FRISCO, Texas — A big matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field awaits on Sunday afternoon for Dak Prescott, who will enter with an 8-3 career record against the Dallas Cowboys' divisional foes.
However, of those 11 matchups, only one has come against Philadelphia's rising superstar quarterback Jalen Hurts who Prescott bested in their only matchup. For both quarterbacks to hit the field both healthy and ready to take advantage of a big divisional game, Prescott is looking forward to returning to the City of Brotherly Love.
"Crazy to think it's only been one time," Prescott said. "It's a lot of excitement. Makes the game better, obviously. It's a matchup we look forward to every year. I'm sure they do as well. It will be a great one, simple as that."
The added pressure of playing in front of a hostile road crowd doesn't affect Prescott to the level that some may think, as he is able to tap into his college experience from his days playing at Mississippi State in front of crowds like LSU and Alabama.
"Having grown up in the SEC, a lot of different venues and stadiums that you can feel by the time you get near the stadium," Prescott said. "Eat, sleep, breathe the game of football. The fans' excitement, the atmosphere, the close games, the energy. When you walk into Philadelphia's stadium, it's no different. It feels like some of those old Saturday nights."
Crowd aside, the Eagles will take the field with the NFL's top record at 7-1 with weapons on both sides of the ball that will cause problems for the Cowboys. Coming off of an NFC Championship and another strong start in 2023, the challenge ahead remains stiff.
"They're just as good as they were last year," he said. "Just as strong. They're not undefeated as I guess they were at this point last year and rolling quite like that, but this is a hell of a team. This is a team that when you've been to the championship like they have, they know how to win. They know tough games. We know what's in front of us and we know the matchup."
A lot can be learned about the experience that the Cowboys have had so far in 2023. A previous big road test saw Dak Prescott and his team travel to San Francisco and get routed by the 49ers, 42-10. Since then, the Cowboys haven't experienced another number in the loss column and can take that experience into another tough road test this weekend.
"I challenged myself to be better in many different ways, not just on the field but damn sure on the field and in my game," Prescott said. "As much as I challenged myself, so many men in the locker room, this building, coaches, everyone did. That wasn't one that you come out of that game and it was this unit's fault or that unit's fault or any finger-pointing. Everybody could come back and take something away from that that they didn't do well, they didn't plan well, they didn't prepare the right way as we should have."
As a result, the preparation has improved heading into another matchup with an NFC contender in Philadelphia.
"Credit [teammates] for answering that, there's been better preparation," Prescott said. "The weekly process has been better and guys are really dialed into the process, enjoying the process each day, taking it in that manner to put ourselves in a good spot since."
