The Dallas Cowboys suffered a devastating 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday night. Playing at home in AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys were heavily favored to beat the Packers and advance to the divisional round. However, sloppy play and turnovers doomed Dallas, especially in the first half when they fell behind 28-10. After the game, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott took responsibility for the loss and offered a blunt three-word assessment of his performance: “I sucked tonight.”
Prescott’s struggles were a major factor in the Cowboys’ early deficit that proved too much to overcome. He threw two costly interceptions in the first half, including a pick-six that gave Green Bay a 14-7 lead. Prescott had issues with accuracy all night, completing just 53% of his passes despite amassing 400 yards through the air. He finished with three total touchdowns, but his two picks and a fumble lost proved pivotal.
In his postgame press conference, Prescott pulled no punches in critiquing himself. “I sucked tonight. I can’t even say much more than that,” he told reporters. “The whole offense sucked tonight. I sucked tonight. There’s no way of sugarcoating it.” For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, Prescott’s blunt self-assessment underscored how disappointed the Cowboys were in their performance.
The home playoff loss continued a long streak of postseason frustration for Dallas. Sunday marked their 13th straight playoff appearance without reaching a conference championship game. Despite earning the NFC’s No. 2 seed this season, the favored Cowboys once again came up short. “I’m definitely shocked. I didn’t see this coming,” Prescott said about the loss. “All the credit goes to the Packers, they came in here and whooped us.”
Head coach Mike McCarthy also expressed dismay at his team’s sloppy play. “This is very frustrating and disappointing, no question,” McCarthy said after the game. “We just didn’t play with the same urgency and discipline that we’ve come to expect.” He, too, cited turnovers as a huge factor, with the Cowboys coughing up four compared to just one for Green Bay.
The early deficit proved insurmountable, even with Prescott racking up big passing yards after halftime. Trailing 28-10 at the break, the Cowboys tried to mount a comeback but could not stop the Packers’ balanced offensive attack. Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns as Green Bay pulled away for the decisive victory.
Sunday’s loss likely spells major changes ahead for Dallas this offseason. Despite high expectations and plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, the team once again failed to advance in the playoffs. Prescott’s self-criticism shows the quarterback holds himself accountable, but talent alone is not enough for postseason success. After another gutting January defeat, the Cowboys face hard questions about roster construction, coaching staff, and overall mentality. For now, Prescott and his teammates are left to ponder what could have been after a shocking loss when the Lombardi Trophy seemed within reach.
