Dak Prescott's NFL credibility is one of the rarest we have seen. One day, he is the most criticized quarterback in the NFL. Other days, he is the most popular and most talked about player on ESPN not named Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. That is a very tough spot to be in as a professional athlete. Nonetheless, Prescott is able to block out the distractions and perform at a high level.
That proves to be true especially with the season he is having this year.
Prescott and the Cowboys are coming off of a "commanding" win over the Washington Commanders on Thanksgiving Day. While people were drowning themselves in turkey and ham, Prescott was throwing for well over 300 yards and tossing four touchdown passes with ease. It was the perfect game all around for just about everyone wearing a star on their helmet that day.
Prescott, as it stands right now, ranks first in overall quarterback rating (QBR) at 75.5 On the year after 12 games played, Prescott is completing 70.1% of his throws which is his career-best. He has thrown for just a hair under 3,234 yards, 26 touchdowns while giving away six interceptions (three in one game against SF). He is well on pace to hit 4000 yards and 30 passing touchdowns when the year concludes.
What is so great about Prescott this season is that he is maintaining that Cowboys way of high-octane offense while making less mistakes. Let me say that again for the people in the back. This offense is riding high and Prescott is making less mistakes then before. With doing so, he is displaying pin-point accuracy, spreading the ball around and extending plays for big gains.
Often times in seasons past, Prescott has failed to be consistent in this department (extending plays), as he would collapse after receiving heavy pressure, like many other quarterbacks do. However, in 2023, Prescott seemingly has been able to keep his eyes downfield and roll out of the pocket to make the throw.
He does not just scramble for a measly three yard slide either when being flushed out of the pocket this year. When he is forced to create, he has used his legs to step up and avoid a sack to then make the safer throw downfield to put Dallas in positive field position. That proves to be true statistically as well, as Prescott is responsible for the most "big-play" conversions by any quarterback in the league.
Those big-play conversions have led to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb catapulting to the top of wide receiver ranks in the NFL. Lamb has been looked at as a top wide receiver candidate but has not fully hit that pedestal in his first few years. However, thanks to Prescott's prolific season thus far, Lamb too is carrying his best year to date. It is safe to say that Prescott is responsible for another important boost to his team this year, elevating other stars.
Dak Prescott's stellar season is not appreciated enough
The Cowboys sit at 9-3 in the NFC and currently hold the conference's fifth seed. Many would shout that those nine wins are not as meaningful (same with Prescott's play) as Cowboy fans are making it but that can be argued. Prescott and company have beaten some of the lesser teams in the league yes. But, they have performed in those games how you should expect a team to, they dominated. They're also fresh off beating a then-6-5 Seahawks team that could make the playoffs.
The notion that beating lesser teams is not credible to a team is incorrect. If you dominant against such teams, that should be appreciated. You cannot blame Dallas for steam-rolling lesser teams. You cannot hate on Prescott's season thus far for that reason either because he has did exactly what he should have and a whole lot more and that is enough to give praise for Prescott and what he is doing this year.
The next four games for the Cowboys are looked at as being the "true test" to what this team can or cannot do and even Prescott himself for that matter. three of their next four opponents have a winning record with three of them having won at least eight games on the year. Dallas will have their hands full having to face teams with good quarterbacks and good offenses such as the Eagles, Dolphins and Lions. On the other hand, these team's defenses will also have their hands full with Prescott and the Cowboys offense in return.
From a football perspective, if Prescott can have solid performances in at least three of those five games, he should still be looked at as a top quarterback this year. It is a safe bet for that to happen as Prescott has performed well against respectable defenses this year. Lets' dive in.
If we were to highlight Prescott's best three games we would more than likely choose his showings in wins against the Jets and the Rams, along with his showing in a loss versus the Eagles. In each of those games he completed more than 70% of his throws (82% against the Jets), threw for over 300 yards and multiple touchdown passes including four against the Rams. The Jets and Rams both rank in the top 12 in the league in yards allowed and opposing quarterback QBR let-up. The Eagles pass defense is not as stout as it has been in recent years (due to the loss of ex-coordinator Jonathan Gannon and others), but they still rush the quarterback as much as anyone in the league so for Prescott to perform as well as he did against them that day while being under pressure all game, that is impressive. That game saw Dak nearly push the Cowboys to upset the Eagles in-front of their home crowd, imagine how crazy that would have been?
In the other contests that Dak has dominated in, four of those games, Prescott went against a top 18 defense in the similar categories mentioned before. In the games where Dak has struggled (not many), they came against very stout defensive units including his Sunday night dud against the San Francisco 49ers and their outstanding defense. For that performance you have to cut Dak some slack, he played against a defense mentioned in the same conversation as the 1985 Bears and the 1991 Eagles for crying out loud.
As the dog-days loom, it will get considerably harder for Prescott as we all know. He will face tough challenges. However, if he has dominant performances in at least three of the five games mentioned earlier, he should be given credit for one of the best seasons by a quarterback this year.
The Cowboys are 8-3 for a reason and that reason is not only because of their defense. Prescott has put together a great season for himself and if he continues, it will be his best season in his nine-year career. Prescott is the most scrutinized quarterback in recent history but he is also one of the most humble quarterbacks and he is just a good dude. Every football fan should appreciate Prescott as a football player. Whether you are a Cowboys fan or a Cowboys hater, either way you would be crazy to not think that Prescott is playing like one of the leagues' best quarterbacks in 2023.