NFL
Cowboys’ Prescott shoulders the blame after two picks defeat to 49ers
Dallas crashed out of the postseason in the Divisional Round game again as Dak Prescott threw two interceptions against San Francisco.
Ouchie! Another frustrating playoff exit for the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott was quick to accept responsibility for his side’s 19-12 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round after throwing two interceptions.
Prescott accepts mistakes in Cowboys loss
The Cowboys extended their losing run in Divisional Round games to 7-0 since 1997 as they were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers for the second straight season on Sunday. In a game where both teams’ defenses shone, Prescott completed 23 of 37 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown but two interceptions.
The two picks, from Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir, led to six points for the 49ers, which was telling given the final margin.
“Those are throws you can’t have, not in the playoffs,” Prescott said. “Not when you’re playing a team like that [and] on the road. No excuses for it. Those are 100 per cent on me.”
Prescott had a career-high 15 interceptions in the regular season, becoming the first QB to tie or lead the league while missing five or more games. The Cowboys QB also finished the season with his sixth multi-interception game, tied for most in the NFL.
Prescott labelled his interceptions as “ridiculous” and vowed that that total would never be so high again.
“On the first one, I hitched one too many times with [Michael Gallup],” he said. “Understandably, hitching three times, thought I was gonna go on a scramble but the guy just came back to the ball and made a play.
“I’ve gotta throw that one away or use my feet and get out of the pocket. On the second one, the nickel [cornerback] squeezed, and I tried to throw it to CeeDee [Lamb], but the [defender] was able to make a play on it. He tipped it in the air and to the [middle linebacker].”
Jerry Jones reflects on Cowboys exit
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he felt “sick” after another playoffs exit, while head coach Mike McCarthy lamented their inability to convert on offense.
“We knew it was gonna be a slugfest,” McCarthy said. “We just didn’t get enough. You can go through the decisions, the statistics, but I think, defensively, we did a really good job, for the most part. Would we like to have a couple more snaps? Yes. Would we like to have a couple more third-down conversions on offense? Yes, we could’ve used those, too.
“Just extremely disappointed. This has been an incredible journey with this group of men, we just came up short tonight to a very good football team.”