Dak Prescott: Numbers point to a sophomore slump
Although many seem to believe the opposite, the numbers say that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott suffered from a sophomore slump in 2017.
They promised us it wouldn’t happen. That in his second season in the league, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott would simply take the next step in his evolution. And we had every reason to believe them.
Prescott was a late fourth round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft after all. Through the offseason, he got most of his reps as a third or sometimes even fourth-string option behind veterans like Tony Romo, Kellen Moore and even Jameill Showers.
It wasn’t until halfway through the preseason that Prescott was thrust into the starting role in Dallas, as injuries sidelined Romo and Moore. And Showers was eventually shifted to the safety position. The point here being, Prescott was never considered the number one guy in Dallas for a majority of the offseason training period.
That’s what makes last season so remarkable for Prescott and the Cowboys. This was a team created to support an aging Romo. A top shelf offensive line, a high end wide receiver, a future Hall of Famer at tight end and a running back just selected fourth overall in the draft. Instead, the keys to this Ferrari were handed to a rookie who spent most of the offseason third on the depth chart.
So when Prescott excelled, it was a shock. He would go on to lead the Cowboys to a 13-3 record, including an amazing 11-game winning streak. With a rookie under center, Dallas would win the NFC East, secure a spot in the postseason and even earn a bye during the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
In 2016, Prescott completed 67.8% of his passes for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He also rushed for 282 yards and six scores. It was one of the greatest rookie seasons by a passer in NFL history. And 2017 was supposed to be better.
But on paper, Prescott had a certified sophomore slump this season. Despite having a full offseason were he was the number one option. Despite a playbook that has been designed with him in mind. Despite taking all the reps as the Cowboys QB1. Despite all of those things, Dak still disappointed in 2017.
Through 15 games this season, Prescott has completed just 63.3% of his passes for 3,145 yards, 21 touchdowns and a whopping 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 341 yards and six more scores. The Cowboys currently have an 8-7 record heading into a meaningless matchup against the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 as Dallas is completely out of playoff contention.
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There are certainly several reasons (some would say excuses) as to why Dak Prescott suffered a sophomore slump in 2017. But years from now, when we look at the numbers, we’ll all agree it was a down year for both the Dallas Cowboys and it’s young quarterback.