For the first four weeks of this 2026 NFL regular season, Dak Prescott was genuinely one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys' offense as a whole was unquestionably one of the best in the league.
And given the state of the Dallas defense from an overall standpoint in that opening stretch, Prescott basically had no choice but to be at his best just to get America's Team to 2-2.
The last two weeks, however, have been a different story. Now, nobody's saying the defense has vastly improved or anything even remotely close to that, but Christian Parker's unit has at least put Dallas in a position to win, first against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 and then again in prime time on Sunday night in a 23-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
But to be blunt, Dak and the Dallas offense haven't done their part. After what we called a "C+" performance against the Bucs, the 11th-year veteran was even worse against a banged-up Packers defense, with an outing we feel very comfortable giving a straight "D" grade.
Dak Prescott deserves a 'D' grade for his performance vs. the Packers
With the Cowboys' running game in terrible shape, Prescott was asked to throw the football a whopping 54 times at Lambeau Field on Sunday night, marking his highest total since attempting 60 passes against these same Packers in the Wild Card Round of the 2023 postseason, a game which also resulted in a loss, by the way.
After completing a season-low 57.1 percent of his passes against Tampa Bay, Dak was a little better against Green Bay, connecting on 63.0 percent of those 54 throws. That said, however, he only averaged 4.8 yards per attempt, marking the first time he's fallen below the five-yard mark since averaging 3.9 yards per pass against the Buffalo Bills back in December 2023.
Now, to be fair, Prescott was blitzed basically all night, which naturally falls on the offensive line. But again, he's in his 11th season, so it's not as if he's never faced pressure. And simply put, he didn't make the throws he needed to when they mattered the most, no matter the distance.
One of his worst decisions, of course, came after Dee Winters intercepted Jordan Love late in the first quarter to give the Cowboys good field position at the Packers' 42-yard line. To his credit, Prescott completed a couple of his lengthier throws on the ensuing drive, hitting Tyler Goodson for 9 yards on the first play of the drive and then connecting with CeeDee Lamb for 16 yards two plays later.
But another few plays later, he threw an inexcusable interception, as it looked as if he didn't even see Evan Williams drop from the line into coverage, as he tried to hit Lamb with a pass over the middle. Williams stepped right in front of it, and the drive was dead. Green Bay ultimately turned the pick into a field goal to take a 10-0 lead.
Prescott can't be pinned with his second pick, as Lamb flat-out fell down just as the ball was coming to him, but the Packers turned that into a touchdown to take a 17-0 advantage regardless.
And let's not forget that Dak did throw another interception midway through the fourth quarter, as Carrington Valentine easily picked off a pass intended for Jonathan Mingo, only to have it taken away after Lukas Van Ness was hit with a bogus roughing-the-passer penalty that in no way, shape, or form should have been called. But even with the gift, the Cowboys couldn't do anything with it, ultimately turning the ball over on downs.
The only saving grace for Dallas on Sunday was the fact that both the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles took losses as well, with Big Blue falling to the New Orleans Saints and the Birds getting beaten by the Carolina Panthers. So, even at 2-4, the Cowboys are still right in the thick of things in the woeful NFC East.
But if Prescott, who finished his night with a season-worst 65.2 passer rating, and the offense can't figure out how to once again start putting some points on the board, Dallas still may end up being the worst team in the worst division in football.
The Cowboys will attempt to get back on track against the Eagles in Week 7 in yet another prime-time spotlight on Monday Night Football.
Add us as a preferred source on Google