The Dallas Cowboys lost an NFC East thriller against the Eagles in Week 9, and one Cowboy in particular, Dak Prescott, looked like a new man.
Prescott was wadded up and discarded into the "Trash Can of Disappointing Quarterbacks" after the Cowboys got humiliated by the 49ers a few weeks ago. His critics arrived in droves, internet trolls came out of the woodwork, and members of the NFL media ripped into the Cowboys quarterback for his pitiful three-pick performance.
Well, Week 9 was something of a redemption week for him.
Despite losing 28-23 to the Eagles, Prescott played fantastic for the majority of the game. He finished with 374 passing yards with three touchdowns against zero interceptions; he also had six rushes for 14 yards.
Prescott went toe-to-toe with Jalen Hurts until the third quarter when the Cowboys' red zone demons came back to haunt them. Still, one would have to be an absolute Dak hater (or just an Eagles fan) to believe Prescott lost the game for Dallas on Sunday.
Perhaps.... we were a little harsh on Dak Prescott earlier. He can play ball (just not in the final 30 seconds of the game). It's just that whenever a team loses, we usually blame the quarterback. Unless it's the Chiefs, in which case it's never Patrick Mahomes' fault.
All this to say: the NFL media tends to be biased. After Week 9, the media skewed heavily toward the "Dak is good" narrative, providing the most definitive proof that yes, people can change.
Take a look below.
Dak Prescott gets showered with roses by the media despite Week 9 defeat
Jason Garrett on @NFLonNBC: "That quarterback in Dallas, Dak Prescott, put the entire team on his shoulders throughout this ballgame. Time and time again in the big moments, he was the guy making plays. Unbelievable job. A classic in the NFC East.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 6, 2023
Putting this out there before the National Media starts blaming Dak Prescott.
— Michael Bier (@MichaelJBier) November 6, 2023
- 374 Passing Yards
- 3 Touchdowns
- 0 Interceptions
- 115.2 Passer Rating #DALvsPHI | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/BWjhqfTOKc
Before y’all start the Cap!! Dak was not the reason the cowboys lost he was the reason they had a chance to win it. Not popular or cliche but true
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) November 6, 2023
Dak Prescott is completing 73% of his passes when he throws on the run this year--best in the NFL
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) November 5, 2023
the final sequence was not the Cowboys' finest hour, and I'm sure Dak Prescott is going to lose sleep thinking about the two-point conversion
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) November 6, 2023
but if the takeaway from that performance is to kill the QB, leave me out of it
Dak Prescott was PFF’s highest-graded quarterback *literally last week* and just willed the Cowboys to all of their offensive success in a building that has seen *one* loss in the last year and a half.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) November 6, 2023
If you want to take a tiny moment and exaggerate it and act like “great”… https://t.co/yBWdeWe3k2
You can nit pick Dak Prescott, didn't like the throw to Tolbert late in the fourth or even to Luke, find Ferguson, Cooks, Lamb instead. Prescott's been fantastic overall. Played a strong game, gritty, used his legs, threw on the move, played well. Just didn't get the win.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) November 6, 2023
Dak Prescott played his butt off! 374 yards and 3TD’s. He came up big.
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) November 6, 2023
Schoonmaker came up 6 inches short.
CeeDee Lamb came up 6 feet short.
These are 2 very evenly matched teams. This was a hell of a game. 🔥🔥🔥