Dallas Cowboys: Predicting a comeback for Dak Prescott in 2018

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ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 30: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys gets a first bump during warm-ups before the game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Just five months ago, expectations were just as high for the Cowboys as they were back in ’08. But unlike Romo’s second full season starting, the Cowboys didn’t field a better team than they had the year before in terms of talent. There were no high-profile free-agent additions or multiple first-round picks.

In the case of Prescott’s second season, there was a much younger secondary on defense and obviously some legal issues concerning Elliott that would eventually help trash a season that would garner a disappointing 9-7 record that killed all playoff hopes by Week 16. Prescott threw 22 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions for 3,324 yards. His total quarterback rating of 66.1 was a clear dropoff.

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See the common denominator between Dak Prescott and Tony Romo in that second year?

But here’s where things might be looking up for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys in 2018.

Think back to 2009, Romo’s third full season starting.

The Cowboys allowed numerous free agents to leave the organization, which included drafted or home-grown defenders like Chris Canty, Kevin Burnett and Keith Davis. Locker room distractions like Owens, Johnson and Jones were shown the door and there was much more in terms of uncertainty surrounding the future of the Dallas Cowboys than there was expectations. This was especially true following an ’09 NFL Draft that saw America’s Team not even going on the clock until the third round.

With a record of 8-5 in the month of December, former head coach Wade Phillips seemed like a dead man walking as Dallas traveled to New Orleans for a Saturday evening game against the undefeated and eventual Super Bowl champion Saints. The Cowboys pulled off a most unlikely 24-17 upset and would not give up another point in posting back-to-back shutouts over the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles to close out the regular season.

Dallas would win the NFC East and a wild card rematch over the Eagles before getting blown out on the road against the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional round of the NFC playoffs. The playoff victory was the first for the franchise since a wild card victory over the same Vikings following the 1996 regular season.

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