FRISCO, Texas — When it comes to being self-motivated, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone as intense about it as Dak Prescott. As he prepared for the 2023 NFL season, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback made sure to surround himself with a slew of daily reminders that would push him consciously and, at times, subconsciously toward Super Bowl 58.
Seeing as the Big Game will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Prescott felt it would be best if he forced himself to be inundated with anything that tied his mind to the city.
Even if it's simply its initials, keeping in mind the Super Bowl numerals currently also [coincidentally] include the same letters.
"I've got a lot of Louis Vuitton," Prescott told reporters ahead of the Cowboys' looming wild card matchup against the Green Bay Packers. "It's because of the LV, [like] Las Vegas. If I look at my bag, it's all LV, literally. I just got my girl a bag the other day. I'm like, 'The only one I'm getting is one of these with the LV logo on it.'
"That was an easy, simple reminder."
Such an action likely lends to an offseason session the team enjoyed with a mentalist, a meeting that was designed to spark awareness in how to reprogram your own mind.
With head coach Mike McCarthy now both head coach and offensive play-caller, Prescott and the Cowboys have now completed a third consecutive 12-win season and their second NFC East title in only three seasons, but this time around they've also secured the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and, as such, at least two home games, should they defeat the Packers.
And having that home field advantage is key for the Cowboys, considering they're riding a 16-game win streak at AT&T Stadium and with their league-leading offense being that much more explosive when they've enjoyed some home cooking the night before.
Prescott explained that while this game carries glaring headlines such as McCarthy's history with the Packers and the bitter loss in overtime in his first matchup against Green Bay at Lambeau Field, it's also about not making the game any bigger than it already is.
He and the Cowboys are focused on keeping their usual home routine, but while adding a bit more to ensure the appropriate sense of urgency in the playoffs.
It's as confident a bunch as you'll find around the league, with the numbers, talent and coaching to back it up.
"I always feel good about myself — a lot of self-talk," said Prescott. "It goes with the guys around me as well, the players around me [and] the coaches. The system we've created, the culture this team has, it's not just how I feel about myself. It's about these other guys, the confidence they give me.
"I don't know if I've had this much confidence or a greater feel than I've had with this offense, with this team, with our approach and how we're going to go and take care of things."
Prescott earned another Pro Bowl nod this season and is both a finalist for the FedEx Air Player of the Year and a top-2 frontrunner for league MVP honors, but he'll be the first to tell you it's all about what happens next, and not what's already happened — seeing as he's "writing my own" story.
And, with that, the Packers are again set to be included in one of his chapters.
