ARLINGTON, Texas —There’s a saying in the sports world that says teams often “play like they train.”

Perhaps that was true for the Cowboys, and especially Dak Prescott, who admitted he didn’t have his best practice on Thursday, leading to an inconsistent day for the offense.

That was also the case on Sunday, when the Cowboys struggled in the first three quarters of a game that led to a 28-25 victory for the Ravens.

“I haven’t had a great practice. I think it was Thursday. I even told coach (Mike McCarthy) I feel better when it’s me. I can control it, I can get over it. I’m going to make that change and that difference,” Prescott said. “But it’s also a sense of making sure other people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Making sure other people aren’t stuck on a practice rep, myself included.”

The Cowboys scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, thanks to an open offense that took advantage of the Ravens’ soft coverage.

But quarterback Dak Prescott took the stage during the postgame press conference and focused on the start of the game.

“Starting late … that’s the biggest part of it,” Prescott said. “The penalties, some of the mistakes, whether it’s alignment or assignments … we’ve got to be cleaner. We’ve got to focus on our job and take more responsibility.”

Dak is referring to the things they did – or didn’t do – in the first three quarters that resulted in just six points and led the Ravens to a commanding 28-6 lead.

Prescott said the offense needs a “more professional” approach when preparing for these games.

When asked if the team was not professional enough, Prescott explained.

“Yeah, knowing where you’re supposed to be. Knowing your reads, knowing where to line up, knowing your routes — adjustments versus certain coverages,” Prescott said. “Every part of being a professional is doing your job and being prepared for every part of the job. So time away from the building to be in the building, just being a professional and understanding that you can only get so many practice sessions, but you can watch the film, you can do all those other things that make up for it. And we just have to be more focused. And that’s what, to me, on offense, we haven’t been as focused as we should have been. We made some mental mistakes that were key. And to me, it’s just being professional and understanding what you have to do.”