FRISCO, Texas – Dak Prescott expects more from himself, even if he's caught some bad breaks lately.
For the first time in his NFL career, the Cowboys' starting quarterback has thrown an interception in more than two consecutive games. Four, to be exact.
"I've never had a stretch like this," he said Thursday. "I think I told (Amari) Cooper something like, 'Damn, these are coming in bunches.'
"Some of them are frustrating, but at my position you've got to let them go and you've got to keep moving forward. That's the great part about this position – you get the ball in your hands the next play."
There's some give and take with Prescott's numbers. He currently ranks fifth in the league in interceptions (6). He's also tied for second in touchdown passes (11).
The Cowboys' passing game has been more explosive so far under first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Through five games last year, the offense had 10 pass plays of at least 20 yards. This year? Twenty-four, including 11 in the team's last two games, both losses to the Packers and Saints.
A more aggressive downfield approach can make mistakes more likely, sometimes inevitable. Prescott piled up a career-high 463 passing yards against the Packers but threw three interceptions in a game for the first time in two years.
His teammates are quick to point out that those mistakes aren't all on him.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper blamed himself for Prescott's first two picks. One bounced off his hands. The other was meant for fellow wideout Randall Cobb, but Cooper said he didn't clear out enough space for Cobb on his own route. Prescott said he forced the pass into coverage.
The third pick came after his intended receiver, Michael Gallup, got interfered with. No flag was thrown, however.
"It's not just the quarterback," tight end Jason Witten said. "Certainly the ball is in his hand and he's the decision maker, so a lot of that gets pointed his way. But he's just resilient.
"We've gotten sloppy a little bit offensively, but we're united, we know what we have to do to get it corrected and I think we're still confident that we can get it back rolling."
Said Moore: "All of them are kind of independent situations. You acknowledge it, you say, 'I could have done this better,' whether it's play-calling, maybe he wants to take back a throw, maybe we can help on the route, whatever it may be. You have to look at it independently. And I don't we need a drastic change because of circumstances the last few weeks."
Regardless of the circumstances, Prescott has always prided himself on taking care of the football. He threw only four interceptions as a rookie starter in 2016, earning Offensive Rookie of Year honors.
But he and the offense still plan to attack when possible.
"For me, it's not about changing anything that I've done," he said. "I like where I'm at mentally and physically. Just do a better job at it. But I'm not changing the way I play this game."
