3 struggling Cowboys who need a strong finish to the regular season
1. Dak Prescott
If the Cowboys want to go far in the playoffs, they will need a dominant Prescott; a quarterback that doesn’t make careless mistakes and can carry the offense.
Dallas has seen glimpses of that quarterback this season like in Week 14 against the Texans. When they needed a score late in the game, he delivered. Prescott drove the Cowboys down the field for an 11-play, 98-yard drive to set up an Ezekiel Elliott two-yard touchdown with 41 seconds remaining.
But turnovers have been a major problem for the seventh-year quarterback this year. Prescott, who did a fantastic job of limiting interceptions in his first six years, has thrown 11 picks in just nine games in 2022.
Before Christmas Eve, Prescott had thrown multiple interceptions in back-to-back games, and has four such games over his last six games played. Only twice this season has he not thrown an interception in a game: Week 7 against the Lions and Week 11 against the Vikings.
Those types of mistakes will crush your chances in the playoffs, especially facing teams like the Buccaneers, Eagles and 49ers. Prescott has to start having clean games and that starts in Week 16 against the Eagles.
There’s no better way for Prescott to get right than facing the number one pass defense in the NFL this week, which could be a major confidence boost. Then, to go on the road and face the worst pass defense in the Titans could be another great boost for the playoffs.
In these last three games, if Prescott can limit the turnovers and carry that over into the postseason, the Cowboys could be a really dangerous team in January. The pick against the Eagles was egregious, but Dak responded with a big-time performance. If he can replicate this level, Dallas will be sitting pretty.
