FRISCO, Texas – It's been his approach all season, and it's not changing the week of his first playoff start:
Dak Prescott is preparing himself like it's any other week – even if it's the biggest week of his football career.
Maybe it helps that he and the Cowboys have faced Sunday's divisional-round opponent at AT&T Stadium, the Green Bay Packers, once already back in October. But one of Prescott's best traits this season – a big reason he filled in so capably for an injured Tony Romo and then kept the quarterback job with a Pro Bowl selection over 16 starts – is he hasn't allowed the moment to overwhelm him.
"Just continue to be who I am," he said Wednesday following the Cowboys' first practice of the week. "Trust everything the coaches have given me, trust my teammates, trust my preparation and just go out there and play the game as I would."
Prescott completed 18 of 27 passes for 247 yards, three touchdowns and one interception (117.4 passer rating) in a 30-16 win at Lambeau Field on Oct. 16. The Packers entered that game with the league's ninth-ranked defense. They went through a rough patch in the middle of the season – perhaps the team's low point coming in a 42-24 loss to the Washington Redskins in Week 11 that dropped their record to 4-6.
Green Bay has since won seven straight, and their defense has allowed an average of 17.9 points in that stretch. Prescott and the Cowboys' offense have averaged 30.6 points in seven straight home wins.
"We're not putting too much pressure on ourselves or on this team or this situation," Prescott said. "We continue being the same guys we've been all year."
