Dak Prescott admits hard Cowboys truth about place in Dallas sports

The pressure is on the Dallas Cowboys on a year-in, year-out basis. They are among the most popular and valuable professional sports franchises in the world, after all. But for nearly 30 years, the Cowboys haven't even reached the Super Bowl, let alone the NFC Championship Game. The 1995 season was the last time the Cowboys reached both big games.

As for other Dallas-based professional sports teams, they are absolutely thriving. The Mavericks are in the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years, where they are facing the Minnesota Timberwolves for a shot at the NBA Finals. The Stars are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Finals for the third time in five years, where they are facing the Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers. Then let's not forget the Texas Rangers, who won their first World Series back in October after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.

With these three teams thriving, the pressure is on the Cowboys to get over the proverbial hump that has been the Divisional Round. The Cowboys themselves know it.

Quarterback Dak Prescott, who is heading into the final year of his current contract, said he is proud of the success of their Dallas colleague and hopes they both win it all. Prescott said that he hopes they "put more f***ing pressure on us."

Dak Prescott hopes Mavericks and Stars puts more pressure on Cowboys

Credit to Prescott for embracing the challenge of trying to live up to the recent success of the Mavericks, Stars, and Rangers. If the Mavericks and the Stars were to win the NBA Championship and Stanley Cup, respectively, that pressure is only going to increase for the Cowboys.

Prescott and the Cowboys were coming off of a tremendous regular season last year. Prescott finished as the runner-up to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for NFL MVP last year after throwing for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on a 69.5 completion percentage. The Cowboys, meanwhile, clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC portion of the playoffs.

The thing is, the Cowboys lost 48-32 to the No. 7 Green Bay Packers. Prescott threw two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six, in the game that helped contribute to the stunning defeat.

This offseason, Cowboys fans were promised by owner Jerry Jones that they would be going "all-in." That didn't result in a spending spree, other than the signings of linebacker Eric Kendricks and former running back Ezekiel Elliott. That can be attributed to the Cowboys having to pay Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and edge rusher Micah Parsons new contracts within the next two years. With the price of quarterbacks increasing, there is a chance that Prescott could hit free agency. So, this could very well be his last run with the team.

Anything is possible. But recent history has shown that the Cowboys haven't been able to conquer those playoff demons and make it to the NFC Championship Game, at minimum. Prescott is embracing the pressure, especially if the Mavericks and Stars are the last teams standing in the NBA and NHL, respectively.