ARLINGTON, Tex. — With less than three minutes remaining in a tight N.F.L. playoff matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott made the most memorable play of his three-year career. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cowboys.
With his team leading by three points and looking to put the game out of reach, Prescott took the snap on third down at the Seattle 16-yard line, 14 yards from a first down. Settling for a field goal would give the Seahawks a chance to win. Dallas needed that first down.
Seattle’s defense was set up for a pass, so Prescott took a few steps back, then charged forward. He found the seam and scooted past the first down marker. He was tripped up around the three-yard line, did a somersault and landed just short of the goal line. Two plays later, he again ran the ball, this time for a touchdown that gave his team a 10-point cushion — just enough for the Cowboys to hold on for a 24-22 victory. It was the first playoff win for Prescott and the Cowboys’ first postseason victory in four years.
Run @Dak Run! #WPMOYChallenge + Prescott#FinishThisFight pic.twitter.com/ralOsZ63MQ
“He took it on his shoulders,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of Prescott. “He made plays that put us in a position to come out like we did. That’s what you want from your quarterback.”
Depending on the outcome of Sunday’s wild-card games, Jones, Prescott and the Cowboys will face either the Rams in Los Angeles or the Saints in New Orleans next weekend in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Neither opponent will be easy. The Cowboys beat the Saints, 13-10, in November, but that game was in Arlington, not New Orleans, where the Saints have been far more potent. The Rams are even more dominant at home than they are on the road.
Everything seems to be bigger in Texas, including expectations for the Cowboys. In football-mad Texas, Cowboys fans, rightly or wrongly, view anything but a championship as a lost season.
The only problem is the Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1996. Fans in cities like Cleveland and Minnesota would love to have this problem. But Cowboys fans know that their team’s win on Saturday was just the team’s fourth playoff victory since owner Jerry Jones collected his last Vince Lombardi trophy.
Over that time, quarterbacks like Chad Hutchinson, Quincy Carter and Jon Kitna have failed to lead the team back to the promised land. Tony Romo, who lasted a decade, led the Cowboys to the postseason, where his teams flamed out.
Enter Prescott. Jones, who is famously involved in player personnel decisions, signed off on choosing Prescott in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Jared Goff (Rams), Carson Wentz (Eagles), Paxton Lynch (Broncos) and several other quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Prescott.
Thus far, Prescott, 25, might be the best of the bunch. Goff has gaudier passing statistics, but Prescott has been clutch, with 15 game-winning drives, tied with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for most in a quarterback’s first three seasons. Like Wilson, Prescott can run the ball. He scored six rushing touchdowns in each of his three seasons.
Of course, a big part of Prescott’s success depends on running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has led the league in rushing two of his three first seasons. On Saturday, Elliott ran for 137 yards and one touchdown, and caught four passes for 32 yards.
Prescott was solid, completing 22 of 33 passes for 226 yards, and one touchdown pass. After three quiet games, wide receiver Amari Cooper came alive with 106 receiving yards. Wide receiver Tavon Austin played a key role, setting up one score with a 51-yard punt return.
But Cowboys fans will remember Prescott’s run up the middle. Elliott called his performance “legendary,” which even by Texas standards seemed to be a stretch.
“I’m three years in,” Prescott said sheepishly. “For him to stay that, I’ll have to tell him not to say that again, or wait until later.”
Later might be next week. The Rams’ and Saints’ defenses ranked in the middle of the league in points given up. But both teams scored more than 500 points this season. Quarterbacks Goff and Drew Brees have top-ranked running backs behind them in Todd Gurley and Alvin Kamara, as well as a selection of fleet-footed receivers.
The Cowboys defense, led by linemen Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence, and rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, gave up the seventh fewest yards per game this year.
It will be up to Prescott, though, to figure out how to outscore the home team. Otherwise, Saturday’s victory will fade from view and his gutsy run forgotten, something Prescott seems to understand.
“My goal is bigger than one playoff game,” he said.
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