Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s confidence shows in results and planning TD celebrations

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott has been playing with so much confidence that he approached Mike McCarthy before Thursday’s game with an idea about a touchdown celebration.

The Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback wanted turkey legs placed in each of the four Salvation Army red kettles in the AT&T Stadium end zones. If the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Commanders got out of hand late, Cowboys players would celebrate by grabbing the legs and taking bites out of them in the end zone.

Prescott had the discussion with McCarthy while the head coach was talking with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

“(Jones) was all for it,” McCarthy said. “So, I just told them that that game better be well out of hand before we start pulling turkey (legs) out of a kettle can. That was a little different pregame for me.”

Dak Prescott on the turkey legs in the Salvation Army red kettles: “I go talk to Coach (McCarthy) before every game. I caught him as he was talking to Jerry (Jones). I mentioned it. Of course Jerry liked it.” pic.twitter.com/aaXWQt68F4

— Jon Machota November 24, 2023

Fortunately for Prescott, McCarthy and Jones, the game became quite lopsided in the final eight minutes as Dallas eventually cruised to a 45-10 win .

With six minutes remaining and the Cowboys facing third-and-6 from the Washington 34-yard line, Prescott threw deep down the middle of the field for WR KaVontae Turpin , who had gotten behind the Washington defense. Turpin hauled in the precise throw and stood in the back of the end zone in celebration. That’s when Prescott quickly approached and pointed to one of the red kettles. Turpin jumped in and grabbed the bag of turkey legs that were in an aluminum foil take-out container. The bags were placed in each kettle by stadium staff.

“Team effort, team idea,” Prescott said. “We talked about it as probably a two-, three-day long process of whether it be a 15-yard (penalty) and whether coach would accept it.

“(After getting the OK), my direction was just make sure we’re up and the game was in hand. The touchdown (right before) to CeeDee (Lamb) and the following two-point conversion, if you watch, I’m kind of like, ‘Is it time? Can we do it?’ And I’m like, ‘No, we’ll get another one.’

“Sure enough, right after I threw the one to Turp, I was like ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’ And it was good.”

With the Cowboys up 38-10, the other players had tossed their turkey legs as merely TD celebration props. Prescott, knowing his day was done, continued taking bites on the Cowboys’ sideline.

“If I thought we could have the result of him playing like he is,” Jones said after the game, “I’ll make that a staple on the sideline for every home game.”

There were turkey legs in all four kettles. Still some in this one if anyone’s hungry pic.twitter.com/yFc9vwFYdn

— Jon Machota November 24, 2023

Prescott finished the day 22 of 32 passing for 331 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while posting a 142.1 passer rating. Since the Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers , 42-10, on Oct. 8, one of the worst games of Prescott’s eight-year career, he has responded with arguably his best stretch.

Over the last six games, Prescott has completed 148 of 210 passes (70.5 percent) for 1,874 yards (312 per game), 18 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 122.6 passer rating. He has also rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Prescott’s TD passes have gone to a variety of receivers during that stretch, with CeeDee Lamb catching five, WR Brandin Cooks four, TE Jake Ferguson three, Turpin two and one each for RB Rico Dowdle , TE Luke Schoonmaker , WR Michael Gallup and WR Jalen Tolbert .

“Credit to the offensive line,” Prescott said. “I mean, I think that’s where it starts. The way they’re protecting, giving me time to take shots down the field, allowing me to extend plays, whether it be using my feet to extend plays or make plays down the field again after breaking the pocket. Guys are running, guys are running to win and (McCarthy) is flying them off the call sheet. It feels good.”

Over the last six games, the Cowboys have played a very favorable schedule. The Philadelphia Eagles , who beat Dallas 28-23, are the only team with a winning record. As good as things have been, the Cowboys need this momentum to continue during a much more difficult stretch that starts next Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks .

Dak Prescott enjoyed a turkey leg after the Cowboys handled the Commanders on Thanksgiving. (Jerome Miron / USA Today)

The wins could continue piling up if Prescott and McCarthy, who is in his first season as Dallas’ offensive play caller, keep building on their current rhythm.

“I think it’s just like anything, I’ve done it for a long time, he’s played quarterback for a long time,” McCarthy said. “This is the first time that we’ve done it together. Our Thursday night meeting is a big meeting. It’s an important meeting. And if you can see it two nights ago compared to Weeks 1 and 2, I think that would speak volumes about where we are now. It’s so important, and I’ve made the mistake of getting too far away from the quarterback room in my past, and I won’t let that happen again.

“You need to be finishing each other’s sentences. I feel like we’re there. I think that’s all a part of that rhythm. My job is to tee it up for him. He has the big job, the real job, and that’s the plan. That’s just the way I’ve always approached it.”

Prescott said that McCarthy is “definitely on fire” as a play caller.

“It’s about us being on the same page,” Prescott said. “We have those meetings once every week that we talk about the game plan and how we want to attack these guys, what plays I feel most comfortable with, outlining the starters, situational third downs, red zones. ... He’s firing them off the call sheet whether it be run, play action, whatever it is.”

Thursday was the 10th time in Prescott’s career that he had at least four passing touchdowns in a game, tying Tony Romo for the most in franchise history. The win improved the Cowboys’ league-best home winning streak to 13 games. They also became the first team in NFL history to win each of their first five home games by 20-plus points.

“I don’t know that I’ve had a day like this,” Jones said while leaving the locker room Thursday night. “And I’ll include them all, I’ll put Super Bowls in there. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better day with the Cowboys than today.”

Does Jones think this current team can win a championship?

“Yes,” he responded. “Yes, It can. There’s four or five others at least that can win it, too, that are sitting there that some of them we’ve got to play and some of them we’ll go by to get one. But this team is certainly capable of winning the whole thing.”

(Photo of Dak Prescott: Kevin Sabitus / )

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