Dak Prescott reaffirms confidence in Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy after blowout loss to Lions

Following the Dallas Cowboys’ 49-7 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, there was no shortage of criticism thrown at Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. On Monday, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott defended his leader.

“The man he is, the preparation that he puts into this, the leader — I’ll go to war for that guy, with that guy, every single day,” Prescott said, per The Athletic‘s Jon Machota. “I’m not the only one in that locker room. I feel like everybody feels that.

“If you heard what he said after that game (last night), not something that I care to let you guys in on honestly, but strong message. Strong message. In a loss, to be able to feel that way and show those emotions and respond, I’ll follow him. I’ll follow him. I know he said it to you guys, he said it in there, he’s looking in the mirror, as we all should. Thankful for him as my coach. Period.”

The Cowboys needed a message of encouragement after their loss on Sunday. The 49-7 shellacking was the organization’s worst home loss since 1988. The Cowboys looked like a different team compared to their previous two wins, Prescott included.

In the loss, Dak Prescott only completed 17-of-his-33 pass attempts for 178 yards and threw two interceptions while failing to find a touchdown. For reference, Prescott tallied 352 passing yards and two touchdowns only one week prior.

Despite Prescott’s strong defense of McCarthy, not everybody will be deterred from calling for the headman’s job. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighed in on the odds that the Cowboys fire McCarthy before the end of the season.

“First of all, that’s not [Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’] history,” Schefter said. “No. 2, who do you want to appoint from that staff that’s going to be a better coach than Mike McCarthy? Who on that staff is taking over? His contract is up after this year, so there’s no reason for the best coach on their staff not to continue on, let the season play out and then make a decision, especially considering Jerry’s history.

“He just hasn’t made in-season coaching moves. He’s been as patient, if not more patient, than just about any owner in the NFL. So, that has not been his history. There’s not a better coach on the staff than Mike McCarthy. It’s the quick solution. ‘Oh, the team stunk at home because they lost 47-9.’ Whereas a week earlier, they won in Pittsburgh. They won a tough game that nobody was picking them to win.”