Cowboys news: Dak Prescott’s reason for wanting to play in Week 18

Dak Prescott has ‘big’ reason he wants to play in Cowboys’ season finale vs. Giants: ‘It’s a huge difference’ – Austin Nivison, CBS Sports

Dak Prescott continues to campaign to play in Week 18.

The difference between 7-9-1 and 8-8-1 may seem insignificant to those outside the Dallas Cowboys‘ facility, but it means something to quarterback Dak Prescott. Although the team’s season finale at the New York Giants next weekend won’t have any playoff implications, Prescott is determined to play and win.

Prescott led the Cowboys to a 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday, but he will feel the remnants of that victory for a few days. Prescott was hit 11 times, and he was brought down for six sacks.

That being the case, the Cowboys may be inclined to protect their franchise quarterback next week. Prescott understands that perspective, but he wants the opportunity to close out the season with a win.

“I love this game,” Prescott said. “I love any opportunity I get to play it. That being said, if I get to go out there, I’m gonna give my best. I’m gonna prepare the same way. I’m gonna be the same player that you guys know. I understand the reasons why maybe not. If I’m approached with that, I’ll handle that then.”

Prescott said there’s a “big difference” between finishing 8-8-1 and 7-9-1. The Cowboys quarterback said that, in a fully healthy season, he’s never finished below .500 and wants to keep that streak alive.

“A lot of pride,” Prescott said. “I think that’s another reason to play at this point. I want to play. And in a season of being healthy, I’ve never had in all of my career life or career, a season under .500. That tie is going to come into play really well. It’s a huge difference. It’s just pride. It’s pride, honestly.”

Jerry Jones heats up rhetoric on Dallas Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus. Seemingly only a matter of time – Clarence Hill, DLLS

Jerry Jones’ words for the Cowboys defense after lackluster performance in 2025.

Don’t let the joy of the Dallas Cowboys’ 30-23 Christmas Day victory against the Washington Commanders the blunt realities of a disappointing 2025 season and the reasons for their lack of success.

Owner Jerry Jones certainly is not.

The Cowboys defense remains a mess and it’s seemingly only a matter of time before the team makes a move on defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, whose unit is not only one of the worst in the NFL but one of the worst in franchise history.

It has proven to be the downfall of a 6-8-1 record heading into next Sunday’s season final against New York Giants.

Jones is not pleased with the performance of the Cowboys defense in terms of play or the scheme employed by Eberflus.

“No. no at at all. We got a lot of work to do there,” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan Friday. “I’m sorry if I let my enthusiasm for the win misrepresent. No not at all. We got a lot of work to do over there.”

There is no question about that. The Cowboys rank 31st in the league in points allowed, 30th in yards, 32nd in passing yards.

It was Jones who hired Eberflus to be defensive coordinator after hiring Brian Schottenheimer as head coach to replace Mike McCarthy going 7-10 last season and missing the playoffs.

He has been complimentary of Eberflus for much of the season despite the struggles on defense from the outset.

But his rhetoric has changed and intensified in recent weeks.

Why Dallas Cowboys should trade for Maxx Crosby amid Raiders turmoil – Randy Gurzi, Cowboys on SI

Will Dallas make a push for All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby?

As the 2025 NFL trade deadline approached, the Dallas Cowboys were rumored to have interest in trading for Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, but nothing ever materialized. At the time, the Raiders and Crosby both wanted to continue their relationship, but that might have changed.

Jay Glazer reports that Crosby was told by the team he was being shut down for the final two games after battling injuries all season. Crosby isn’t interested in missing the final two games and “vehemently disagreed” with the decision.

That turmoil has Crosby’s name being thrown around as a potential trade piece once again, and if that’s the case, the Cowboys should be interested. Not only does Crosby play a position of need, but his contract is considered “extremely tradable.”

His $30 million guaranteed in 2026 would be affordable, and the cap hit goes down in future years.

Cowboys coaches, players rave about RB Malik Davis after career day on Christmas – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

Malik Davis made his case to be in Dallas for the foreseeable future against Washington.

“Next man up” is a football cliché. But most clichés are clichés because there’s at least some amount of truth to them.

The old chestnut sure proved itself rooted in reality on Christmas Day in the Cowboys backfield.

Pressed into service when starting running back Javonte Williams exited the Week 17 game early with a shoulder issue, backup Malik Davis suddenly found himself the focal point of the Dallas ground attack.

The undrafted free agent who has been waived and then re-signed by the Cowboys five times since 2022 saw a career-high 20 carries against Washington on Thursday and logged his first-ever 100-yard performance.

Davis’s fill-in contributions were a big part of the Cowboys’ 30-23 win and the team’s best rushing day all season. But the 27-year-old actually has quarterback Dak Prescott to thank for his own triple-digit milestone.

“He didn’t know it,” Prescott said Thursday after the game, “but I checked the stats late in the game, saw he had 90 yards, and I told him, ‘Go get 10 more and finish this game. You can get that 100.’ I actually don’t normally check that. I just looked up and saw we had almost 200 yards rushing, and I said, ‘Dang, Malik must be close.’ And I wanted to get that for him.”

The yardage came at a cost, however. Davis would get poked in the eye shortly thereafter.

“I think I told him that and then it got swollen. I’m like, ‘Uh, I think you need five more,'” Prescott recalled with a nervous laugh.

“When I saw him, he’s like, ‘I think I got hit in the eye.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you definitely did. Go to the sideline.'”

By the time the game had gone final, Davis’s eye had swollen completely shut, to the point that Davis was not able to speak to the media.

But his teammates and coaches had no problem being the next man up to talk about the Florida product and his breakout day.

“It looked like he took a right hand from Tyson. But I’m so proud of him. He ran hard,” Schottenheimer explained in his postgame press conference.

“He practices like that every day. He runs hard. What you don’t see is the hidden yards to get to 100; I guarantee you 30 of those are after contact: pushing piles, keeping his legs going, things like that.”

Cowboys players had a loud and clear message for HC Brian Schottenheimer that he shouldn’t forget in 2026 and beyond – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports

Brian Schottenheimer has clearly gained the trust of the players on the Cowboys roster.

Dallas Cowboys players are sending a loud and clear message to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. They’re on board with going for it on fourth down as much as he wants to.

And they let him know all about it following their 30-23 win over the Washington Commanders. On Thursday, the Cowboys went for it six times, and they moved the chains each of the, setting a new franchise-high since at least 1991. Here’s what players had to say about it postgame.

Cowboys appreciate Schottenheimer’s trust

Multiple Cowboys players praised Schottenheimer’s fourth down decision-making postgame, pointing to the implicit trust on the players behind every attempt.

Cowboys’ second-team All-Pro lineman Tyler Smith appreciated the fact that Schottenheimer hasn’t given up on the offense despite past struggles on fourth down.

“Shout out to Shotty,” Smith said. “I think that really shows the mentality of Shotty as a head coach and the trust that he has in us to get that yard. It’s easy, when you don’t get that fourth-and-one—there have been games where we haven’t converted—to give up on that, but he hasn’t. That just shows his belief in us as a unit.”

For WR Jalen Tolbert, who stepped up with two fourth down conversions himself in his first game in weeks, had a similar reaction to Schotty’s approach.

“It speaks to the trust that he has in us and in the players he has on the field,” Tolbert said. “We know when he’s going for it, he’s doing it for a reason, and we’ve got his back just like he’s got ours. So we just continue to keep chipping away and continue to put ourselves in positions to make those plays.”

Dak Prescott reveals it was the plan going into Christmas Day

To make Schottenheimer’s approach even better, Prescott revealed it was the plan entering Thursday.

“It was big,” Prescott said of the conversions. “I think just knowing going into this game, knowing in these short-yardage situations, just talking with Shotty, we were going to be going for it. A few of those third downs, he even told me, ‘Hey, you’ve got two downs here.”

I think that allows you to set up third down and feel confident about it. Then just the play calling. Obviously, we’ve got to make throws and execute, but he did a great job on all those fourth-down calls.”

To Prescott’s point, most of the fourth down conversions worked near perfectly.

“I don’t think any of them were dicey except maybe one to (RB Javonte Williams),” Prescott added. “And honestly I could have taken the QB sneak there. That was the only one. But for us to go six for six was huge in this win.”