Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made one heck of a statement during his return to AT&T Stadium on Sunday night, leading the Cowboys to a convincing win over the Philadelphia Eagles 41-21 on Monday night.
Prescott completed 21 of 26 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns in his first home game in 351 days after suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle early in the 2020 regular season.
“I think that was sweat,” Prescott said, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. “I don’t remember crying but definitely just appreciation and gratitude. Thankful for just the opportunity to be back out here, doing what I love and doing it here at AT&T in front of the fans, with my teammates, in an atmosphere like this, first home game. It was special. It was definitely special.
“As I said, usually the national anthem or pregame [are] the moments that I take in, and that was definitely one of them. Yeah, just thankful for everything I’ve been through and got me back to this point.”
“I’m very happy for Dak,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think any of us that has had a chance to witness how much he puts into it and he’s just a great leader for our football team. He’s obviously playing the quarterback position at a very high level right now, and I think it’s like a lot of things: You get what you put into it.”
“I think he’s clearly playing better now, in my opinion,” McCarthy said. “Last year, we were in track meets. This is a clearly a different football team than last year. You’re seeing three games where I felt like we’ve been very complimentary both on offense and defense. He’s doing a lot in the run game as far as handling the checks and things like that.
“Yeah, I feel like he’s playing better this year than last” he continued.
Prescott spoke further about going through his injury and rehab to get back to the field.
“I said it earlier in the year, and I’ll say it again: I think just getting hurt last year and having to sit back and watch football, a different perspective and just different ways people play this game,” Prescott said. “Going back, the experience obviously has helped, but just studying and preparing myself and then all the work that I’ve put in just to get back healthy, not only the leg but the shoulder … I feel like I’m playing the best I’ve ever played.”
