Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is playing just as hard as he would if his team were in the playoff hunt.
The Dallas Cowboys knew Saturday night that they were eliminated from playoff contention after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders.
Then came the Los Angeles Chargers, who stomped them 34-17 at AT&T Stadium, and Dallas' weekend got worse.
With Dak Prescott being defiant in not wanting to sit out and playing with a sense of pride, No. 4 was asked how tough it was to maintain the rage against L.A., knowing nothing was on the line.
And in true Prescott fashion, he didn't hold back.
“I'm not firing any shots, but this is our job, we're blessed, how hard we've worked and the sacrifices we've got to even get to this league,” Prescott said. “I said it to the team, this game has given us so much, how could you cheat it? I don't know anything else. I'm not going to cheat this game. That’s just how my mind works.
"It's not a I've got to flip back in or flip back, or I can turn it off. It's not like that. That's how you get hurt. That's how you go out there and embarrass yourself. That's how you lose a job."
With the "Organic Tanking" approach being thrown up all week in the lead-up to the Week 16 clash, the Cowboys made it clear that they aren't in that business.
Dak stated it, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, too.
And Prescott revealed that defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa spoke to the team after the Chargers' loss and delivered quite the message on how the team can approach these final two weeks.
"Osa said it best when he broke down the team after the game,” Dak added. “We got two weeks left, and nothing's promised in life. Our football careers damn sure aren't. Let's enjoy these two weeks, cherish these moments, practices, time together with the men and the brothers that we love, and we've got an opportunity to play with.
"This team won't be the same next year. So, let's enjoy this and give it our best."
We are getting a better understanding of the mentality of this locker room.
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Yes, we get the idea of tanking to improve Dallas' draft hand.
But it is clear that this team isn't wired like that, rightly or wrongly.
And Dak was rather emotional in answering the question, almost as if he was a little offended at the notion that it might be hard to be motivated when nothing is on the line.
Granted, it didn't seem that the team didn't exactly play like it meant something, getting rolled over by the Chargers.
But Prescott made it clear. There's no shortage of motivation for him and his teammates in these final two weeks.