FRISCO, Texas -- At 2-4 and in the midst of a two-game losing streak, Dak Prescott knows it is time for the Dallas Cowboys to turn the season around.
He said the mindset of the team is "determined, and I would hope urgent," heading into Monday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
"We can only say we've got a lot of games in front of us for so long. Might be already past us, right? We've got to go win," Prescott said. "You've got to go win. You want to give yourself a chance to be a winning team, to be a playoff team. You got to win as many games as you can, and when you drop two games -- in particular games that we didn't expect to drop -- it makes it that much harder. So urgent, urgent to get it done now."
Despite the record, ESPN Analytics still gives the Cowboys the best chance to win the NFC East at 68%. The New York Giants are currently in first place with a 3-2-1 record but will turn to J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback. Like the Cowboys, the Eagles are 2-4, but they will be without quarterback Jalen Hurts for the rest of the regular season due to blood clots. The Washington Commanders are in last place with a 1-4-1 record.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said, "Anybody can win this division, so why not us?
He added, "Very fortunate that everybody else is playing pretty bad. But overall, just everything is still in front of us. We still have our opportunity to do what we want to do, and that's to get in the tournament, and it starts on Monday. So just shaking that back and getting back into the win column I feel like is the most important thing, and that's been the point of emphasis this week."
The Cowboys' defense has struggled this season under first-year coordinator Christian Parker -- 25th in points per game (26.5), 30th in yards (382.5), including the last-ranked run defense (149.8 yards) -- and the Dallas offense has hit a wall the last two weeks, scoring just 29 points.
The Cowboys have not been able to sustain a running game, and there has been a lack of big plays, in part because of how they have handled the blitz in the last two games. Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer, who serves as the playcaller, has come under criticism with an offense that was among the most accomplished last year and returned everybody in 2026.
"I think it comes with the territory. I think some of it is deserved. We've got to play better. I've got to coach better," Schottenheimer said Thursday. "When you grow up in a family that your dad's a head coach for over 20-something years, you understand that this is part of the job description. No one likes it. I block out most of it. Some of it gets to me doing this job, and having to speak to you guys is part of that. But at the same time, I've got strong shoulders.
"I know what a great coach I am. I know what this team is capable of, and that's what I focus on."
Perhaps playing in a hostile environment on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" can help.
"It's one of the few opportunities that you get that you feel like you're truly on the road, you know you're hated," Prescott said. "It's you guys and those guys on that sideline vs. the world, it feels like. And that's what football's supposed to be when you go on the road and you go to someone else's house. You want that feeling. You want that atmosphere. There's nothing better than hearing them quiet or getting them to boo their team. It's just a great atmosphere. They love football up there. They expect to win, and that's what makes the environment so fun and hectic."