Why Wild Card tilt vs Buccaneers is career-defining for Cowboys’ Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys’ Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have huge ramifications on the team’s future.

For one, Dallas, despite Jerry Jones and league insiders suggesting otherwise, could be in the head coach market with another premature playoff exit.

What else is at stake, you ask? None other than the Dak Prescott narrative, which has taken a turn for the worse in 2022 after the quarterback threw 11 picks in the final seven games of the regular season, and finished the year with 15 interceptions in 12 starts. No QB threw more picks than the seventh-year pro.

A handful of those weren’t his fault, but it’s tough to defend a 3.8% interception percentage. Now, could 2022 end up being an outlier in Prescott’s career from a turnover perspective? Of course. It’d be shortsighted to rule that out given his track record as a stater.

Having said that, a loss to the Buccaneers would see the Prescott “narrative” reach a level we haven’t seen before in his seven seasons.

Why Wild Card game vs Buccaneers is must-win for Cowboys’ Dak Prescott’s career.

Prescott is very good at his job, and the Cowboys are genuinely lucky to have him as their quarterback.

Monday night isn’t a must-win in the sense that Dak’s job security would be brought into question with a loss. Some media members will take it to that extreme, but Prescott is one of the 10-best quarterbacks in the league. There’s legitimate top 5-7 potential in there when he’s clicking on all cylinders.

However, Prescott will turn 30 in the summer, and as of this writing his lone playoff win came in his third season. He’ll fall to 1-4 in the postseason with a loss to the Buccaneers, including two consecutive Wild Card exits. In other words, two straight trips to the tournament without winning a game.

Further, Dallas hasn’t smelled a deep playoff run since his rookie year in 2016, when they lost 34-31 to the Packers at home in the Divisional Round. Prescott was exceptional in that game, but Aaron Rodgers did what Aaron Rodgers does against the Cowboys: turn into Superman, and the rest is history.

As the Cowboys’ quarterback, Prescott is already subject to more criticism than most of the league’s gunslingers. It comes with the territory, but that narrative — among both the general and local media — will reach Tony Romo and Kirk Cousins territory as far as “being unable to win the big game” with a loss.

And you know what? It wouldn’t be unfair. A 1-4 playoff record speaks for itself, and one playoff win in six full seasons (we’ll call 2020 a wash) for a supposed top-10 quarterback, well, doesn’t exactly scream top-10 quarterback.

Let’s put it this way. If Brian Daboll’s Giants beat the Vikings on Sunday, Daniel Jones and Prescott will have the same number of playoff wins. Imagine saying that two or three years ago? Joe Burrow (drafted in 2020) and Josh Allen (drafted in 2018) already have three playoff victories on their resumes.

Not to mention, Prescott wasn’t great in the Wild Card Round loss to San Francisco last year, finishing 23-of-43 for 254 yards and a touchdown and an interception. That, along with his worrying turnover rate and previous playoff shortcomings, adds to the notion that Prescott needs to win this game.

Prescott’s legacy isn’t on the line (what legacy does he have to lose?), but the “he’s not a good quarterback” and “he shrinks in big moments” crowd will be out in full-force if the Cowboys lose. And the saddest part is all of us Dak defenders won’t have much, if any, ammunition to form a worthwhile rebuttal.

4 Cowboys stars who could be playing final game with team vs Buccaneers

The Cowboys will play the Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs. Here are four Dallas standouts who could be playing their final game with the team.