A disappointing 24-16 loss for the Cowboys against Tampa Bay in Week 5 not only dealt an early blow to their Super Bowl hopes but also sparked plenty of backlash. One incident involving Dak Prescott at the stadium attracted significant attention, and now, questions have emerged about the identity of the person involved.

A third-party contracted driver yelled that the team’s effort was “embarrassing” as Prescott walked off, sparking a tense moment. Radio host John Ziegler shared a video of a man who claimed he had made the comment. Ziegler initially said the man had lost his job.

“Dak Prescott apparently did indeed get a (black) Cowboys employee fired over this minor incident. And the guy handled it like a champ, making a very solid point about Prescott,” Ziegler said on X.

However, FOX Sports later found that the man was not a Cowboys employee. John Ziegler subsequently admitted that the video might be fake or misleading, which means that there was no firing.

“Guys, unfortunately, I am now rather confident that this is a fraudulent post. I’m all for sarcasm, but people really need to make sure there is some indication they are joking. This TikTok post did not do that in any way. 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️,” Ziegler posted on X, clarifying that the video might be fraudulent.

The incident happened after the Cowboys lost to the Buccaneers. As Dak Prescott was walking back to the locker room, a third-party contracted worker in the stadium tunnel called the team’s performance “Embarrassing.” The comment upset Prescott. While continuing to walk, he pointed the person out to a Cowboys employee and said, “Tough guy, get his ass out of here.”

He later explained his frustration with the worker.

“When he said it, I just happened to look at him, and at that point, he looked away, didn’t look, and then when I turned my head back, he said something else,” Prescott said after the game. “That’s the part that, as a man or as a person, feel free to speak your mind, speak it, but just don’t cower away from the reaction you’re going to get.”

In high-pressure American football, star quarterbacks always cop criticism, but getting into verbal spats right in the stadium tunnel is rare. Dak later pointed out that fans have every right to feel restless when a team with Super Bowl dreams drops to a 2-3 record. He just expects people to talk straight to his face rather than throwing cheap shots and backing down.

The fans’ frustration is understandable, as the team has now fallen to a 2-3 record, and even Dak Prescott struggled to do enough against the Buccaneers. Prescott completed 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He completed 57.1% of his passes and recorded a 69.1 passer rating.

He later acknowledged that the Cowboys should have won the game.

“We were definitely supposed to win this game, and in this league, you’ve gotta win the games you’re supposed to win,” Prescott said via dallascowboys.com’s Patrik Walker after the game. “When a winless team comes into your home stadium, on Thursday night, primetime game, yeah, we’re supposed to win that. So, it sucks, and right up there close to embarrassing, but I don’t know if I would say that.”

Now, the team is preparing to make major improvements before taking the field next week.

Brian Schottenheimer on the Tough Loss

The Cowboys are set to make major changes ahead of their Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers on October 18. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer highlighted the team’s mindset as it looks to recover from the disappointing defeat.

“When you are a coach, there are going to be things you’re going to correct,” Schottenheimer said after the game. “We are solution-makers. We’re not excuse-makers; we’re solution-makers. That’s what we’re working on really, really hard right now.

“We’re having the hard conversations. We’re looking at the film. We’re studying the areas [of concern]. Those conversations are really important, and we’re having them in all three phases, not just on defense.”

The changes are much needed after Dallas’ performance against Tampa Bay. Despite gaining 366 total yards, the Cowboys lost 24–16 because they made too many mistakes and failed to turn their opportunities into points. They committed three turnovers, including two interceptions and one lost fumble. These mistakes gave Tampa Bay more chances to score and made it harder for Dallas to win the game.

The Cowboys’ biggest problem was their running game. They ran the ball 13 times but gained only 50 yards, averaging 3.8 yards per attempt. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, gained 241 rushing yards on 39 attempts, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

These numbers show how badly the team needs an improved system. Now, let’s wait and see if the changes become visible in the upcoming game, or if things remain the same.