Dak Prescott says faith in God is carrying Cowboys: ‘It’s all about giving Him the glory’ 

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is not one to shy away from discussing his faith, but he said Sunday that this year’s team is bolder about belief in God than teams in past years, led by their head coach.

Prescott made the comments after leading the Cowboys to a thrilling 34-30 win at Houston, capped by a last-minute touchdown drive that saw him complete a 12-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb with 40 seconds left, giving Dallas the lead for good.

After the game, second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer told a room full of reporters that one word – “God-fidence” – is helping define the team. The Cowboys’ win came seven days after a heartbreaking last-second loss to Baltimore in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“God is good,” Schottenheimer said Sunday.

Prescott spoke to the media moments later and was asked if the team is expressing its faith more than teams in past years.

“Absolutely,” he responded.

“Credit Schotty [Schottenheimer] and his leadership and the way that he’s opened that up. That’s who he is. That’s who I am. That’s who a lot of the guys on our team are and just trying to be contagious and understand we’re all here because of God and we’re all here to serve a greater purpose.”

Prescott, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who is in his 11th year in the league, said his faith shapes the way he views both victories and setbacks.

“That’s my point about opening your perspective up when things happen – win, lose, or draw – what’s the purpose? What does God have meaning for this? We may not always have the answers for it but we know what God wants us to do in our response – and that is being the best versions of ourselves, serving Him, serving others and doing it with just pure love.”

Prescott also credited the team’s chaplains, longtime Dallas-area pastor Tony Evans and his son, Jonathan Evans.

“I’ve been through so much in my life,” Prescott said. “God’s always been the reason and who I fall back on and my refuge, as I say. I can’t thank Him enough and never will be able to thank Him enough.

“And just to see that transcend throughout our team, starting with our head coach, is special. It’s something that we take pride in. But at the end of the day, it’s about giving Him the glory. From that, good things will come.”

Earlier this season, Schottenheimer said Tony Evans was encouraging the players to be open about their faith.

“Faith is really important to our football team. We’ve got an incredible team chaplain, Dr. Tony Evans. He’s world-renowned,” Schottenheimer said in September, according to Dallas Sports Journal. “He’s probably more well known than certainly myself and a lot of other players. He’s preached all over the world. His message is incredible. But when we have chapels and things like that, we talk about a lot of different things. And Tony’s message is it’s about being open about your faith.

“… So we’re very open about it,” Schottenheimer added. “You’ll see our guys before games and during the game giving praise to God. You’ll see it. So our faith is real. He has blessed us tremendously to be able to play this great game and to do it together.”

The Cowboys are in third place in the NFC East at 2-2. They host the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday at AT&T Stadium.

(Image credit: Screenshot/Fox)