Dak Prescott erupted on the sideline shortly before halftime after Brett Maher missed his third PAT kick of the night. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott slammed his helmet to the ground. He then started yelling in disgust.
Prescott’s rant likely reflected the feelings of the entire Cowboys fan base, as Maher went on to miss four PATs, the first time this has occurred since the NFL began tracking the statistic in 1932.
“I’m Money Maher’s biggest fan,” Prescott insisted after the Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 to advance to the NFC divisional playoffs.
“There’s obviously video of me… that’s just emotion,” Prescott added. “That’s a factor.”
Prescott, who scored five touchdowns against the Buccaneers after a disappointing regular-season finale at Washington, made sure to console Maher.
“I talked to him after the game and told him, ‘Let that go,'” Prescott explained. “He’s going to come in handy. I used to play like (expletive) a week ago. That occurs. Knowing what that guy has done and the resiliency he’s shown throughout his career, there’s no doubt he’ll come back next week and help us win.”
On Sunday, the Cowboys will face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., which has another grass field. Prescott said it was encouraging to see Maher convert in the fourth quarter after missing five consecutive PATs dating back to the regular-season finale.
“I have complete faith in Brett and what he is capable of,” Prescott said. “It’s important to see things go well after the game I had.”
The Cowboys will not bring in kickers for tryouts this week. With 137 points this season, Maher is tied for third in the NFL. He only missed three of his 53 PAT kicks and converted on 90.6% of his field goal attempts (29-of-32).
As Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones put it, “he’s done enough good ones.”
