Dak Prescott challenges Cowboys with playoff hopes all but gone

The Dallas Cowboys now know that they will need what team owner and general manager Jerry Jones referred to as a "miracle" to make the playoffs after they suffered a 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings (6-8) that dropped the Cowboys to 6-7-1 on Sunday evening. 

As Jon Machota of The Athletic shared on Monday afternoon, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott later addressed his goals for the rest of the season with Dallas' chances of qualifying for the postseason tournament all but gone. 

Dak Prescott challenges Cowboys to play for pride regardless of playoffs

"You’re a professional football player," Prescott said. "You have to come to work and give your absolute best, regardless. Unfortunately, I’m sure the playoffs are out of the picture. But it’s about taking pride in who you are as a man, and not only that and your job and everything that’s gotten you to this point. I know for a lot of guys, and just the business of the world, that’s interviews for some people. You can’t just give up. You can’t just stop. You can’t just say, 'Oh, we’re not going to the playoffs.' It’s the National Football League." 

The Cowboys will only qualify for the playoffs if they win the NFC East over the 9-5 Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia can clinch the division title this coming Saturday afternoon by earning a win at the 4-10 Washington Commanders. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Eagles as six-point favorites for that game. 

Meanwhile, the Cowboys could be eliminated when they enter AT&T Stadium for their home game against the Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) on Dec. 21. During his comments, Prescott referenced how the eliminated Atlanta Falcons notched an upset win over the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 11. 

The Vikings were eliminated from postseason contention shortly before they beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday night. 

Dak Prescott still wants the best from his teammates through Week 18

"We’ve got to show up and just do our job," Prescott added. "And that starts throughout the week. When you get to the game days, it’s a celebration of the hard work that you’ve put in through your preparation. Nothing’s going to change for me, and that’s going to be my influence as a leader. My message to anybody around me is take pride in who you are as a man and who you are as a football player and the job responsibility that you have and what that entails is giving your best every day. And if you don’t, you probably won’t be in this league for long." 

There's no indication that first-year Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is in danger of being fired. That said, one can't help but wonder how Jones may react if Dallas players ignore Prescott's call to action and essentially phone-in the team's final three games of the season.