NFL Network says Brock Purdy wins tale of tape over Dak Prescott
By Scott Rogust
The NFL Network believes Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers has an advantage over Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys ahead of their playoff game.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott heard plenty of criticism at the end of this season due in part to his league-leading 15 interceptions. But, he did silence them a bit with a near flawless perfromance in Dallas’ 31-14 Wild Card Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Dallas did beat Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, they are now set to face a tough San Francisco 49ers team, led by rookie Brock Purdy, who was the final selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Given that this is the Cowboys vs. 49ers in the playoffs like in the past, there is a lot of attention focused on this game. The NFL Network decided to go through a tale of the tape between Prescott and Purdy to see who has the advantage. Despite Prescott being in the league since 2016, the advantage was given to Purdy.
Purdy was listed as having the edge in the poise, accuracy, and decision-making categories, while Prescott had the advantage in arm strength and mobility.
NFL Network gives Brock Purdy the advantage over Dak Prescott in tale of the tape
Cowboys fans will file this under “more disrespect towards Dak Prescott.”
The 49ers got to the position of starting “Mr. Irrelevant” in the 2022 NFL Draft because of a broken ankle to Trey Lance and a broken foot suffered by Jimmy Garoppolo. Handing the reins to a seventh-round draft pick, even with the talent around him, the 49ers weren’t given a chance. Yet, Purdy won every game he started this season.
In his five regular-season starts, Purdy recorded 1,098 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 68.5 percent of his passes.
Purdy did have a rough start to his playoff debut, but he was able to rebound in the second half to lead the 49ers to a 41-23 win. In that game, Purdy completed 18-of-30 pass attempts for 332 yards and three touchdowns, while also running for 16 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
Prescott missed five games this season due to a broken right thumb suffered in Week 1. Since his return, he did show flashes of his usual self, but did struggle with turnovers. It’s important to stress however, some of those interceptions weren’t his fault.
In 12 games played this season, Prescott completed 66.2-percent of his passes for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns, while throwing a league-high 15 interceptions.
Prescott sure made the Buccaneers look like the eight-win team they were in the Wild Card game, as he completed 25-of-33 pass attempts for 305 yards and four touchdowns, while running for 24 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
Purdy showed that he can handle the playoff pressure. As for Prescott, he will need to silence the critics once again by getting the Cowboys past the 49ers to reach the Conference Championship game for the first time since the 1995 season. But, Prescott will have to do so against a 49ers defense that allowed 300.6 yards of offense and 16.3 points per game, both of which are league-bests.