Contrary to popular opinion, Dak Prescott is the King of Clutch

Dak Prescott is often considered a choke artist but the numbers tell a different story.

Randy Gurzi | Jun 28, 2024

Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

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NFL narratives are hard to change, no matter how often they get disproven. This is very true for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who takes far more criticism than he deserves.

Despite putting up elite numbers every year, he's often been labeled a choke artist. While there's fair criticism for his shortcomings in the postseason, Prescott's performance in the regular season is not only among the best in the league, but according to Carter Donnick, he's the most "clutch" signal-caller in the NFL.

As Donnick points out, Prescott scored higher in a statistical analysis of every quarterback in what he defined as "clutch situations." That definition covers third and fourth-downs in 14-point games and the entire fourth quarter of a 10-point game.

Using @SportsInfo_SIS charting, I weighed and combined 22 different QB statistics on...

1. 3rd/4th downs within 14 point games

and...

2. Any down in the 4th quarter within 10 point games

To calculate a relative "clutch" score of QBs in 2023 pic.twitter.com/mHxFqOYNg3
— Carter Donnick (@CDonnick1) June 26, 2024

Of course, this is a subjective measurement since we can argue what actually qualifies as a "clutch moment." Having said that, the situations Donnick decided on seem fair on the surface. It also passes the test when you see which quarterbacks land in the top 10.

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Prescott is joined by players such as Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, Jordan Love, and C.J. Stroud. There are also Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff, who don't get the respect they deserve but were both excellent for most of the 2023 season. He added that only passing was used, so Lamar Jackson fell farther than he should have.

Again, the story will always come back to how Prescott performs in the playoffs, but this stat proves he will always give his team a chance to get into the postseason.

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