The Dallas Cowboys have had a week to sit and think about what transpired in their last game. A Week 6 trouncing laid upon them by the Detroit Lions, 47-9. It’s tough to pick out the biggest flaw from that game because the Cowboys weren’t good in any facet of that game.
However, one of the biggest letdowns came on the offensive side of the ball at the most important position. Yes, it’s time to get into Dak Prescott and the overall outlook on his season thus far.
What’s the deal with Dak Prescott?
You’d think a guy who’s set to make $60 million per season over the next few years would be on top of the world. Being the highest-paid player in NFL history should be the greatest feeling in the world. But that hasn’t translated to the field this season. Not consistently anyway. Even in the Cowboy’s win this year Prescott isn’t exactly lighting up the world.
Maybe Prescott’s recent engagement has weighed heavily on his mind. Or it could be the pressure of being the first player to cross that $60 per year threshold. There could be millions of reasons (internal and external) why we haven’t seen the same dak from last season. He simply hasn’t played like one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Currently, Prescott ranks 24th in the NFL in QBR (48.2) and 21st in passer rating (85.5). Both are below average for those statistical categories which makes Dallas’ 3-3 record a blessing. While we cannot blame all their woes on Prescott, top-tier QBs are supposed to carry teams, when necessary, in this league. For the past few years, there’s been this debate over where Prescott ranks amongst his peers at the position.
Well, all that talk about him being in the top 5 or 10 in the league has come to a screeching halt. At the moment Prescott isn’t even a top 5 QB in the NFC. So, all that talk about him being “elite” should be nothing more than cannon fodder at this point.
Prescott’s ranking among NFC QBs
When looking at the QB landscape across the NFC, Prescott is barely a top 10 in the conference let alone the league. Now, it’s still early enough in the season that Prescott can turn things around but based on what he’s working with offensively, it’s doubtful it happens. In the NFC only Daniel Jones and Caleb Williams have worse QBR ratings than Prescott. So, it’s hard to place Dak ahead of some of the other QBs in the NFC. Players like (in no particular order):
- Jared Goff
- Jordan Love
- Jayden Daniels
- Kirk Cousins
- Sam Darnold
- Baker Mayfield
- Geno Smith
That’s already seven NFC QBs that rank ahead of Prescott so far in 2024 and some might make an argument for Jalen Hurts or Brock Purdy as well. The lack of a running game will be mentioned in Dak’s defense along with only having one consistent receiving target in CeeDee Lamb.
However, Purdy is in a similar situation with the 49ers dealing with injuries up and down the offensive lineup all season and Brandon Aiyuk was carted off the field Sunday with what they fear could be an ACL tear. Not to mention, the most lethal offensive weapon in the league (Christian McCaffrey) has not suited up yet this season with an Achilles injury. So, there aren’t many acceptable excuses for Prescott.
Reality of the situation
What’s realistic this season is for the Cowboys to finish with eight maybe nine wins. This means Prescott will likely continue to struggle and potentially throw somewhere around 15 (or more) interceptions like he did in 2022. He led the league in INTs that season and even missed five games with a thumb injury. Prescott already has six this year with 11 games left on the schedule. In fact, Prescott has thrown two INTs in three of his six games during the 2024 campaign.
With an owner that’s afraid to make moves that’ll improve the team, it’s going to be tough sledding the rest of the way for Dak and the Cowboys. The running isn’t going to improve, head coach Mike McCarthy is a lame-duck coach without a contract and they’ve left their high-priced QB out on the vine to wither away. Even at .500, this is quickly becoming one of those seasons most Cowboys fans (and personnel) will want to get through just so they can forget about it.