Given the gloomy outlooks shared when Tony Romo got injured in the preseason and the Cowboys had to turn to a fourth-round pick as their starting quarterback, it’s hard to imagine that anyone in Dallas would have been upset about a 13-win year and an NFC East title.
It only takes one playoff loss to make those things feel insignificant, however, and a playoff loss as painful as the 34-31 one that the Cowboys suffered against the Packers last Sunday only makes it harder to think about what came before. Dak Prescott, who has come a long way since the fourth round last April, knows that it “sucks” that the Cowboys couldn’t build on their regular season success but believes that the year can still serve as a foundation for better things.
“It was a missed opportunity,” Prescott said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s obviously one because this team won’t be back together, not the same team, not the same exact men and players won’t be back together. But for the people that will for this organization, the youth in this team, it’s a building block. We’re going to get better from it. It’s going to make us better. We’ll make plenty more runs.”
Prescott’s performance in the NFC title game -- 24-of-38 for 308 yards, three touchdowns and an interception along with a two-point run -- is the kind of thing that fuels confidence about big runs to come, especially when he’s sharing the field with Ezekiel Elliott and a great offensive line. The team will change and they hope it will be for the better on defense, but the foundation remains strong in Dallas.