ARLINGTON, Texas -- At the start of the month, after a dominating win against the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was more than willing to discuss the impending matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, who had ended the Cowboys' previous two seasons.
The Cowboys ended up losing 42-10 at Levi's Stadium.
At the close of the month, after Sunday's 43-20 domination of the Los Angeles Rams, Jones was unusually quiet when it came to the impending matchup with another NFC elite, the Philadelphia Eagles, next week.
"Let's soak this one up," he said. "I don't want to do anything to poke the bear."
Dak Prescott did not believe Jones was willing to suppress his feelings about the Philadelphia game. The quarterback needed to be told the "poke the bear" comment to believe it.
"Whether you talk about it or not, we know what's ahead of us," Prescott said. "Great opportunity. Excited for us. Excited for obviously an opponent we're familiar with and vice versa. Yeah, I'm excited for it.
"Big, big, big rival. Division game. Obviously down the road it means something. It will mean something as we get further down the line in the season. So, trust me, the guys in the locker room, myself, we know what this game means."
The Cowboys carried high emotions into the San Francisco game. The losses in the wild-card and divisional round the past two seasons pierced their confidence. They wanted to show they belonged with the NFC's elite but were walloped in every way, leaving most everyone believing they were the same old Cowboys.
The Cowboys (5-2) get a second chance to show what they can be against an elite team in Week 9 versus the Eagles (7-1) at Lincoln Financial Field (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox).
"I like where we are," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I like where we are and who's next is irrelevant. Frankly, we can talk more about that on Wednesday."
McCarthy was more willing to discuss the complementary nature of Sunday's win. Prescott completed 80% of his passes, had four touchdowns and his first 300-yard passing game of the season. The defense harassed the Rams into just 280 yards and scored a touchdown (a pick-six by cornerback DaRon Bland). The special teams contributed a safety and a 63-yard kickoff return after the safety.
But the 23-point margin of victory against the Rams allowed for more discussion about the Eagles than the dissection of Los Angeles.
"I mean, that's another game," left guard Tyler Smith said. "They're an elite team. We're an elite team. It's going to be another game and we've got to bring our A-game."
The Cowboys didn't bring it against San Francisco and have paid the price since, although back-to-back wins have them at 5-2. Since Jones took over in 1989, the Cowboys have been 5-2 or better 13 times and made the playoffs on 12 occasions.
"I look at it as another opportunity to continue to build and focus on us," said wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who has scored a touchdown in each of his past two games. "Not get caught up in all the hype of what type of game this is, and just focus on what we got in front of us. Continue to build what we have from an everyday standpoint and let everything take care of itself."
Last season, the Cowboys and Eagles split their season series, but Prescott did not play in the first game (a Dallas loss) because of a broken thumb. Jalen Hurts did not play in the rematch (a Cowboys win) because of a shoulder injury.
Since becoming the Cowboys' starter in 2016, Prescott has an 8-3 record against the Eagles. He has 19 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.
"Excited for this matchup," Prescott said. "Yeah, it's fun, and then anytime you go to Philly it just makes it a little bit more fun. Excited for it. Going to enjoy this win, enjoy it for the day and then turn the page [Monday] and, yeah, we understand what's ahead of us."