Dak Prescott suffered an injury in the first half of the Dallas Cowboys‘ 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Prescott did not miss time after the injury but was ineffective on a rough night all around for Dallas, as it was dominated by San Francisco in a lopsided loss where not much went right. He and the offense’s struggles only compounded a tough outing for the Cowboys’ defense.
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Dak Prescott Injury Update
Prescott suffered an injury to his middle finger during the first half of Dallas’ bout with San Francisco. The Cowboys training staff checked out his right hand before taping up his middle finger.
#Cowboys QB Dak Prescott had his throwing hand examined by the team training staff. His middle finger is now taped up.
Will this affect him in the second half❔ pic.twitter.com/IaCSKHJLrq
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 9, 2023
Prescott did not miss any game time with the injury, as he got it taped up between series. He went 10 of 16 for 85 yards and one touchdown in the first half, and Dallas went into halftime trailing San Francisco 21-7.
The Cowboys also had offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz go down with an ankle injury in the second quarter before returning to the game.
Although he did not miss time Sunday, questions remain as to how much the injury affected Prescott and whether it will impact his play moving forward.
Prescott Pulled After Night of Struggles
Prescott’s night ended early in the fourth quarter as he was relieved by backup quarterback Cooper Rush after throwing interceptions on three consecutive drives.
Dallas’ longtime starting quarterback struggled against San Francisco’s defense as he went 14 of 24 for just 153 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions on the night. He got 26 of those yards on the lone touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin.
Prescott’s struggles were amplified in the second half as he went 4 of 8 for 68 yards and all three INTs after the Cowboys took a 21-7 deficit into halftime.
His first pick came with 6:15 left in the third quarter as Prescott looked deep for Brandin Cooks but was well off the mark and intercepted by Tashaun Gipson.
San Francisco scored on a lengthy drive, then Prescott threw a second interception on the second play of Dallas’ next possession as a pass ricocheted into the air off Michael Gallup and was caught by Fred Warner. The 49ers scored on the very next play.
DAK THROWS ANOTHER PICK 🤯
Fred Warner gets the interception off the deflection and the Niners are DESTROYING the Cowboys 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7Lh30xYodg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 9, 2023
Prescott was then picked off a third time on the third play of the Cowboys’ ensuing drive as Oren Burks read a pass play and jumped in front of Cooks for the interception.
It all amounted to a rough day for Prescott and Dallas’ offense that did its defense no favors.
Social Reaction to Dak’s Disastrous Outing
Analysts and fans took to X to express their frustrations with Prescott’s performance, one that only intensified debates about whether the Cowboys can contend for a Super Bowl with him leading the way.
Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless took to the platform to show his disdain for Prescott by throwing his jersey in a trash can.
That’s it. I am DONE DONE with Dak Prescott. Jerry should be, too.pic.twitter.com/kwQEgabAkW
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 9, 2023
Fellow Fox Sports analyst David Helman described the outing as a “low point” in Prescott’s career.
A no-show that will live in Cowboys infamy. A low point in Dak Prescott's career, for sure.
And like I said earlier. They'll win plenty more games this season, but I'm not sure they can do anything that will get this stink off them. They have the unfortunate distinction of being…
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) October 9, 2023
Another said the blame for the offensive woes belongs with both Prescott and the struggling playmakers around him.
Right now Mike McCarthy is asking Dak Prescott to elevate an offense that can’t run the ball with receivers that can’t get open. Prescott is failing to do that. Both of those facts need to be addressed by both McCarthy and Prescott.
— Joe Fragano (@JoeFragano) October 9, 2023
Finally, Action Network reposted a clip of Prescott from earlier in the week talking about drawing motivation from Dallas’ past losses to San Francisco, including playoff defeats each of the last two seasons.
"You just want to piss me off going into this week and I appreciate that." – Dak Prescott before the 49ers game
He just threw his third interception. pic.twitter.com/KTRUHN30GW
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 9, 2023
One thing is for certain: Prescott and the Cowboys have plenty of room for growth to reach the level of the NFL’s top contenders.