If wins were a quarterback stat, the Dallas Cowboys would have at least three wins. Instead, they sit here at 2-3 and face a tough Sunday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers to avoid falling two games under .500.
That, sadly, is a microcosm of Dak Prescott's career, but with the NFC East shaping up to be a lousy division, the Cowboys have plenty of hopium to cling to. The NFC South may have something to say about that, but the NFC Least jokes have (rightfully) returned in full force.
It's fitting, then, that the division's quarterback play was all over the place in Week 5. Now that we're more than a quarter of the way through the season, let's pop the hood and examine the NFC East's four starting quarterbacks.
NFC East QB rankings, Week 6: Dak Prescott struggles, Jayden Daniels implodes
If I were grading Daniels strictly based on his play, he'd probably be No. 2. However, he's the single biggest reason the Commanders came out of Week 5 with a tie instead of a win.
On the final snap of the game in overtime, Daniels dropped back to pass and proceeded to give himself up. The problem? Washington was out of timeouts and did not have enough time to spike the ball, and the clock ran out. That is unforgivable situational awareness for a third-year quarterback.
The game ended in a 27-27 draw. Say what you will about Dan Quinn just kicking a field goal, but there was plenty of time to run another play to get closer. The ball just had to be in and out of Daniels' hands. Either Daniels forgot he didn't have a timeout, or he just lost track of the situation.
Just inexcusable clock management from a QB with 82 starts between the NFL and college. It may only last one week, but Daniels deserves to bring up the rear this week.
Jalen Hurts does not deserve all of the blame for Philly's offensive woes. The run game continues to be a non-factor, the offensive line has ushered in a new era, and DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley have missed the last two games due to injury.
Having said that, Hurts once again struggled to move the ball in the Eagles' last-second loss to Jacksonville in London. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown. His 52.5 percent completion rate was the second-worst of any QB in Week 5, while his 5.5 yards per attempt were 26th.
For the season, Hurts is 23rd in EPA per play, ranking behind Jacoby Brissett, Tyler Shough, Deshaun Watson, and the next guy on this list. He is also 30th with a 38.4 percent success rate. Not great, Bob.
If not for Daniels' implosion, Hurts would have a strong claim to the No. 4 spot.
Winston essentially gets the No. 2 spot by default. The Giants are winning football games almost in spite of him, but it must be said that he was outstanding in the second half last Sunday to bring New York back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
In order, only Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Matthew Stafford had a higher success rate in Week 5 than Winston's 54.0 percent. The Commanders dialed up a lot of pressure in the second half, but Winston was not fazed.
According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Winston went 12-of-15 for 113 yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. In driving rain and wind.
The Jameis Winston Experience has been as advertised since he took over for the injured Jaxson Dart, but he's given the Giants borderline top-20 quarterback play the last three weeks. One poor outing could send him to the basement, but he gets a favorable Week 6 matchup against a Saints defense that is currently 26th in dropback EPA.
By his standards, Prescott did not play well against the Buccaneers. He sailed a few throws, turning routine completions into difficult catches. He also wasn't on the same page as CeeDee Lamb on a broken play, dirting a pass as Lamb broke free for what would have been a walk-in touchdown had Prescott held the ball another half-second.
The Cowboys' offense went quiet for two quarters after a commanding opening drive. Prescott woke up in the fourth quarter, largely due to Brian Schottenheimer making overdue adjustments to Todd Bowles' constant blitzing, and his two interceptions were the result of dropped passes that shot up in the air, making for easy pickings by the Tampa defense.
Another up-and-down outing could see Prescott fall out of the top spot. But as with Hurts and Winston, his overall play this season must be considered, and before last week, Prescott was playing MVP-caliber ball.
From Weeks 1-4, Prescott was third in EPA per play, fourth in success rate, ninth in big-time throws, and seventh in passer rating. Again, a bounce-back is needed, but it's hard to argue that Prescott deserves to be anywhere but atop the Week 6 NFC East quarterback rankings.
He's the only reason Dallas isn't winless.
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