Dak Prescott's return from injury for the Cowboys did not go how he may have hoped. After a Cooper Rush-led win at the Vikings last weekend, a healthy Dallas team fell 30-16 to the Broncos.
Prescott, who has put up some of the NFL's most prolific numbers when healthy over the last two years, had his worst start of 2021. He completed just 19 of 39 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Nursing a calf injury, he was held for just 16 yards on the ground, and was sacked twice.
With Prescott back in the lineup, Dallas was a heavy favorite at home, with SI Sportsbook putting the line at 10 points. Instead, Denver dominated, leading 19-0 through three quarters before Dallas scored on a pair of fourth quarter Prescott touchdown passes to make things a bit more respectable.
Prescott certainly didn't expect Sunday's game to go the way it did.
"Definitely shocked," Prescott said after the game. "Like I said, they whupped us in every aspect. They beat us. That's not something you ever think about or every envision happening."
Prescott really struggled to find his top targets. CeeDee Lamb caught just two of nine targets for 23 yards, while Amari Cooper caught two passes for 37 yards.
He wasn't ready to blame the multi-week layoff for rust, though.
"I'm not going to sit there and blame two weeks when I had a great week of practice under my belt coming into this one," Prescott said. "I just missed some throws and we weren't our normal selves in the passing game when we needed to be. We didn't execute."
Dallas falls to 6-2 with the surprising loss, but still has a stranglehold on the NFC East. The Eagles and Giants are currently tied for second in the division at 3-6.
Prescott and the Cowboys are at home once again next week, hosting the 4-4 Falcons.
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