Dak Prescott takes issue with 'embarrassing' comment by heckler after Cowboys' loss to Bucs

A detractor prompted a sharp response from Prescott both in the hallway and at the podium

Oct 9, 2026 at 9:26 am ET • 2 min read

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned their first win of the season on Thursday night, as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 24-16. It's also fair to say that the Cowboys earned an embarrassing loss.

An undrafted rookie quarterback in Jalon Daniels, making his second career start, came into AT&T Stadium and helped drop 419 yards of total offense on the Cowboys' head in front of the sports world in primetime. The Cowboys' offense wasn't much better, as Brian Schottenheimer's unit turned the ball over three times in the second half. 

After the game, a viral exchange took place between a service driver and quarterback Dak Prescott. As the Cowboys' signal-caller made the quiet walk to the locker room in the bowels of "Jerry World," someone was heard saying, "embarrassing." Prescott then shot a look in that person's direction. 

"He heard me," the man said. 

"You say that once I look off, huh?" Prescott responded. 

Check out what happened, courtesy of Spectrum News 1:

The interaction quickly went viral, forcing Prescott to address it in his postgame press conference.

"Yeah. I mean, not that they're not wrong," Prescott said. "But the thing was I just ... yeah. I don't know if it was an employee, it was a driver, whoever it was, he's free to speak his mind."

Did Prescott feel disrespected by the comment? Did he agree with it?

"When he said it, I just happened to look at him," Prescott said. "And at that point, he looked away, didn't look, and then when I turned my head back, he said something else, and so that's the part that just as a man or as just a person — feel free to speak your mind, just speak it. Don't coward away from the reaction that you're going to get. If you're saying it's embarrassing, say it's embarrassing; if you're saying it to me, then say it to me, you know what I mean? Go back on it. So that's all that was, and hate it that it's even being talked about to be honest with you."

KDFW Fox 4 reports that the man who made the "embarrassing" comment was a car service driver, and not a stadium employee. 

The Cowboys' performance on Thursday night was embarrassing, marking the largest upset of the 2026 NFL season thus far. Dallas was favored by 9.5 points over a previously winless team starting a backup quarterback, yet was outplayed in virtually every facet of the game. 

The Buccaneers outrushed the Cowboys 241 yards to 50 yards; outgained the Cowboys 419 yards to 366; did better on third downs (7-of-13 compared to 4-of-10); won the turnover battle, 3-0; and dominated time of possession 39:21 to 20:39. The Cowboys don't look like a team capable of making the playoffs, and the defense is still one of the worst in the NFL.