SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Dak Prescott had all the pieces he wished: the ball and an opportunity.
With 3:05 to play Sunday evening, the Dallas Cowboys trailed 30-24 to the San Francisco 49ers, and Prescott took the sphere 75 yards away from probably profitable the sport with a landing drive.
“Hell yeah there’s perception,” Prescott stated. “I imply that is all I can ask for. All this group can ask for is a chance, ball in our hand, down 6 to go win the sport.”
Three weeks in the past in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Prescott delivered. Trailing 17-13 with 4:56 left, he took the Cowboys on a 15-play, 70-yard drive. On fourth down with 20 seconds remaining, he hit receiver Jalen Tolbert for a 4-yard landing move.
However their probability on Sunday ended as they all the time appear to in opposition to the 49ers: with a loss.
Within the 2021 wild-card spherical of the playoffs, the Cowboys have been down 6 with 32 seconds to play. Prescott obtained the Cowboys to the San Francisco 24 with a 17-yard run, however a sequence of occasions led to the clock operating out earlier than he may spike the ball for one closing play.
Within the 2022 divisional spherical of the playoffs, he had two probabilities within the fourth quarter to tie or take the lead, down 19-12, though one was way more lifelike than the second. With 3:04 to play, Prescott took over on the Dallas 18, and the Cowboys went three-and-out. Then they obtained the ball again 94 yards from the tip zone with 45 seconds remaining however may get solely to the Dallas 32.
Sunday appeared like an ideal approach for Prescott to finish his 49ers jinx and write his personal story. On the Cowboys’ earlier fourth-quarter drives, Prescott had accomplished 9 of 11 passes for 137 yards with landing throws of seven and 20 yards to CeeDee Lamb.
On this drive, 4 Prescott passes fell incomplete and the Cowboys left Levi’s Stadium with one other loss, falling to 3-4 on a season that’s near unraveling.
“It has been a pair years, a pair occasions,” Prescott stated. “It is irritating. I’ve obtained to make the performs, interval.”
On first down, Prescott regarded to Lamb, though three defenders have been within the receiver’s neighborhood. Linebacker Fred Warner dropped what ought to have been a game-clinching interception.
“Received to only put the ball increased or scramble to create one thing with my legs, being it is first down,” Prescott stated.
On second down, he was pressured to throw beneath duress for an incompletion.
“They did a great job, took [tight end Jake Ferguson] away beneath, type of bracketed this nook route, pressured me out of the pocket,” Prescott stated.
On third down, he launched a wonderfully positioned deep ball down the sideline to receiver KaVontae Turpin, hitting him within the fingers just for it to fall to the bottom.
“Preferred the matchup, took a shot, and did not convert it,” Prescott stated.
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On fourth down, he was pressured and scrambled to his proper, throwing up a heave to Jalen Brooks, who was lined by two defenders. The Cowboys wished a move interference penalty. No flag was thrown.
“I needed to get out of the pocket and type of put one thing up for hopes,” Prescott stated. “Hope that there was contact in the long run. Did not go that approach. Two guys on one. They made the performs after they wanted to, and we did not.”
Whereas the ultimate drive stands out, the possibility to beat the Niners took a dive throughout 4 consecutive sequence throughout the second, third and fourth quarters, not together with a kneel-down to finish the primary half. After taking a 10-3 lead, the Cowboys ran 12 performs and gained 22 yards.
The 7-point lead was a 27-10 deficit earlier than the Cowboys obtained their preliminary first down of the second half with 11 minutes remaining within the sport.
“You’ve got ebbs and flows within the sport, however we undoubtedly stayed in that valley approach too lengthy,” coach Mike McCarthy stated. “We did not give our protection any aid both.”
That the Cowboys’ protection would wrestle just isn’t a shock, given how the season has performed out and the absences of their three greatest move rushers (Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland) because of accidents. San Francisco ran 36 occasions for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Purdy was 18-of-26 for 260 yards, no interceptions and a 2-yard landing move to tight finish George Kittle, who had six catches for 128 yards.
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Prescott, in the meantime, turned the primary Cowboys’ quarterback with two interceptions in three straight video games since Troy Aikman in 1992. Prescott stated his second interception by cornerback Deommodore Lenoir was some of the “boneheaded” interceptions he is ever had.
On the season, Prescott has eight interceptions. He had 9 in 17 video games final season.
In his previous 4 video games in opposition to the Niners, Prescott has had the worst touchdown-to-interception ratio (5:8), worst yards per try (6.0) and worst completion proportion (60%) of any opponent he has confronted a number of occasions prior to now 5 seasons, based on ESPN Analysis.
Most significantly, he’s 0-4 in these begins.
“I haven’t got to be good, however I certain cannot be having the turnovers,” Prescott stated, including, “As soon as once more, we put ourselves behind within the turnover battle, and that is on me. Cannot have that if you happen to’re planning to win video games. I’ve obtained to scrub that up, interval.”
