ARLINGTON, Texas -- When did you think Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was back?

Was it the 23-yard free-play throw to receiver Amari Cooper during the Cowboys' first scoring drive in Sunday’s 56-14 whipping of the Washington Football Team? Was it the 22-yard free-play throw down the seam to receiver CeeDee Lamb on the next drive? Or the 40-yard on-the-run completion to receiver Michael Gallup after he broke free from the Washington pass rush?

Those were some of the highlights by Prescott on a night in which he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw touchdown passes to a running back (Ezekiel Elliott), tight end (Dalton Schultz), wide receiver (Cooper) and offensive lineman (Terence Steele) in the same regular-season game.

And all of that came in a first half in which he threw for 322 yards on 27-of-35 passing as the Cowboys built a 42-7 lead.

But it was the smaller plays that showed Prescott could be back from a slump he never called a slump.

On first-and-10 from the Washington 39 in the first quarter, Prescott looked to Lamb in the middle of the field, then quickly to his right to Elliott on a checkdown. Not liking what he saw with defensive tackle Tim Settle pushing the pocket and defensive end James Smith-Williams protecting an escape route, Prescott jetted up the middle for a 4-yard gain before sliding.

It wasn’t a sexy play, but Prescott was decisive with his legs, which had not happened much in 2021.

On the next drive, two plays after the Gallup throw and facing second-and-10, Payne and Matt Ioannidis pushed the pocket on Prescott. To his left, Casey Toohill was starting to get an edge on left tackle Terence Steele. Prescott quickly stepped through the hole and ran 13 yards for a first down.

It was Prescott’s fourth run of the game, picking up 21 yards.

In the first seven games since Prescott suffered a calf injury on Oct. 17, he had more carries than he did on Sunday just once (seven in the Week 14 win at Washington) and never more than 15 yards (also vs. Washington).

But even before Prescott's calf injury, the Cowboys' offense was missing his ability to run this season. Prescott ranks 31st in the NFL in rushing EPA this season, just above Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Prescott ranked third in 2016, first in 2017, sixth in 2018 and ninth in 2019 before the 2020 ankle injury that ended his season.

On Sunday, he rushed for two of his six rushing first downs on the season (ranks 31st among quarterbacks). In 2019, Prescott ranked ninth with 19 rushing first downs.

As much as Prescott kept saying his calf -- or surgically-repaired ankle -- was not an issue, he was not as willing to escape trouble.

“It’s all part of the second phase every time we drop back to pass,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We talk about the scramble phase and obviously the quarterback run. I thought he was very diligent.”

Prescott did not think it was anything abnormal.

“The opportunity came,” he said. “I saw some lanes, felt the pocket a couple of times and allowed me to get out and then, as well, I mean my body just feels good, knowing that, yeah, I felt fast. Obviously back home, back on the turf. Felt good.”

Prescott's first half:

• 13-of-16 for 85 yards with a career-high three touchdowns on passes thrown within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage

• 18-of-21 for 189 yards and three touchdown passes on throws between the numbers

• 7-of-7 for 67 yards and two touchdowns on play-action, which marked the second time he had multiple play-action touchdown passes this season

“Dak was right on point,” McCarthy said. “I thought he was in total control. I think his numbers the first half reflected that. He had some shot opportunities, was patient, took the checkdowns. I thought the intermediate throws, he was on-point there. I thought he had a really nice two-minute drill there to end the half. I really like the way he played tonight.”

Throughout his career, Prescott has never been a pure running quarterback. His career highs for a single season were 357 yards and 6.3 yards per carry in 2017. However, he has made big plays outside of the pocket because of his ability in that area.

The feel he has with his skill players when things get off script often leads to big plays. The Cowboys practice such situations in team and seven-on-seven drills. Whether he was compromised because of his health or not trusting his ability to break free or, as he said, not playing to his standards, the best parts of his game showed up against Washington.

“The calf injury has been behind me for weeks now,” Prescott said. “You guys can continue to talk about it if you want, as I said, I hadn't played my best ball, but I promise you it's not because of my calf.”