FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' 13-9 Week 12 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday wasn't even an hour old as Dak Prescott spoke.
"This thing is behind us," the Cowboys quarterback said. "It's already behind me. It's behind this team. We'll be on [Monday], getting ready for the Bills. So I mean we've got a quick one coming up on Thursday, and we can't have a hangover. We'll be ready and we'll be ready to go."
Prescott and the Cowboys have no choice but to be past that "thing" from Sunday. It was a thing that cost the Cowboys (6-5) another chance to show they can not only compete but defeat the NFL's best. It was a thing that looked like so many other things in their four other losses this season: Poor starts, poor tackling at times, poor execution on offense, poor special teams, poor coaching decisions.
"We had opportunity here to do some things against a really outstanding organization, a really outstanding team in a rough situation. And we just didn't get there," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. "That's disappointing, and I'm reflecting it. I don't think there's a game that a coaching staff couldn't do better in. I just don't like that we've got so many [issues] as I'm standing here."
Jones will have plenty of decisions to make whenever this season ends, starting with his coach, Jason Garrett. Jones sounded more frustrated after the New England loss about his coaching staff than at any point of the Garrett era.
Making a change with five games to go -- either with Garrett or another member of the staff -- would seem impetuous and not accomplish much. The Cowboys made an in-season change last year when Paul Alexander was fired as offensive line coach and replaced by Marc Colombo, but there were nine games to go and a bye week then.
Tim Hasselbeck lists the various reasons contributing to the Cowboys' 13-9 loss to the Patriots and how weather and mindset may have played a factor.
Jones was asked if the Cowboys need to win their remaining games to make the playoffs.
"I don't know," he said. "It has a lot to do with what Philadelphia does, of course."
If there is a team as disappointing as the Cowboys, maybe it is the Eagles (5-6), who have lost back-to-back home games against New England and Seattle. Four of Philadelphia's five remaining games are against the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins.
The Dec. 22 matchup against the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field could be for the NFC East title.
While the Eagles appear to have an easier trip to nine wins, the Cowboys, according to ESPN's Football Power Index, are favored in each of their final five games.
Here's a look at the Cowboys' chances via FPI: Thursday vs. Buffalo -- 78.6%; Dec. 5 at Chicago -- 61.0%; Dec. 15 vs. Los Angeles Rams -- 67.5%; Dec. 22 at Philadelphia -- 52.8% and Dec. 29 vs. Washington -- 94.0%.
The Cowboys have yet to beat a team with a winning record, losing to the Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
"We've got to get over the hump, simple as that," Prescott said. "Fortunately, in some ways, we still control our destiny. That's the good part about it. We've just got to figure it out and beat some of these good teams to put ourselves in position to make it to that tournament and then be able to beat those teams then."
It is conceivable the Cowboys could lose to the teams currently with a winning record on their schedule (Buffalo and the Rams) and still make the playoffs.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, there have been five teams in the Super Bowl era to make the postseason without beating a team with a winning record in the regular season: the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs (0-1), 2003 Seahawks (0-2), 1998 Arizona Cardinals (0-2), 1970 Cincinnati Bengals (0-2), 1969 Houston Oilers (0-3).
"Look, now's not the time to look back on how you got here," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "There were some good things and that's a 10-1 team for a reason. They're the defending champions for a reason. They're well-coached, they play well fundamentally and they challenge you as individual players. So you've got to process it, move forward and find ways to get wins … Your margin is tight right now for this football team, but we're still a confident team. It really is, but ultimately you've got to go make plays. You've got to find ways to win games and do what winning teams do."
The Cowboys are not looking at it as a five-game season. They are looking at it as five one-game seasons, starting Thursday against the Bills (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
"It's tough, but it's what this game is about," right tackle La'el Collins said. "It comes down to those last-second-plays, those plays you wish you could have had back in the beginning. We just got to do a better job at finishing. Finishing drives, taking it one play at a time and enforcing our will. That's what we've got to do as a team, as an offense. I think we're going to be all right. We've gone through some adversity. It's only going to make us stronger.
"Right now, it either makes you or breaks you, so you're either going to rise up or you ain't gonna do nothing."