FRISCO, Texas – Dak Prescott knew the essence of the question before it was even done being asked. It's something he's bound to have thought about in the last few days.
As high as the highs of Prescott's phenomenal, unprecedented rookie season were, does the low of the Cowboys' current three-game losing streak feel equally low?
"It's about the same," he said. "That's part of playing for this organization. The highs are going to be really high and the lows are going to be lows. For me, it's just about staying right there in the middle and not getting high when everything's great and not getting down right now."
It's not surprising that Prescott has learned that lesson, even after just 28 career starts. Quarterback is the most scrutinized position in football, and the Dallas Cowboys come with a higher level of scrutiny than any team in the sport.
Considering he grew up a fan of this team, Prescott probably realized that before he was ever drafted. He also realizes that the dizzying highs of the Cowboys' 2016 season aren't necessarily the norm in the NFL. Given that fact, he said the goal is about staying even-keeled and not allowing the highs and lows of the situation to affect him.
"I never expect bad times or expect going in a rut," he said. "But playing in this league as long as I want to play in this league, it's going to happen. I'd say any quarterback that's been in this league for a long time as had them."
With all of that said, the obvious objective is to get out of the rut. The Cowboys haven't scored more than nine points since Nov. 5, and Prescott has turned in two of the three lowest passer ratings of his career in the last two outings.
Prescott said he spent much of the weekend watching tape – not just of Thursday's 28-6 loss to the Chargers, but of several of the Cowboys' other games before that. The most mystifying thing he saw, he said, was that there was seemingly no difference between this group and the one that was averaging 32 points per game the month before that.
"It's frustrating, it's shocking," he said. "Like I've said, you look around and you see the Pro Bowlers and the talent that you have, you're almost lost at words of why it's happening. But it just shows you that this game is tough. It's tough week in and week out, no matter who you play. That's what makes the NFL."
There is one very obvious exception, which is the glaring absence of Ezekiel Elliott in the lineup. The Cowboys are 0-3 since the All-Pro running back was suspended, having scored two offensive touchdowns in that time.
Prescott wasn't interested in making that excuse, however, when he was asked if opposing defenses are playing the Cowboys differently without their star ball carrier.
"Nah. We're getting the same thing that we'd get if Zeke was here, for the most part," he said. "It's nothing schematically that's different, no."
That brings the focus back to Prescott, and the Cowboys who are still on hand. Frustrating as this stretch might be, he said the trick is not let the lows affect him – anymore than the highs did.
"It's about staying equal, not getting too low right now and knowing that confidence in myself in these teammates and getting back to where we need to be," he said.
