FRISCO, Texas -- Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells had a famous saying: Football players play football during football season.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wants to play football even though the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs Saturday when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders.
"This is my job," Prescott said. "This is what I love to do. Sitting out last year and the times before, you don't take getting to play this game for granted. You play every game to win. You play every game with a chance to go to the playoffs or play in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and if it's not the case when we take the field or whenever it may be, I'm thankful for the opportunity to play this game. And I'm not going to ever pass it up."
In 2020, he missed the final 11 games with a dislocation and fractured right ankle. A year ago at this time, Prescott was recovering from surgery to repair a hamstring avulsion.
"Those last few games I put down the crutches so just to even think about that, right, and think about that now I'm here and I'm feeling the best that I've had," Prescott said, "and I'm healthy and I get a chance to take the field with my brothers. I'm super excited for this opportunity."
Perhaps Cowboys management will make the decision to sit Prescott for the final game or two if the team is officially eliminated from the postseason. Prescott's importance to a successful 2026 could outweigh what happens the rest of this season. Why risk an injury that could impact that?
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan this week that they will not play for draft positioning. Coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked if starting backup QB Joe Milton III would be possible.
"I want to win," Schottenheimer said. "So the plan will be to play Dak."
Why Aubrey's kicks were off the mark
When Brandon Aubrey missed field goal attempts from 51 and 59 yards last week against the Minnesota Vikings, it was almost met with shock because of how good the Pro Bowl kicker has been to start his career.
As Aubrey analyzed what went wrong, it came down to body posture.
"It's hard to see where your foot makes contact with the ball, but that's the big one," Aubrey said. "You have toe, ankle and the sweet spot. So toe pushes it off right. That's what the case was with the 59. An ankle ball will just be disgusting. I haven't had one of those. But the first miss [51], I made contact properly, but my body's just falling off it. That's the body posture.
"I'll have a toe mis-hit every once in a while, but those have a chance to still go in. But the falling off the ball, my momentum's going left and my leg's trying to go right."
Aubrey did not put the misses on the Vikings' aggressive rushes. He said he doesn't see the rush until the ball is gone.
"I might see them out of my peripherals and pull my leg back [after]," Aubrey said.
It was only the third time Aubrey had two misses in a game. He had one each in 2023 and '24.
Last week's kicks "weren't back-to-back," he said. "There were three field goals between them that we made. And the 59, I mean, you'd like to make it, but it's not a high-percentage kick. For me, it's probably a higher percentage than most, so I'd like to make it, but it's not something I'm beating myself up about. [The 51-yarder] is in the range where I'd say you'd expect to make it. Any NFL kicker should be expected to make that."
Five questions with Jake Ferguson
Let's get to know the fourth-year tight end a little bit better.
If you weren't playing football, what would you be doing?
"I'd probably either would've done military, or I would've tried to do something along the lines of like acting or something. But just like being a dead body. Not being a lead role or anything. The guy who dies in the first five minutes."
Favorite football memory
"Ever? I would say youth ball. One of my best friends, his name is Jack Scott, he was my running back. The other team that was really good, they were the South Side Raiders. I had a couple buddies who played for them, too. But I handed it to him and he scored and he started talking smack. We're in like fifth grade and they all surrounded him, started pushing him around. I had to reach in and grab him, and he's like, I could've took 'em.' It was funny."
Prized possession
"I'm not super materialistic. I would just say the relationships that I've built in my life."
Why did you pick your number?
"Eighty-seven, I don't have a ton of meaning with it, but I've been 8 for a long time and that kind of reminds me of my brother [Joe]. I always knew I wanted something with 8 in it. I never played tight end until college. I thought I was going to be a middle linebacker. All my other offers bedsides Wisconsin were for outside linebacker. I said, 'Well, I'm going to Wisconsin, so I guess I'm a tight end.'"
Which teammate has made the biggest impact?
"There's two who really kind of like influenced me and I would say -- and he probably does not know this -- we had an O-lineman, one of my really good friends in high school, his name was James Neuson. He played our senior year with two torn ACLs, just taped them up and played with them. He was like, 'I don't have anything after this. This is my football. I love it too much to cheat it. This is my last shot.'
"So I've remembered that for a very long time. And also just my brother. I was on a couple teams of his and he'd just beat the s--- out of me and finally when we were done he was like, 'You're good.'"
