Dak Prescott on how the Dallas Cowboys got their confidence back

Having won their last three games straight, second-year quarterback Dak Prescott explains how the Dallas Cowboys got their confidence back.

Coming off a pivotal victory over the then 6-2 Kansas City Chiefs, the Dallas Cowboys were just starting to emerge as being the same club that went an impressive 13-3 the season before. Then their best player, running back Ezekiel Elliott, began serving a six-game suspension for suspected domestic violence. Suddenly, the Cowboys’ play took a drastic nosedive.

The first three games without Elliott in the backfield were some of the worst in franchise history. In those three consecutive losses, the Cowboys offense scored a total of 22 points. Their opponents, the Atlanta Falcons, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Chargers, scored a combined a 92 points in response.

Without Zeke, Dallas simply lost their overall team identity. With a record of 5-6, and their playoff hopes diminishing, the Cowboys suddenly shifted in Week 13 against the Washington Redskins. They found something and defeated their divisional foes 38-14 at home.

That positive momentum continued the following week against another NFC East rival, the New York Giants, in a decisive 30-10 victory. And finally, last weekend, Dallas was able to pull out a last minute win over the Oakland Raiders, 20-17.

In a recent interview for the NFL Network with Hall of Famer and Cowboys legendary wide receiver Michael Irvin, quarterback Dak Prescott explained the sudden turnaround in Dallas and how his team starting winning without Zeke in the backfield.

"“I think we quit paying attention to who wasn’t there. We focused on the strengths in the people who were there,” Prescott explained. “We weren’t looking to our left. We weren’t looking to our right in our huddle. We were asking for the ball. We got going. We got our confidence back and started rolling.”"

One of the areas that improved during the Cowboys three-game winning streak was their ability to run the ball. Backup running backs Alfred Morris and Rod Smith started to coming alive during that positive span.

In Dallas’ three losses without Elliott in the backfield, the Cowboys averaged 99.3 rushing yards per game. In the club’s last three contests, which were all victories, that average went up to a whopping 143.3 rushing yards per game.

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With Ezekiel Elliott making his return against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon, expect this rejuvenated Dallas Cowboys team to be at their very best in the Week 16 matchup. They learned how to win without Zeke. Now, how much better can they be with him in the lineup? We’ll have the answer soon enough.