For all the bad that came out of Dallas' opening loss to the New York Giants, star quarterback Dak Prescott did close in on one of the major Cowboys franchise records, and he and his former teammates are talking about it.
Could George Pickens be part of that record? He'll have to be better than he was in the opener, and he thinks that's going to happen. So does safety PJ Locke, who figures to take on a larger role as Dallas deals with an injury.
Here is Dallas' day.
Dak Prescott closes in on team record
With two touchdown passes in the otherwise forgettable opening 28-20 loss to the New York Giants, Prescott now has 245 in his career, three behind his predecessor Tony Romo for the all-time Cowboys lead.
For this occasion, ESPN caught up with Prescott and some of the players who caught those
passes to have them talk about their memories.
"I might remember every single one of them," Prescott told ESPN.
He sure remembers his first.
"Slant to Dez in the fourth quarter against Chicago," Prescott said of his Week 3, 2016, 17-yard pass to Dez Bryant.
Tight end Jason Witten, now a coach with the Oklahoma Sooners, remembers a pass later that year in Week 8 as the Cowboys topped Philadelphia in overtime after a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter. Dallas won it on the opening drive of overtime, back when such things were allowed, with a 5-yard second-down pass from Prescott to Witten.
"I was running away from the guy and I just kind of stepped back and so it kind of went against the grain if you will and stepped back instead of keeping on scrambling and mirroring him," Witten told ESPN. "He immediately saw it and immediately threw it. It was almost like he saw it at the same time I saw it — and didn't even flinch … it was at a critical time but that's my favorite one just because it was the Eagles and it was fairly early on in our time together."
'We can all get better'
Cowboys receiver Pickens was uncharacteristically quiet in the opening loss to the Giants, when he caught three passes on six targets with two drops for 28 yards. That included a pivotal drop late in the first half that preceded a game-turning interception thrown by Prescott.
In an interview with DallasCowboys.com, Pickens expects a quick bounce-back against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 20.
"It's definitely urgent, because it's a division game, such as the Giants was," Pickens told DallasCowboys.com. "We definitely need to nail down our Ps and Qs. I think that's the mindset that people are honing in on now."
He acknowledged the need for a better start and more focus this week.
That was "the first game, but I know we got a lot more games to come," he said of the loss to the Giants. "But, definitely as a unit, and I think Schotty (coach Brian Schottenheimer) said that, too: as a team, I feel like we could have started a little faster. (It's) always motivating.
"We probably, as a team, all can get better, and we will when we come out this weekend."
PJ Locke may need to step up
One of the Cowboys' biggest off-season acquisitions, safety Locke, had a busy opener while playing 63 snaps against the Giants, and could see that increase with an injury to fellow safety Malik Hooker that will keep him out for two weeks.
Locke is eager to get on the field and get rid of the bad taste of the opening loss.
"You always look forward to starting, for sure," Locke told DallasCowboys.com. "Going out there and getting the bulk of everything, yeah, this is what you play football for at the end of the day. It's going to be my debut going into the Cowboys' stadium, and I'm excited."
The Beaumont native and University of Texas alum is excited to be wearing the star on his helmet in AT&T Stadium for the first time.
"It means a lot to me, man," Locke told DallasCowboys.com. "I went to Texas, now I'm down here in Dallas. It's almost like a sense of wanting to get everything right. And just having something for people to be excited for. Also, it means a lot for me to get the Cowboys to the Super Bowl. I was one step close to that last year, and I feel like I'm a lot more excited to do that with the Cowboys."
Jaishawn Barham likely to replace DeMarvion Overshown at linebacker, green dot
With linebacker DeMarvion Overshown out for one to two weeks with a hamstring injury, Dallas is looking both for a new linebacker and a new player to wear the green dot that goes to the player with microphone communication with the coaching staff when they take on the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
On both accounts, that is likely to be rookie Jaishan Barham. The third-round pick out of Michigan was a star of the preseason but struggled, along with most of the defense, in Week 1.
He'll get his shot at redemption quickly.
When do the Dallas Cowboys play next?
The Dallas Cowboys return to action for Week 2 when they take on the Washington Commanders in their home season debut at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Sept 20. The 2:25 p.m. MT/3:25 p.m. CT kick will be televised on FOX.
Where can you get official Dallas Cowboys merch?
The full range of official Dallas Cowboys gear is available from their online store.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Can Dak Prescott’s record chase help Dallas Cowboys avoid 0-2 start?
