dallas' potential playoffs match-ups is the 11-5 Arizona Cardinals who defeated the Cowboys last weekend 25-22.

"It doesn’t matter," Prescott said when asked if he wanted to face the Cardinals again to get revenge.

"Line them up. To get to where we wanna go, you've got to beat the best. Whoever it is, wherever it is, we're ready for this run."

The Cowboys piled on seven touchdowns against the Eagles, with five different scorers meaning they set a new NFL record for most players (22) to score TDs in a single season.

"We got some momentum going," Prescott said. "We were able to score some touchdowns on offense. We had some success running the ball and throwing the ball.

"More importantly the momentum, the rhythm and fun. The camaraderie we have, we just played together and wanted to finish the season off the right way. I think we did that in all facets of the game."

Prescott will play the 2020 NFL season on a one-year exclusive franchise tender after the quarterback and Cowboys were unable to strike a deal on a long-term contract last month.

The two-time Pro Bowler had already signed his tender offer and will earn approximately $31.4million for the upcoming season before becoming an unrestricted free agent, unless the Cowboys opt to again place the franchise tag on him – a move that would count over $37m towards the 2021 salary cap.

Prescott, though, remains keen to see out his NFL career in Dallas.

"I grew up wanting to be a Dallas Cowboy and I am, and I've got dreams of being a Dallas Cowboy until I'm done throwing the football," Prescott said in a conference call on Wednesday.

"None of that's going to change just because we couldn't reach an agreement there for this season. But as I said, I'm a Cowboy right now and that's all that matters and that's my whole focus."

Prescott was drafted by the Cowboys in 2016 and the 27-year-old has 1,363 completions for 15,778 yards and 97 touchdowns during his time in the league.

"I'm not a guy that looks at my future, to be honest. I really don't," Prescott added. "I mean, I count my blessings every day. I walk in the day that I'm given and rejoice in it. I'm thankful for it.

"It can sound cliche and whatever you want to make it, but I can't look at tomorrow without taking care of today and that's the way I've been throughout my life."

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said: "We just couldn't get together at this particular point. It's easily worth nothing a lot of people this year in franchise mode didn't get together."

"Dak and I had a great visit right at the deadline," Cowboys vice-president Stephen Jones said. "He's so fired up about our team and about our future. Ultimately now we're going to have to figure out how to get this done.

"I'm more convinced than ever it will get done, but because of the moving parts we were dealing with the virus and some of the other deals, which were not down the middle in terms of being normal, it just made for some challenges."

The Cowboys improved to a 12-4 record after capitalising on a series of penalties to lead from start to finish, leaving them hot on the trail of the 13-2 Philadelphia Eagles in their division.

Mike McCarthy's team must now defeat the Washington Commanders in the final game and hope the Eagles lose both of their remaining two to claim top spot.

Prescott threw both touchdown passes for Dalton Schultz, but also stretched his run to six games with an interception, giving up two in the second quarter as the Titans rallied to 10-6 at half-time with two Randy Bullock field goals.

"A win's a win, and we're going to take it and we're going to get better from the mistakes and make sure that we're improving," said Prescott.

"But a road win, short week, you've got to take them all. And style points and all that, that's for all of you who think games are won on paper."

Asked about the preparations required for the Cowboys' potentially pivotal clash with the Commanders, Prescott added: "Obviously get the rest we need, get our bodies back underneath us and then mentally understanding what's to come.

"Take a couple of days or two and get away from it, but know when we come back we've got to finish this season off on the right foot and we've got a long, long run ahead of us that we know we're capable of making."

Prescott completed 29 of 41 attempts for 282 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, tying Troy Aikman with 165 passing TDs for second most in franchise history.

While McCarthy recognised some shortcomings in the team's performance, much like Prescott he was just content to put another win on the board, particularly with a growing injury list.

"I'm in tune with the injuries and all the things that are going on," he said. "All the little stuff. Yeah, it wasn't clean. This was not a clean performance. We recognise that. I'm not disputing that at all.

"But I do know my football team. I know that they came out of a hard victory on Sunday and took a little longer to get their bodies back.

"That's what Thursday night football is. It's a tough challenge. But the most important thing is we answered the bell and we got it done."

Each NFL season seems to begin with scores of pundits and observers scrambling to find a reason why this could be the Dallas Cowboys' year.

The difference in 2021 is they may actually be right.

Not since their Super Bowl win at the end of the 1995 season have the Cowboys reached the NFC Championship Game.

But riding a five-game winning streak after a thrilling 35-29 overtime victory over the New England Patriots in Foxborough, there is no doubt the Cowboys are legitimate contenders.

And, though there are supplementary factors behind their success on both sides of the ball, the primary reason for that status is clear: Dak Prescott is playing arguably the best football of his career.

A stellar three-quarter century

On his 75th career start, Prescott was once again imperious against the Patriots.

He passed for 445 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, posting a passer rating of 108.7.

It marked his 39th game with a passer rating of at least 100, surpassing Philip Rivers (38) for the third-most such games by a player in his first 75 starts.

The two players above him are the man he replaced in Dallas, Tony Romo (41), and Aaron Rodgers (43).

Should he continue performing at the standards he has displayed through five weeks, a Prescott vs Rodgers conference title game is not out of the question.

Accurate in every situation

Returning from a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle suffered in Week 5 last year and entering the season with concerns over a shoulder injury, there were plenty wondering whether Prescott could recapture the form that saw him receive a four-year, $160million contract extension from Dallas in the offseason.

Any such doubts have been emphatically dispelled.

Helming a Dallas offense that leads the NFL with an average of 6.58 yards per play, Prescott is second in the NFL with a completion percentage of 73.1, while he and Matthew Stafford are tied for the league lead in throws that have resulted in a first down, moving the sticks on 44 per cent of attempts.

Completion percentage is not necessarily connected to a quarterback's accuracy, yet in Prescott's case, the link is clear.

Prescott has delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 82.9 per cent of his attempts, according to Stats Perform data. That is fourth among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts this season, trailing Kirk Cousins (84.6), Kyler Murray (84) and Patrick Mahomes (83.3).

A quarterback who has received comparisons to Peyton Manning for his work at the line of scrimmage, Prescott's poise has allowed him to maintain his accuracy almost irrespective of the situation.

His well-thrown percentage under pressure is 77.1 per cent, the average being 70, with only Murray (78.1) and the Patriots' Mac Jones (81.4) above him among quarterbacks to have come under duress on at least 20 attempts. 

Prescott has also been precise when throwing on the move, producing an accurate pass 85.7 per cent of the time in that scenario.

The former fourth-round pick's composure under pressure and ability to deliver on the move shone through in the biggest moments at Gillette Stadium.

On second-and-11 early in the fourth quarter, Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb for 33 yards having shuffled to his right and reset his feet before delivering with late-arriving pressure in his face.

The final drive of regulation for Dallas saw Prescott put the ball where only Cedrick Wilson Jr. could go up and get it on a critical fourth-and-five with Matthew Judon bearing down on him following a spin move on right tackle Terence Steele.

His first throw of overtime was another hookup with Lamb while rolling to his right and that drive culminated in Prescott finding the same receiver after executing a play-fake left and moving the opposite direction, hitting the second-year receiver on the over route on a throw delivered with his weight falling away to give Dallas a walk-off win.

It could be argued that the Cowboys' own miscues put themselves in such a tight game, and his own coach is perhaps Prescott's most significant obstacle to him delivering long-awaited glory to Dallas this season.

McCarthy's mistakes

The Cowboys will be glad of the upcoming bye week, having seemingly survived a scare when left tackle Tyron Smith limped off with an ankle injury on Sunday, only to return after having it taped.

Smith will have the chance to rest and nurse his ankle and a troublesome neck problem, and by the time the Cowboys are back in action they should have the entirety of their starting offensive line, with right tackle La'el Collins set to return from a five-game ban.

Dallas and head coach Mike McCarthy could also use the extra week to evaluate in-game decision-making, which made life a lot harder on Prescott in Week 6.

Whether it was the decision to call four successive runs from the New England one-yard line in the second quarter, a sequence that ended with Prescott fumbling at the goal-line, or McCarthy's call to settle for a go-ahead 51-yard field goal on fourth-and-two late in the final quarter, the Cowboys' game management was a problem throughout.

McCarthy was bailed out after the latter mistake, Greg Zuerlein's missed kick followed by a pick-six of Jones from Trevon Diggs, but the Cowboys cannot expect to get away with such misjudgements every week.

The Cowboys have an offense teeming with playmakers that is the most efficient in the league by yards per play and a defense second in takeaways with 14, Diggs (seven interceptions) accounting for half of those.

A potent offense and an opportunistic defense is a formula for a Super Bowl challenge, yet it can be ruined if the head coach consistently comes up short with his decisions in situational football.

Prescott has the Cowboys firmly on the path to the title push they have long since craved. It is the man they hired to lead that charge who is the biggest threat to their dreams coming to fruition.

Prescott has thrown 24 touchdowns this season, though the Dallas quarterback has tallied 10 interceptions in 12 appearances – the most since 2019.

Since returning from a calf strain, Prescott has eight touchdown passes and six interceptions in six games.

Prescott addressed the criticism ahead of Sunday's NFL clash with the New York Giants, telling reporters: "I'm fully healthy, 100 per cent healthy. Thank you, though."

Prescott added: "I do realise I'm not playing my best ball, haven't been playing it, have made some poor decisions, you could say.

"That's kind of part of it. I wouldn't say it's slump material, but I'm definitely not up to my standards or expectations, and when you play at a high level, that's what you create. So I'm glad people have the same expectations for my game as I do for myself."

Prescott lost both of his starts against the Giants as a rookie in 2016, but he is 8-0 in his starts against them since then.

According to Stats Perform, Prescott is the first QB to win eight or more consecutive starts against the Giants since Ron Jaworksi won nine in a row from 1977 to 1981.

"I've been doubted my whole life, said I can't do this or can't do that, so in a sense I'm kind of glad it's actually come back," Prescott said.

"I'm glad that's the way people feel and there's a lot of that being said right now."

The Cowboys' 44-20 home win over the Giants in Week 5 was their largest margin of victory against the New York franchise since 1998, when they won 31-7 at Giants Stadium in Week 3.

Dallas had 515 net yards in that Week 5 win, their second-highest yardage total ever in a game against the Giants.

The Cowboys (9-4) have two players with 600 or more rushing yards this season – Ezekiel Elliott (810) and Tony Pollard (602). The Denver Broncos are the only other NFL team with two such players this season (Javonte Williams 743, Melvin Gordon 716).

"I think it's the right time for us to turn it on," Prescott said. "I had that talk with the skill position players in the signal-caller's meeting is we'd much rather be going through what you're through this time that we did than two weeks from now.

"Now that we've addressed it, we've held ourselves accountable for it, we can move forward and peak at the right time heading into the playoffs."

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in the third quarter of the Cowboys' 37-34 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.

Prescott has left hospital after undergoing surgery and while set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, is already focused on making a successful return to action.

In an Instagram story, the 27-year-old referenced the hashtag "4Dak" used on social media, writing: "Forever thankful for the love and support I've received. I'll be back stronger and better. Thank you all." 

Prescott went into greater detail in a video posted by the Cowboys on social media, filmed as he headed to see the doctor and view his ankle for the first time since the operation. 

“What's up everyone, just want you to know that I'm doing well," he said.

"I can't thank you enough for all your love and support, your prayers. They have been more than overwhelming, from team-mates, to family, to friends, to fans I don't know, to former and current players around the league and all sports, I just wanted to say thank you. 

"They are appreciated and received well. Just knowing I have that much support out there makes a huge difference. 

"I'm just ready to start this road to come back. I know this adversity is just going to be another chapter in the book - I'm excited to move forward and write it. 

"I'm in great spirits and am going to stay that way. Looking forward to this football season, seeing the game in a different perspective and supporting my team-mates. "

Prescott hit a wide-open CeeDee Lamb from 35 yards out with just under four minutes to play in overtime for the victory, the final strike in a game that saw the Dallas quarterback complete 36 of 51 passes for 445 yards and three TDs. 

The final touchdown capped a wild final few minutes in Foxborough, where Trevon Diggs momentarily stunned the New England crowd by intercepting rookie quarterback Mac Jones and returning it 42 yards for a score to give Dallas a 26-21 lead with 2:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Diggs has intercepted a pass in every game this season, with seven picks overall, and has returned two of them for touchdowns. He is the first NFL player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to intercept at least seven passes with multiple touchdowns in his team's first six games of the season. 

But Jones answered on the very next play, hitting Kendrick Bourne for a 75-yard touchdown and passing for the two-point conversion to give New England a 29-26 lead with 2:11 to play. 

That was too much time to leave Prescott, though, and he drove the Cowboys (5-1) downfield to set up kicker Greg Zuerlein – who had missed from 51 yards minutes earlier – for a 49-yard field goal that sent the game to overtime. 

After the Dallas defence forced New England (2-4) to punt in the first possession of overtime, Prescott completed all five of his pass attempts on the game-winning drive. 

The Cowboys racked up 567 yards of total offence on the day, the first time the Patriots allowed at least 500 yards in a game since surrendering 538 to the Philadelphia Eagles in losing Super Bowl LII four years ago. 

Murray, Cardinals stay unbeaten

Kyler Murray threw four touchdown passes as the Arizona Cardinals remained the NFL's only unbeaten team with a 37-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns. 

Murray completed 20 of 30 passes for 229 yards and did not throw an interception as Arizona – without head coach Kliff Kingsbury due to COVID-19 – built a 20-0 lead, then saw Cleveland come back before half-time before pulling away after the interval. 

Baker Mayfield tossed a pair of touchdowns in the final 5:06 of the opening half before suffering a shoulder injury as the Cardinals' defence held Cleveland scoreless after the break on the way to their first 6-0 start since 1974.

In Denver, the Las Vegas Raiders held off the Broncos 34-24 in Rich Bisaccia's first game as interim head coach after Jon Gruden's resignation Monday. 

Cowboys quarterback Prescott suffered a right calf strain on the winning touchdown pass for CeeDee Lamb in their 35-29 overtime win over the New England Patriots on October 17.

The Cowboys had the bye in Week 7, allowing Prescott time to recover from the injury ahead of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Prescott was listed as "limited" for practice on Wednesday where he went through extended warm-up, simulated drops and threw passes to his running backs, receivers and tight ends.

"He's going to practice and he's going to go through the individual part of it and he's in the game plans. He's preparing to play," McCarthy said before practice on Wednesday. "He's got to cross the threshold to make sure he's full-go."

McCarthy added: "He's going to do everything he can to play on Sunday. That's a given."

The Cowboys head coach said backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who has not played in an NFL game since 2019, would start if Prescott is not cleared.

"I think it's a matter of trying to make sure Cooper's ready and make sure Dak is getting what he needs," McCarthy said.

"We've got to make sure we're getting Cooper ready too."

McCarthy acknowledged Prescott could potentially play at quarterback with a calf strain, having seen Aaron Rodgers do that under his watch at the Green Bay Packers in 2014.

But he added that they would take a no-risk strategy with Prescott, given the Cowboys are 5-1 and three games clear in the NFC East early in the season.

"I think it's a clear decision, we don't want this to be a week-to-week situation, so until he clears that threshold to try to minimize the risk is really what the decision will come down to," McCarthy said.

Prescott has not featured since Week 1 due to a thumb injury, and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy told the press earlier this week that the 29-year-old was unlikely to be fit to return in Week 6.

However, Dallas have not yet ruled their QB out of contention, instead listing Prescott as questionable for the game in Philadelphia.

Cooper Rush, though, is still expected to start, with the stand-in QB having led the Cowboys to four successive wins in Prescott's absence.

Rush is the third QB in NFL history, since statistics were first tracked in 1950, to win on his first five career starts while throwing no more than one interception over that span, after Kyle Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

The Cowboys head into the game with recent history on their side, having won their past three meetings with the Eagles by 20, 20 and 25 points. The last time any NFL team had four straight 20-point wins against an opponent was the Colts against the Jaguars from 2013-14.

Philadelphia are the NFL's only unbeaten team, however, and are the first side in league history to win their opening five games of a season while averaging 400+ yards of offense and not losing a single fumble.

Prescott's future has been up in the air but, just hours out from their season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, it appears the Cowboys have struck a deal with their quarterback.

The deal includes a guaranteed $231m and an $80m signing bonus.

With an annual salary of $60m, Prescott will become the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

This is the second extension the 31-year-old has penned with Dallas, where he will remain through the 2028 season.

Prescott led the NFL for completions (410) and touchdowns (36) last season.

Quarterback Prescott was speaking after Sunday's defeat to NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, who improved to a stunning 6-0 with their 26-17 success.

But the Cowboys are still a highly competitive 4-2, despite being without Prescott since the fourth quarter of their only other defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.

"That's my plan," he said of facing the Lions. "Obviously got to see the doc, but that's my plan.

"I plan on going into this week and trying to get my full week of practice."

Cooper Rush has deputised at QB, although he has Dallas ranking down in 27th in total offense (300.8 yards per game). In 2021, when Prescott started 16 of 17 games, the Cowboys ranked first (407.0).

That room for improvement gives the Cowboys cause for optimism, though. The defense has kept them in contention, ranking eighth (304.2) in a significant improvement on last year (19th – 351.0).

"I never really had any doubt that the team wouldn't do what they just did," Prescott added. "Obviously, you all know me, very optimistic.

"I've got a lot of pride in this team, know the guys that are on this team, the defense, know what Cooper is capable of.

"So, I'm obviously disappointed I couldn't be with the guys along the past five weeks but excited to move forward and happy as hell with the position that we're in, and we can get rolling."

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is certainly looking forward to having his QB back, although he has remained on course for a second straight 1,000-yard season with Rush under center, averaging 68.2 per game.

"The sky's the limit," Lamb said. "The offense is very good, and everyone knows this. When we get [Prescott] back, we're going to show everybody."

Prescott had been out of action since fracturing his thumb in the Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cowboys had improved to 4-2 in his absence, led by Cooper Rush, and their fifth win followed in a 24-6 defeat of the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Prescott was back in the team, although he was far from the star of the show.

The Dallas defense produced five sacks and two interceptions, while Ezekiel Elliott ran in for two touchdowns.

Prescott did not throw a TD pass until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, finishing with 207 yards on 19-of-25 passing.

The QB was never concerned about his own performance, though, suggesting he might have enjoyed overseeing a comfortable victory without contributing with a TD of his own.

"A win's a win," Prescott said. "I really don't care how it gets done; a win's a win.

"I thought it was going to be pretty cool to leave this game without a touchdown, honestly. That's kind of where my head is right now.

"I know how talented this team is. I know what we can be. It's not about me. It's about all of us, and I'm just trying to make sure I play my part and make sure I put this team in the right situation each and every play."

Crucially, he added: "The thumb feels pretty good."

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said of his QB's display: "I thought Dak performed better as the game went on. It's his first time he's been out there in quite some time.

"Start with the command of the huddle, the whole operation, I thought he was really on point there. He handled the adjustments that were going during the course of the game.

"Those are the big things that don't show up in the stat column."

Prescott starred by completing 28 of 39 attempted passes for 330 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions as Dallas registered 50 points for the first time since Super Bowl XXVII in the 1992 season.

The Dallas QB recorded his fourth career game with 300 yards, four passing touchdowns and no interceptions, which is the most by any player in franchise history, going past Tony Romo (three). 

Dallas' 56-point haul was the third most in a game by franchise records and the most in a regular-season fixture since 1980 as Mike McCarthy's side scored more than 40 points for the fourth time this season.

The Las Vegas Raiders' victory over the Denver Broncos had already secured Prescott's third divisional title in six seasons as the Cowboys' starting quarterback, but the 28-year-old claimed he was unaware of the triumph before the game.

"I don't know if many people knew that we clinched before the game," Prescott said. "I didn't. That's kind of what my message was talking to the guys in the circle up right there [before the game], going out winning this division. 

"I don't know if we're in the world or business of trying to send messages more than we're just trying to get better, day in and day out, game after game and make sure that we're playing our best ball and peaking at the right time heading into this tournament."

Asked whether Dallas had arrested a slump after concerns over their offensive abilities on Prescott's return from a calf strain, he responded: "You tell me. I never said we were in a slump. Those were your words. 

"So I think it would be hard for you to say that now, but, yeah, tonight was a great performance."

Dallas scored on offense, defense and special teams for the first time since 2012 as they became the first NFL outfit to do so this season, much to the delight of defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence who hailed an almost perfect showing.

"I feel like we showed ourselves that we can play a complete game but we still have a lot that we can build on," Lawrence said.

"Being able to go out there and dominate on all three phases of the game, shoot, we just got to keep building on that and get better from it."

The Cowboys extended to a four-game winning streak, though McCarthy's team need to win their final two games and require the Green Bay Packers to lose at least once to confirm home advantage for the playoffs.

The NFC East champions next face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday before closing the regular season at the Philadelphia Eagles on January 9.

Prescott is set to enter the final season of the four-year, $160m contract he penned in 2021 and will make $29m in 2024.

With no agreement reached on a new deal for the 31-year-old quarterback, rumours about his future have abounded this offseason. If no agreement is struck, he will hit free agency in 2025 and cost Dallas $40m against the salary cap.

The Cowboys are also yet to tie down star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has held out on returning to practice for three weeks, totalling over $1m in fines as he seeks a new deal.

Prescott, though, is confident his own future will be resolved, though he has not put a timeframe on negotiations.

"I'm not putting that much thought into hoping it gets done now, hoping it gets done in a couple of weeks, during the season or whenever it happens," Prescott said on Thursday. 

"I just know conversations are on the right way. I enjoy being a Cowboy 1,000%, I enjoy living in Dallas, I enjoy everything about it.

"But this is a business. Conversations are going well, but I'm thankful to be where I am right now and that's here."

Prescott's 410 completions and passer rating of 105.9 in 2023 were career-best figures, while he also played all 17 regular-season games for the first time since being drafted in the fourth round in 2016.

Prescott has managed to stay largely injury-free since an ankle issue limited him to just five outings in 2020, and he puts his availability down to thorough work away from the field. 

"It's something that I do each and every day, making sure I'm staying focused on it. Not trying to miss anything," Prescott said of his fitness regimen.  

"If anything, it's just going to be maybe a rest here and there. No long-term [issues], especially with the schedule we're on. 

"When I put the cleats down and I'm done. I want it to be on my terms and not because my body said that's not enough."

Staring down the possibility of a second consecutive heart-breaking road defeat to start the season, the Cowboys showed their determination in Week 2.

That was the message from star quarterback Prescott after Greg Zuerlein's 56-yard field as time expired gave the Cowboys victory over the Chargers. 

After watching Tom Brady march Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers down the field in the final minute to set up a game-winning kick in the season opener, the Cowboys' defence got the job done in the second half against the Chargers.

An 11-play Chargers drive in the third quarter ended with a Damontae Kazee interception of Justin Herbert in the end zone, four plays after an apparent Herbert TD pass was called back due to a holding penalty. 

It was more of the same on a 12-play Los Angeles drive that consumed much of the fourth quarter, as Herbert and the Chargers reached the Dallas two-yard line before having a touchdown negated due to an illegal shift.

Two plays later, Micah Parsons sacked Herbert for an 18-yard loss and the home side had to settle for a game-tying field goal from Tristan Vizcaino rather than a go-ahead touchdown. 

To Prescott, those two stands were indicative of a team determined to stick together. 

"We're resilient, we're gonna fight, we're always in the fight," Prescott told CBS. "I think tonight we showed our brotherhood, we trusted each other, we played complementary football.

"Defence came up with a great turnover there in the red zone and we finished off with a win."

Zuerlein saw to that with his booming 56-yarder, which Prescott "had all faith" the veteran kicker would make. 

More important over the course of the game was a revived Dallas rushing attack after the team ran just 18 times for 60 yards at Tampa Bay. 

The Cowboys more than tripled that yardage total on Sunday, going for 198 on 31 carries as Tony Pollard ran for 109 yards while averaging 8.4 per rush and Ezekiel Elliott piled up 71 yards, with both backs finding the end zone. 

"It started with the offensive line," Prescott said. "They came out and they set the tone, they were physical. That allowed both of those backs to get going. Those guys hit the holes and just allowed us to be balanced.

"That's what we said, after last game -- we're gonna do whatever it takes to win, whether it's throwing a lot, run and a lot or be balanced. Tonight, it took all of that to get it done."

Dallas struck an agreement with Prescott just prior to their opening game of the season on Sunday, with the new contract, which runs through the 2028 season, worth $240million with $231m guaranteed.

That makes Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history.

"A little emotional call," Prescott said when reflecting on receiving the video call from his agent while he was warming up for Sunday's clash with the Cleveland Browns.

Prescott went on to lead the Cowboys to a 33-17 victory, completing 19 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.

And the 31-year-old knows the pressure is on for him to deliver this season.

"It's my only motivation," Prescott said.

"Hold up my part of this deal. Just deliver that. That's my motivation.

"Right now it's about celebrating this win tonight. Hell of a win with these guys, excited for this plane ride back with them, but then turning the page tomorrow, getting on to the [New Orleans] Saints and taking it one game at a time.

"That is what is at the forefront of my mind. Not the money. It's about holding up my end of the deal. And I want to do it here."

Prescott failed with 13 of his passes against the Browns, and insists he must improve on that level.

"I put the most pressure on myself. Simple as that," he said.

I'm not happy with my performance and that's what motivates me. That's what pushes me. You try to be bummed about it in the locker room, but you know it's a win on the road, which is good for the team and then you got teammates telling you it was a hell of a day for you.

"I put the most pressure on myself. Nobody's a bigger critic than I am personally, and I expect greatness out of myself with my standards, my expectations and the same for this team."