ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nothing seems to bother Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
A year ago, it didn’t matter if Tony Romo was on the sideline in a sweat suit or in full pads, Prescott simply performed. On Sunday, it didn’t matter that Romo was in the broadcast booth at midfield, calling his first Cowboys game for CBS.
Prescott did what he has done almost every time the Cowboys have asked: He made plays at key moments to deliver a win. This time, it was a 28-17 decision over the Kansas City Chiefs.
“He is playing at the highest level in the NFL right now,” said Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. “That was certainly evident out there. He had an outstanding game.”
The final numbers are what have become typical of Prescott: 21-of-33 for 249 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran three times for 27 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half.
But it was how Prescott handled the game after his touchdown run with 13 seconds to go in the second quarter that showed his best quality.
The Chiefs sucked the life out of the Cowboys’ momentum with the most improbable of touchdowns from Tyreek Hill on the final play of the first half and the most methodical of drives to start the second half for a 17-14 lead.
First, Prescott used his feet to defeat the Chiefs. Then he did it with his arm.
And it was when the Cowboys needed it most too.
On the first drive of the third quarter, he completed one pass (10 yards to Dez Bryant), but he ran twice for 17 yards, including a 4-yard pickup on a key third-and-3 conversion before Ezekiel Elliott’s 2-yard touchdown run.
On the second drive of the second half, Prescott used his arm to beat the Chiefs. He completed 6 of 7 passes for 60 yards. His only incompletion came on a perfectly thrown ball to Bryant, who was unable to hold on to it after taking a big hit.
On that drive, he completed passes to Cole Beasley, Bryant, Terrance Williams and Brice Butler, before connecting for a second touchdown pass of the game to Beasley to give the Cowboys a 28-17 lead with 8:58 to play.
“He’s someone that can beat you in a lot of different ways,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “He makes plays in the pocket and he makes plays out of the pocket. He makes plays with his feet. He did that all throughout this ballgame. He did that at the critical moments of the game. Talk about responding. That’s a quarterback’s job as the leader of the offense, to lead that response. He did that with his poise, his demeanor and his execution.”
That’s what Romo did so well over the years as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback. It’s what Prescott has done in 23 career games.
Prescott is on pace for 32 touchdown passes and eight rushing touchdowns this season. Sunday's outing was the fifth time he has had at least two touchdown passes and one touchdown run; only one Cowboy -- Pro Football Hall of Famer Roger Staubach -- has more (six). His 10 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons are the most by a quarterback; Buffalo’s Tyrod Taylor and Carolina’s Cam Newton have nine.
“There’s nothing Dak can’t handle,” Bryant said.
If there was emotion this week, it had nothing to do with Romo’s return to AT&T Stadium. It had everything to do with his mother, Peggy. On Friday, he marked the four-year anniversary of her death with a tweet.
It's Been a Long 4 Years but Not a Day Goes By Without Me Thanking God for You! #MOM #FAITH pic.twitter.com/7zqdRX75cZ
— Dak Prescott (@dak) November 3, 2017
“As I said in the tweet, not a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about the impact my mom had on me and my life,” Prescott said. “I think about her every day. So a date that means what it means, yeah, there are some emotions on that day; but for me, it is about thinking good and thinking great memories and the good things she told me.”
Peggy would have liked everything about Sunday.