Dak Prescott had a great outing against the New York Jets' loaded defense during the Dallas Cowboys' second win of the season. The quarterback was dealing on offense (mainly to WR CeeDee Lamb) on his way to completing 82% of his pass attempts.

Prescott's efficiency numbers were off the charts as he leaned into quick passes right out of the gates. Despite a short average depth of target (4.6 yards per RBSDM), Dak consistently found his targets and kept the chains moving. 

After the game, he admitted part of his remarkable efficiency was due to an old-school principle now found in the Cowboys offense under Mike McCarthy: West Coast-style footwork. 

In the offensive scheme once created by legendary coach Bill Walsh, one of the most important innovations was the tying together of the quarterback's steps to the receiver's routes. In fact, this was the essence of Walsh's scheme. The tying together of the quarterback's and the receiver's timing was always the heart of the West Coast, as former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young put it, "Timing and choreography, not plays, are what make the West Coast offense."

Sure, in one shape or form, that's seen across every team in the NFL nowadays, even those that don't identify as "West Coast" offenses. But for the Cowboys, it's now a hammered-down detail of quarterback play. 

"If you watch this film, you'll see that my footwork is tied in exactly with the receivers," Prescott told reporters after the game. "Whether it's going to No. 1 (read) or whether it's a hitch getting to number two or hell, I scrambled on the third down because my feet told me to do so."

It's a small detail that might not be perceived easily watching from home. But it's one of the biggest changes the new McCarthy offense has to offer. Earlier this year, Prescott called the new scheme the "Texas Coast," alluding to the fact that it was their previous offense mixed in with the West Coast.

"That's a credit to (McCarthy)," continued Prescott on the footwork. "Taking the plays that we've been great at over the years, mixing it with the principles of the West Coast. (…) It's easier for me to train in that sense, it's (to) listen to my feet."  

Fans watching at home were wised up to Prescott's footwork by a former Cowboy quarterback.

"Dak really got to places that I haven't seen him get to as fast in previous years," explained an excited Tony Romo during the CBS broadcast of the game right before the start of the third quarter. "A lot of that is because he's timing up the footwork with the route. That's a key component of Mike McCarthy's offense. I think that's going to pay dividends when you're under pressure like he's been a little bit today, and he's making it look easy."

Cowboys fans hoping for Prescott's game to be elevated with a new voice in his ear must know this is the kind of stuff that will make it happen. McCarthy's background provides the eighth-year QB with a new perspective on football. Based on what we saw on Sunday, it's already paying dividends.

Despite the improved efficiency, Prescott isn't satisfied with his unit's performance. After all, out of six times, the offense wandered into the red zone, only twice ended in touchdowns.

"We left a lot out there," Dak said. "That's the standard of this offense, the standard of this team. We expect to score touchdowns on every drive." 

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott leads extremely efficient offense to 30-10 win

Offense did have one problem, though.

Featured image via Dallas Cowboys' YouTube.