FRISCO, Texas — Kellen Moore’s request is unusual.

“Dak,” the Cowboys offensive coordinator tells his quarterback. “Tell me you don’t like these plays.”

It’s an important step in the weekly game plan session for a Cowboys offense ranked third in the NFL. It’s a step that takes place on Fridays.

Each Friday, first-year coordinator Moore huddles with Prescott, who is in his fourth year as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback. The duo reviews the week and the game-planning process that, of course, began long before week’s end. Moore will detail revelations he’s gathered on the defense’s tendencies during late nights at the office on Monday and Tuesday. Prescott will consider which routes star receiver Amari Cooper wants to adjust this week. Both men consider Prescott’s practice play, be it an overthrown ball to speedy receiver Devin Smith or a red-zone target to Jason Witten that Prescott had a feeling might become the interception that safety Jeff Heath did in fact make it.

They ask themselves: What is Prescott comfortable with? What will the offense be most comfortable with? How can we most effectively confuse the defense?

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Moore presents his recommendations.

“He wants to call the right plays,” Prescott said. “When you’re looking down and have 100-something plays, it’s hard to choose from. So it’s just going in there and having a conversation on Fridays that ‘Hey, feel really good about these. I don’t really care for this one. I don’t like this one.’

“It just gives him a sense of knowledge and feel [so] when I get into the game, I know what to expect.”

Through three games, that knowledge of what to expect has successfully kept Prescott and Moore on the same page. The result: An offense that’s averaging 32.3 points per game (fourth best) after ranking 22nd, with 21.2, last season. The offense has improved from 343.8 yards per game (22nd) in 2018 to 481.3 yards (third) through three weeks. And the Cowboys offense that last year scored on just 51% of red-zone trips has settled into an 81% success rate.

“I don’t necessarily know those numbers,” Prescott says, when told stats about the offense or his own passing production. “What it says is this offense is working. Things are fitting, things are clicking, staying within the offense, getting it to those guys, getting to the right read and allow those guys to go make plays.”

The reasons for such drastic improvement vary.

Prescott, himself, is a significant one. He’s improved his footwork and throwing motion to complete a wider variety of passes and post the best completion rate (75.4%) of his career. Then enter his receivers, a talented bunch that (when healthy) features Cooper’s crisp routes, offseason acquisition Randall Cobb’s shifty target options and second-year talent Michael Gallup’s much-improved contested catches. Smith and tight ends Jason Witten and Blake Jarwin have each caught a touchdown pass as well.

An offensive line performing at a high level has further empowered success. No front has allowed fewer quarterback hits than Prescott’s eight through three weeks, a year after the line gave up 107 (seventh worst) during 2018. The line is also creating running lanes so clear that rushing titleholder Ezekiel Elliott and rookie Tony Pollard each rushed for more than 100 yards against the Dolphins. Each insisted the line merit requisite credit for their performance.

The talented pieces are available and operating at a high level. But it’s Moore’s job each week to best arrange them. And Moore is intent that Prescott take an active role in the process. He understands that no play will succeed without the quarterback’s buy-in.

Prescott has learned to sift through play calls, during the week and on gamedays. With Moore’s quick feeds over the headset, the offense has felt so comfortable with its formations that it has repeatedly snapped without a huddle on plays that weren’t intended to be no-huddle. Veterans like Cooper and Witten have also chimed in at the line of scrimmage, alerting Prescott to a blitz or coverage change and the best corresponding counter. Cowboys coaches and players hope that the deep understanding the unit shares will transfer on Sunday at the Superdome, when they know to expect a boisterous crowd of Saints fans and a so-loud-it-sometimes-shakes stadium

Moore will also implore Prescott to choose which he doesn’t like.

“At the end of the day, in a way, you’re sales-pitching plays,” Moore said. “He’s got to be convicted on it as well. … Sometimes I want them. That’s the challenge sometimes. He wants to say you love them all and it’s like, ‘Dak, no: You need to say no to 3-4 of these.’”

“That’s the way this thing rolls.”

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

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