🏈 Time For Dak Prescott To Retake Control

The Cowboys’ recent struggles aren’t all on the QB, but he can right the ship. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The Dallas Cowboys have lost three of their last four games and they need quarterback Dak Prescott to rise to the occasion as they visit the New Orleans Saints ... we take stock of the NBA season so far ... and an MLB pitcher breaks some news on Twitter. It used to feel different when Dak Prescott’s salary was, by NFL standards, a whole lot of next-to-nothing. As the first four years of the Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s career played out, everything seemed and felt like a bit of a freeroll, each winning performance a welcome bonus and always, always, profoundly great value. That’s what happens when you stumble across a situation where you can pay your QB an annual average of less than $700,000 and he performs as well or better than men making around 40 times that much in the same position. It all gets a little shifted — or a lot shifted — when the player himself joins the ranks of the hugely remunerated, and shoulders the hopes and dreams of your franchise in an entirely new way. ​​​​​​​ [STORY IMAGE 1] Prescott isn’t in bonus territory anymore. He’s now paid like one of the very finest QBs in the sport and is expected to play that way. That’s why, at $40 million per year, his efforts in taking the Cowboys to six straight wins earlier in the season didn’t cause anything in the way of outrageous overreaction. And why, after a listless November that brought the team back toward the mean in the NFC, the cold touch of pressure can be said to be hovering over the 28-year-old’s shoulder. [Thursday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET on FOX)]( brings a visit to the New Orleans Saints in what will be the first of three road games. With the slate backloaded with divisional matchups, the once impregnable NFC East lead and guaranteed home playoff spot that comes with it is no longer so great. The Washington Football Team are on a bit of a hot streak and it’s still hard to count out the Philadelphia Eagles. It is time for Prescott to come to the party. Not that he’s been playing poorly, but in four November games that spawned a 1-3 record, it hasn’t been exactly what you’d want from one of the best in the game. [STORY IMAGE 2] “It's very urgent,” Prescott told reporters this week. “It's about us looking in the mirror and checking us first and foremost, and that's what we've done. It's just about going out there and doing everything that we can to heighten our focus, our mindset and our execution come Thursday. “This is a team that’s hungry and that’s pissed off … about the way we’ve executed and the way we’ve played.” Last time out was one of the most frustrating showings of the Cowboys’ season, an ugly overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. In the wake of that, head coach Mike McCarthy, who will be sidelined Thursday after contracting COVID-19, defended Prescott. “You saw Dak’s numbers, it looked like he had good numbers,” McCarthy said, after Prescott threw for 375 yards and two touchdowns, figures boosted by the need to try to claw back into the game late. “If that’s struggling, hell, I’d like to play tomorrow.” It’s a fair point, but also kind of missing the point. Dallas, having shelled out for Prescott and other big contracts like those for Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper in recent years, isn’t looking for a solid season. Owner Jerry Jones wants it all. [STORY IMAGE 3] To first get into strong playoff position and then make a splash once there, they will need outstanding QB play, even with roadblocks such as recent injuries to Cooper and second-year wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Both Dallas and the Los Angeles Rams have the eighth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, [listed at +1200 with FOX Bet](. The Cowboys are a six-point favorite for the clash at Mercedes Benz Stadium, where Taysom Hill will start at QB for the Saints in the absence of the injured Jameis Winston. It is easy to see how a morale-boosting win could put things firmly back on track and Prescott has historically posted strong statistics in December. Yet it's not hard to envision a scenario where more disappointment on Thursday could spark fears of yet another Cowboys season that promised much and ultimately didn’t deliver. [STORY IMAGE 4] On FS1’s "First Things First," Chris Broussard pointed to the Cowboys’ struggling run game as a genuine cause for concern. “It’s certainly not time to panic,” Broussard said. “They’re going to win the division. They’re about to get healthy and five of their last six games are against teams with losing records. If they get things going there with some momentum, maybe they can do something. “(But) Dak, as good as he is, he’s not in that Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes group, where without the run game he can carry the team deep into the playoffs just on the strength of his arm. Not panicking, but that run game has got to improve or they will not do anything.” [STORY IMAGE 5] Prescott gets talked about differently these days, a scenario he was prepared for and is the price you pay for getting that hefty contract. Dallas’ defensive wobbles, rushing deficiencies and injury problems are all part of the issue and it’s right to take that into account, but reality dictates that now there is one place to which the team and its fanbase are looking for a solution. And Prescott knows one thing without any doubt. It’s on him. [IN OTHER WORDS] - With the NBA regular season officially a quarter of the way done, FOX Sports NBA Writer [Melissa Rohlin looks at the surprises and busts so far](. - See where the surging New England Patriots have landed on [the latest installment of Colin Cowherd’s Herd Hierarchy](. - FOX Sports NBA Writer Yaron Weitzman breaks down [how the Brooklyn Nets can finesse their strong roster]( into an elite one. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( MLB pitcher Marcus Stroman got in on Twitter’s free agency frenzy by announcing his next team himself. Wrigley Field, get ready to welcome the right-handed ace. He followed up the original tweet with, “Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities. Culture and passion everywhere. Beyond excited to pitch in front one of the best fan bases in all of sports.” The Cubs are getting a real one. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints (FOX, 8:20 p.m. ET) Dak Prescott and the Cowboys visit New Orleans in the hopes of ending a two-game skid. No. 2 North Carolina State Wolfpack at No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET) The Wolfpack take on the Hoosiers in a women’s Sweet 16 rematch. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints: Cowboys -6 Per FOX Sports' Clay Travis: I think Dallas covers and wins, even without Mike McCarthy. The reason why is partly Dallas, but I think it's more the New Orleans Saints. Jameis (Winston) being hurt has not helped things. Certainly, there's not a lot of reason for optimism based on Trevor Siemian. Now they're going back to Taysom Hill. We see what happens at the quarterback position there. [WHAT THEY SAID] “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” — Jimmy Johnson [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900