On the heels of a ho-hum performance in a season-opening loss to the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott would earnestly love to shock his detractors, including Landon Collins.
Ahead of Sunday's game against the Cowboys, the Giants safety said New York's strategy for success relies on putting the game into Prescott's hands.
"We're making sure we close the air out of their offensive running game," Collins said, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "If we do that, put the ball in Dak's hands, I think we'll have a better shot at winning."
Prescott seems eager to make Collins regret those words.
"Challenge accepted," Prescott told reporters Thursday. "Challenge accepted."
Considering the other primary weapon Dallas possesses on offense (Ezekiel Elliott), the idea of forcing the Cowboys to rely on Prescott and the unproven receiving corps makes sense. Prescott has struggled to replicate the kind of numbers he put up as a rookie. Against the Panthers, he completed 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards. In seven of the last nine games, he's failed to eclipse the 200-yard mark.
It's those kind of shortcomings that have pushed rival defenses to focus their attention on stopping the Cowboys' running attack rather than fear Dak. The third-year quarterback, however, is acutely aware of the reputation he's beginning to garner among loose-lipped defensive backs, and he seems willing to do what it takes to his game around.
"I didn't play well [against the Panthers], and the only way I know how to play better is to go to work and put in the time, put in the time the right way with the right focus, and that has been my plan," Prescott said.
