While several high-profile quarterbacks dominate media attention in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys first choice goes under the radar. Dak Prescott has quietly gone about his business at the AT&T Stadium, where an impressive series of stats has yet to be fully rewarded.
Prescott has appeared in three Pro Bowl series, while winning a host of individual awards, but he’s yet to take his Dallas team to Super Bowl glory. At the age of 31, he should be hitting his peak, so how far can Dak Prescott take the Dallas Cowboys?
Mixed Start
After six games of the 2024 NFL season, the Cowboys’ results were split down the middle with three wins and three defeats. That return leaves them in third place in the NFC East Division behind the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s tight in this section: The Commanders top the table with four wins and two draws, so there’s everything to play for. With plenty of regular season action left, independent sources aren’t offering much hope to Cowboys’ fans as the team are down among the underdogs to win their first Super Bowl since 1995. As outsiders in current NFL Playoff Odds markets, Dallas needs to raise its game.
It’s a similar situation for Dak Prescott: If Dallas were to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy, it’s likely that their starting quarterback would be named as the Most Valuable Player. That puts Prescott among the underdogs for the MVP award.
If they are to upset popular opinion, the Cowboys need to put together a string of wins. Progression to the postseason is in their hands, and Dak Prescott has a major part to play.
Impressive CV
Dak Prescott is currently a one-franchise man having been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2016. He spent his college years at Mississippi State, and was picked up in the fourth round of the draft.
Despite that modest draft ranking, Prescott delivered a spectacular rookie season. Eight years on, he still holds the records for the highest passer rating and the highest passing completion for any rookie quarterback. With 13 wins in that debut campaign, he’s also tied for the highest number of victories.
Not surprisingly, Dak Prescott was named as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie Player of the Year in 2016. Subsequent campaigns were not quite as remarkable, but the player hit peak form again last season. In 2023, he delivered the most passing touchdowns of any quarterback.
That impressive debut season underlined that Dak Prescott had huge potential. He hasn’t quite delivered on that promise, but an impressive series of stats from last term suggest that he may just be reaching peak form.
2024 Stats
The Dallas Cowboys have experienced that mixed start, but how do Dak Prescott’s stats compare to other quarterbacks in the league? His most impressive numbers come in the passing yards section where he’s currently in third place in the overall rankings.
Prescott has returned 1602 yards after those opening six games and only Brock Purdy of the 49ers and Geno Smith of Seattle lie ahead of him.
Dak Prescott would want to have returned more touchdowns at this stage. He’s currently in mid-table for this key stay with eight TDs so far. Passing attempts are also respectable, but he ranks relatively highly for the negative statistics including sacks and interceptions.
In general, he is returning impressive numbers and while there is always room for improvement, Dak Prescott’s QB stats for 2024 suggest that the players around him need to respond better to his passing.
Steady Progress
Last season was a productive one for the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott. With a regular season record of 12-5, the team won the NFC East division ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles. From there, Dallas entered the playoffs, but fell at the first hurdle, going down 48-32 to the Green Bay Packers.
A year earlier, the Cowboys had finished in second place in the division, behind the Eagles. A wild card entry saw them into the playoffs, where they beat Tampa Bay before losing 19-12 to the San Francisco 49ers in the first divisional playoff game.
It’s been a mixed start to the new season for the Dallas Cowboys, but the NFC East is an open division. Having topped their section last term, the minimum target for the team is to get back into the playoffs once again. From there, they will look to improve on their performance from last year when they went down in the first postseason game.
The stats show that Prescott is playing his part in getting the Cowboys deep into the season. If there is a better response from the players around him, there’s no reason why Dak Prescott can’t take Dallas all the way to the Super Bowl in 2025.
