Cowboys' Dak Prescott gives ankle injury update after loss to Cardinals

Shortly after the Dallas Cowboys fell to 3-5-1 on the season via an ugly 27-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged that "every game is a must-win going forward" as it pertains to Dallas' playoff hopes. 

Earlier in the evening, Prescott sparked concerns among Cowboys fans when the "Monday Night Football" broadcast showed him limping into the locker room at halftime of the game. However, Prescott indicated following the defeat that he'll be just fine. 

Why was Dak Prescott limping during loss to Cardinals?

"I’m fine," Prescott explained, per Jim Barnes of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "A little ankle roll at the end of the first half, but that’s fine going into a bye week. It will be more than great. I finished the game, and I was fine on it, so it’s not even anything to have concerns about. With the extra time, I’m fine. Body’s great." 

As Prescott mentioned, the Cowboys are entering their Week 10 bye and won't play again before their road game at the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 17. While Prescott may not be 100 percent healthy coming off that break, the extra recovery time should allow him to be ready for Dallas' next prime-time matchup. 

Thus far, Prescott has been the most valuable player for a Dallas team that was routinely betrayed by its defense throughout the first half of the season. According to Pro Football Reference, Prescott began Tuesday ranked third in the NFL among qualified players with a 75.2 adjusted QBR, first with 228 completions, fourth with 2,319 passing yards and tied for third with 17 passing touchdowns on the campaign. 

"Get healthy," Prescott said about his plans for the bye week. "Working at the same time, making sure the conditioning is at the peak and hanging with the family, spending time with my fiancee and my girls. So, I’m looking forward to it." 

Is this a good time for Cowboys to be on bye?

The Cowboys have now lost two straight games and three of their last four. Thus, some observers may assume that this is an ideal time for Dallas to be starting its bye.

"I don’t know if they come at a good time, a bad time. I’d say it’s a bad time now because we lost," Prescott added about the bye week. "Having to spend a week, like I said, just getting in shape, hanging out with the girls, I’m probably not [going to] be quite as jolly as I could have been. But I will definitely be, and that’s the balance that they give me. It’s a good time in a sense that we have some things that we need to fix. And some guys getting healthy would help us. So, I think it’s coming at a good time." 

Ahead of the trade deadline arriving at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon, the Cowboys agreed to acquire linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals. That move alone likely won't turn Dallas into a legitimate Super Bowl contender.