Cowboys' Dak Prescott gives honest assessment of play amid 3-3 start

During the Dallas Cowboys' Week 6 bye, former NFL linebacker and current analyst Bart Scott suggested that quarterback Dak Prescott was largely responsible for the team's lackluster 3-3 record. 

Prescott spoke with reporters on Thursday and offered an honest assessment of his play over Dallas' first six games of the season. 

"I'd say I've played average, and it isn't good enough right now by any means," Prescott said, as ESPN's Todd Archer shared. "It's never been good enough for me. I can't say that I've been happy or excited after any of these games that I've played. But understanding there's more plays out there for me to make, whether it's in the design or not. [I'm] capable of it."

Prescott finished second in regular-season Most Valuable Player Award voting for the 2023 campaign but left much to be desired with his performances across the opening month and a half of the ongoing season. According to ESPN stats, he heads into this weekend ranked 23rd in the NFL among qualified players with a 49.2 adjusted QBR. He's averaging one interception per contest. Meanwhile, the Cowboys rank last in the league with an average of 77.2 rushing yards per game. 

Such numbers show why Prescott was eager to put in some extra work at the team's facility during the break. 

"I can't be stagnant," Prescott explained. "It's hard for me to be, so I've got to work. If there's times that there's a couple hours within the day that I can fit it in, especially whether it's the bye or whatever, I'm going to make sure I can do that. Obviously, just the self-scout, wanting to figure out what I need to do better personally, individually, to make this team better, this whole unit better, I wanted to get ahead of it."

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Cowboys as 4.5-point underdogs for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the 3-4 San Francisco 49ers. The 5-2 Washington Commanders and 4-2 Philadelphia Eagles are currently setting the pace in the race for the NFC East title, so the Cowboys can't afford to repeatedly exchange wins for losses if they hope to host at least one playoff matchup in January.