'Pissed off' Cowboys look to regroup after loss to Lions damages postseason chances

The Dallas Cowboys saw their three-game winning streak end in primetime with a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. The loss was a significant hit to their playoff chances, as Dallas (6-6-1) now sits in 10th place in the NFC standings and is down to a 19% chance to make the playoffs, per SportsLine's projections. 

Where do the Cowboys turn from here? After the loss, quarterback Dak Prescott said the locker room isn't happy with the performance and plans to use Thursday night's setback as fuel down the stretch.

"I think guys are pissed off right now. I don't think this is any deflated moment like, 'Oh, hands are up, we're done.' No, no, absolutely not. I think you're going to get a team that's pissed, especially as we talk about a team that's kind of changed since the bye week," Prescott said, via the Cowboys official website.

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The Cowboys were 3-5-1 heading into their bye week but rebounded with wins over the Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The Cowboys overcame a 21-0 deficit to beat the Eagles 24-21 in a win that seemed like it could be a turning point for the season. Another close win over the Chiefs on Thanksgiving followed, but Dallas' defense was gashed Thursday night in Detroit. It was the third time the team allowed 40-plus points this year, tying a franchise single-season record. 

Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who joined the team from the New York Jets at the trade deadline, said the defense is better than what was on display.

"Man, we are way better than [allowing] 44 points," Williams said. "Man, we've got a great defense. We've got a great defensive line, and we've gotta do our job to the best of our ability, and execute, to the best of our ability, and just make more plays -- especially in this D-line room. We've got the ability to do it."

Three turnovers -- a lost fumble and two Prescott interceptions -- did not help the Cowboys' cause, creating short fields for Detroit's offense. 

"You can't win a game losing that, not in the NFL, and not against a team like that, being minus three in the turnover battle, simple as that…" Prescott said. "We've got to stop that. I know I've had an interception the last three games or so, then obviously two tonight, who cares whose fault it is?"

The Cowboys will look to get back in the win column and keep their playoff chances alive next week against the Minnesota Vikings on "Sunday Night Football." From there, they'll host the Los Angeles Rams before closing out the season with divisional road games against the Washington Commanders and New York Giants.