The Dallas Cowboys aren’t lacking confidence following their latest road loss. Despite falling short in their attempt to solve their road woes in their 22-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, Dak Prescott remains confident in the Cowboys after coming within seconds of defeating the AFC’s second-best team. The MVP candidate stressed that the “confidence” remains high amongst the team despite dropping to 3-5 on the road.
“The confidence is high with this group,” Prescott said following the game on Sunday, December 24. “We understand that we can (beat good teams on on the road) … and we will.” Prescott explained why the Cowboys are feeling good about themselves despite their latest road setback. “Hell, this whole narrative change is off of, unfortunately, one play out there,” said Prescott. “The guy misses the field goal, we’re in here talking about a completely different outlook, so let’s not lose sight of that.”
Why Cowboys Need to Turn Around Their Road Woes Quick
The Cowboys are one of only seven teams in the NFL with at least 10 wins. However, they’re one of just two teams — the Cleveland Browns being the other — with a losing record on the road. Furthermore, they’ve also lost four of their six games against teams with winning records and are 1-3 versus division-leading teams.
With that being said, it was Dallas’ most competitive road game in a loss against an elite team. The Cowboys played evenly with the Dolphins throughout, trailing by no more than possession for the majority of the game. Furthermore, they took a 20-19 lead behind a touchdown pass from Prescott to Brandin Cooks with 3:27 remaining in the game.
The Cowboys will likely enter the playoffs as a wild card team following their latest loss. The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL, facing the likes of the 5-9 New York Giants and 3-12 Arizona Cardinals to close out the season. That means the Eagles — not the Cowboys — will likely win the NFC East barring an unexpected collapse.
With Dallas entering the playoffs as a wild card team for the second straight season, they’ll have to win all of their playoff games on the road if they hope to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.
Mike McCarthy Says Cowboys Will Become ‘Road Warriors’
Prescott isn’t the only key member of the Cowboys organization feeling good despite the loss to the Dolphins. Head coach Mike McCarthy believes Dallas will emerge as “road warriors” following their narrow loss to Miami. “We have to play better than we did today,” McCarthy said, per Michael Baca of NFL.com. “We have to play above it on the road. Road warriors we will be.”
McCarthy was quick to note that the difference in the game was the turnover battle. The Cowboys had an opportunity to take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. However, Hunter Luepke fumbled the ball at the goal line during a handoff exchange from Prescott.
That ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.
“We didn’t have a takeaway, but we had a giveaway,” McCarthy said. “It’s those big mistakes you can’t make in these games, but I think the resilience, battle and grit that we’re looking for—we clearly have that.”
