Foxburg, Massachusetts — Dark Prescott hobbled into the post-match press conference room with a bright smile and poor shoes.

On his left foot, he is wearing the iconic Jordan sneakers. On his right calf: a walking boot.

"Let's put the elephant in the room," he told reporters after the 35-29 victory over the New England Patriots in overtime. "Let's knock it down."

In the 3 hours and 25 minutes of the whole game, the injury did not bother Prescott. But in the final game of the game, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb scored a 35-yard touchdown, and Prescott rolled out of his pocket and escaped. He walked more than six steps to the right, balanced with his right leg, while passing the ball to the right sideline, past the tightly defensive Dalton Schultz (Dalton Schultz) and the streaking lambs. The pass came as expected; Prescott, not so.

The Dallas Cowboys said that it was during that game that Prescott's right calf appeared to be strained. He will undergo an MRI on Monday.

"The last time I threw it, it was fun to come down (me)," Prescott said. "That's it. We'll check it. I'll be fine, you can assure you. A good time to enter the goodbye week. I'll be fine."

The severity of the injury is not yet clear. Prescott was as happy as ever in the post-match interview, and then went to visit friends and family before boarding the team bus. But even if he held his shoulders unwaveringly, Prescott still limped. The boots are heavy; he can't walk steadily. The Cowboys’ upcoming Goodbye Week will undoubtedly help any recovery schedule, but any setbacks will add to the turbulent 13 months.

Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in the 5th week of the 2020 season and required emergency surgery to clean the wound and repair the fracture that night. For nearly six months, his recovery process was stable but progressing slowly. In the process, in December last year, he underwent follow-up surgery to further stabilize his right ankle.

At the training camp, Prescott's warm-up is still complicated, but the mental and physical constraints are long gone. He was allowed to face the rush of the scene, and he could scramble indifferently.

Then, on the first day of training at the upholstered training camp, Prescott suffered a latissimus dorsi strain near his throwing shoulder. For four weeks, he is limited. His performance in the first week hinted at the history of the two. Prescott completed an audible 28-yard pass on his first return and finally lost to Tom Brady 31-29. The team eventually passed the ball for 403 yards and 3 touchdowns.

So, what did he think in his mind when he felt "a bit painful" after the game?

"I was like,'Impossible,'" Prescott said. "Life keeps punching, and I keep throwing them back. This is part of it, part of this game. This is a physical game we play, but I will be fine. I have confidence in myself and the medical team, just like What I said, I feel good. Obviously, this is a preventive measure.

"When you score and win the game, it's not that bad, so it's all a plus point."

Prescott said he did not believe the injury was so serious that he would withdraw from the game if that game was not over.

Prescott said: "I think adrenaline will go up, maybe not even feel at the time." "But when you relax, it's like,'Oh, it's there.'"

Despite the lingering uncertainty of injury, Prescott completed 36 of 51 pass attempts in 445 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception, an outstanding performance in history. Prescott's 445 yards pass is the most passing yards ever achieved against a team coached by Bill Belichick, surpassing Peyton Manning's 438 yards against the Patriots in 2014.

The Cowboys' total offensive yards of 567 yards is also Belichick's most defensive yards in his 27-year career.

Prescott said: "When you have such a team, you have to believe in yourself anyway." "No matter what your objections are. We have proved this again tonight."

He joked that his calf strain was just for the media to have a topic during Goodbye Week.

"I'll be fine," Prescott reiterated as he left the interview. "have fun."

Follow Jori Epstein of USA TODAY Sports on Twitter @JoriEpstein.