How Cowboys' Dak Prescott is dealing with latest playoff disappointment

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson spoke during a recent appearance on the NFL Network "NFL Total Access" program about how quarterback Dak Prescott is dealing with yet another disappointing postseason exit. 

"I know Dak is ready for the next season, that's all you can do," Ferguson explained, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "You can't look back and you know, have any sort of just, 'Oh, I made a bad play, so we lost.' No, it's just on to the next. It's over with. So we played that game, clock's zero, it's time to move on to the next week." 

Prescott helped the Cowboys win the NFC East title with a 12-5 record and subsequently was named a finalist for The Associated Press' 2023 NFL MVP Award. However, many analysts and fans criticized the 30-year-old after he tossed a pair of interceptions in Dallas' home 48-32 wild-card playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers. That result dropped Prescott's postseason record to 2-5, and it left the Cowboys still looking to complete their first trip to an NFC Championship Game since they won the Super Bowl in January 1996.

"I always like to think, 'We're the Dallas Cowboys, every team that's going to play us is going to bring their all every single time,'" Ferguson said about what went wrong against Green Bay back on Jan. 14. "We're not going to get anybody's 'We don't have to bring that hard against them.' They're bringing their all against us. It's a kill-or-be-killed mentality. We've just got to kill them first."

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones faces an interesting offseason with head coach Mike McCarthy entering the final year of his contract at the same time that Jones must decide how he'll handle Prescott's deal that carries a salary-cap hit of roughly $59.46M for 2024.

McCarthy and Prescott will receive another chance to take the Cowboys to at least the final round of the NFC playoffs next January, and Ferguson insisted the team will put in the necessary work to be ready to go "straight through the wall" in pursuit of a Super Bowl appearance.