Dallas Cowboys: Will Dak Prescott fall victim to the sophomore slump?
The Dallas Cowboys should be one of a few teams in the NFC this year that will be in the mix to reach Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. They have the best offensive line in football, the best all-around young running back in Ezekiel Elliott and a new franchise quarterback in second-year signal caller Dak Prescott.
Dallas will play a first place schedule — and a brutal one at that –, but should be in good shape to win 10+ games and make the NFC Playoffs. That is all contingent on Prescott taking that next step under center. While he has played in plenty of big games as a rookie in 2016, are we sure that he’s not poised for a sophomore slump?
The opposition will now have a year’s worth of NFL tape on Prescott, but he also has a year’s worth of experience as an NFL starting quarterback. Though he probably will throw more picks, we can expect Prescott to throw for more yardage and touchdowns. Frankly, that’s what he needs to do. If he stinks to the dink-and-dunk, bubble screen passing game to Cole Beasley, Prescott could be in line for a sophomore slump.
Fortunately, the guy seems to have a good head on his shoulders and has a charismatic on-field leadership style that makes most of his teammates better. Don’t expect Dallas to go 13-3 next year or Prescott to only throw four interceptions. He has the talent around him to grow in year two.
However if he’s not willing to air it out, we’ve got the next Alex Smith on our hands. That’s not the worst thing, but it’s not championship caliber for a contending team like the 2017 Cowboys should be.