Dak Prescott gave the most candid answer to 49ers blowing out Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys, even with a hiccup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, were a legitimate Super Bowl contender heading into a prime-time matchup with the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. It was supposed to be must-see television and could even have cemented the Cowboys’ position as one of the NFL’s best teams and a very real contender to win it all.

Instead, the Cowboys leave San Francisco seeking answers after a 42-10 loss — a result that effectively sums up how superior the 49ers have been in recent years. The 49ers eliminated the Cowboys from postseason play in each of the past two years, but it was this game, one in which Dak Prescott threw three interceptions and could never get anything going offensively, that appears to have brought things into perspective a bit.

Following the loss, Prescott spoke to reporters and used one word that shows the impact this defeat had on a talented Cowboys team: “humbling.”

“I didn’t see it coming ... This might be the most humbling game I’ve ever been a part of,” Prescott told reporters, as The Athletic’s Jon Machota revealed.

It’s impossible to argue with the 30-year-old signal-caller, who’s been front-and-center for each tough loss to the 49ers over the past three seasons. Dallas had no answer for the 49ers across the board: Quarterback Brock Purdy threw four touchdown passes, Christian McCaffrey’s touchdown streak was extended to 14 games and George Kittle caught three passes ... for three touchdowns.

The full game stats were arguably even tougher to look at, as the 49ers out-gained the Cowboys 421 to 197, dominated time of possession 37:05 to 22:55 and San Francisco’s 25 first downs made Dallas’ eight look even worse than it was.

Now the Cowboys will do their best to rally back and prove they can still be a legitimate contender, and fortunately, their upcoming stretch gives them a chance to do just that. They’ll face both Los Angeles teams, the Chargers (on the road) and Rams (at home), before heading for another massive road test against their currently undefeated rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, on Nov. 5.

The Cowboys face more pressure now, but they have an opportunity to rally back and the talent in place to make it happen. Don’t be surprised if the conversation fans and analysts are having sounds very different than the current one after this upcoming stretch.