DALLAS – Andy Dalton knows that for that he signed with the Dallas Cowboys … in case one day Dak Prescott was missing and had to compete.
Dalton acknowledged that he and his offense in general played their most complete game of the season; which keeps them alive in their postseason math aspirations, despite all the problems the Cowboys have had, on and off the field.
The Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 37-17 last Sunday, with 377 yards and 3 touchdowns per Dalton pass and 151 yards per run, led by Ezekiel Elliott’s 105.
“From the first day I got here I told them (in the press) that I was coming to Dallas in case one day they needed me to come in to play for Dak and that I was going to prepare like never before to try to help this team in win games, ”Dalton said. “Sadly, I also told them that if I played it was for the wrong reasons, like Dak’s injury.”
Prescott has been injured all season since the fifth game. Since then 4 quarterbacks have opened games for the Cowboys because Dalton suffered a concussion in his first starter start, followed by a Covid contagion.
He has played in eight games, in which the Cowboys are 4-4, including three straight wins, which lead them to a win on Sunday, and a Washington defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, to qualify in the postseason as champions. the Eastern division of the National Conference.
“It means a lot to me,” Dalton acknowledged. “I want to help lead this team and do everything I can to win. It’s a satisfaction the way we’ve played the last three weeks. We talk about momentum and that’s what we’ve been through.”
“It all starts with a win and then take that momentum to win the second and now it’s three,” he added. “We have one more chance and we need to seize it.”
On Sunday, Dalton distributed the ball among his top three receivers as expected since they recruited CeeDee Lamb in the first round of the Draft.
Michael Gallup had six receptions, Amari Cooper, four; Lamb, three, and Dalton Schultz 3 p.m. The first two got identical 121 yards, and Lamb 65.
“With the talent we have among the receivers, I feel like we can do anything,” he mentioned. “We had good looks, thanks to the good protection of the line and we executed well.”
The head coach of the Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, Said Dalton’s main virtue was to let the ball go in rhythm, on time and with good readings from the rival defense.
“He realized he could have some advantages in duels outside of his receivers,” McCarthy explained. “I think he was very patient. They (Eagles) have a good front line, but Andy read well.”
“I think we were extremely efficient on offense,” he added. “We’re doing a good job protecting the ball and we’ll need that next week.”
In a season far below the Cowboys ’expectations, Dalton believes something can still be rescued, if they advance to the playoffs.
“It’s a long season,” he said. “We’ve been through some really tough times this season. But at the end of the day, we’re playing our best football in December and heading into January.”
“We know we need to complete our work and see how the rest develops,” he added. “We’ve done our best to get to this point. We have yet another big game next week. And we’ll see what happens …”.
Another motivation for Dalton is that if the Cowboys advance to the playoffs he will get an extra million dollars in salary, as part of the deal he signed for one season.