Tough Dak Prescott stat shows exactly why Cowboys need OBJ

Dak Prescott now leads the NFL in interception rate, which is another sign he needs OBJ because too many of his INTs weren’t his fault.

The Dallas Cowboys went into Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with the chance to clinch the playoffs.

They came out of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with fingers pointing left and right because they did nothing of the sort.

Jacksonville notched the 40-34 victory in overtime thanks to a 52-yard pick-six from Rayshawn Jenkins.

That interception was Dak Prescott’s second of the day. It also gave him the league lead in a stat no quarterback wants to claim: Interception rate.

Interceptions have been an issue for Prescott since he returned from injury. He’s thrown 10 INTs in eight games. He had two last week against the Texans. He had two again this week.

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There are some Cowboys fans who would place Prescott’s turnover woes at the top of the pile of concerns for the team going into the playoffs. However, the picks highlight the unreliability of the quarterback’s receiving options as much as his mistakes.

That’s exactly why fans continue to call for Jerry Jones to bring OBJ to Dallas, something he seems confident he’ll be able to do. 

OBJ would help Dak Prescott’s interception problem

The game-ending interception return was a prime example of a receiver letting the quarterback down. The ball hit his hands. The defender only had the opportunity to pick it off because Noah Brown couldn’t hang on to it.

Prescott has to own many of his interceptions, but he could use some help. He certainly hasn’t been lucky at times when it comes to drops and deflections. For instance, his first interception of the day happened after his arm was hit by a defender.

Having OBJ would give Prescott another reliable target, one with an impressive catch radius who could do a better job holding onto the ball. He might also make things easier for the quarterback by simply creating more space for himself.

Prescott has had to try to fit a lot of passes into tight windows this season. He leads the league in tight window throw rate, per Mina Kimes. That’s clearly been part of the problem. OBJ is part of the solution.