Dak Prescott vs. Jalen Hurts? Dallas Cowboys Get Comical Shock from Stephen A. Smith

Dak Prescott vs. Jalen Hurts? Dallas Cowboys Get Comical Shock from Stephen A. Smith

FRISCO - The first step to a serious understanding of ESPN shock-jock personality Stephen A. Smith's "reporting'' on the Dallas Cowboys is ... to understand that you must not take it seriously.

Smith is an comic actor, almost an animated cartoon, when it comes to his overwrought criticism of the Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott. His opinions carry no weight - but that doesn't mean his opinions - especially when he goes contrary to his usual flow - carry no entertainment value.

“I gotta give credit where credit is due,” Smith said of Prescott’s performance in Sunday's 43-20 win over the Rams. “I’m not gonna sit up there and dog him all 16 weeks ... (even though) a vast majority of the time I have a reason to do so.''

Smith, Dak, Hurts

The compliment is backhanded; that's to be expected.

The math is wrong, too, as the NFL season has since 2021 been 17 weeks for teams, not 16 weeks; again, it's Smith, so getting details wrong is also to be expected.

The Cowboys earned their 11th consecutive home victory Sunday afternoon, led by "Dak cut loose'' as Prescott completed 25 of 31 passes for 304 yards with four touchdowns and ... and was also effective as a runner. And Dallas is now 5-2, well-deserving of some praise from even the goofiest analyst.

Dak: 'Pour Honey on Me!' as Cowboys to 'Poke the Bear' at Eagles

On ESPN’s First Take, Smith praised the Prescott to the point he even compared him favorably, to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts ... the two guys who just happen to be squaring off this weekend in a showdown at Philly.

.@stephenasmith thinks Dak Prescott played better than Jalen Hurts yesterday 👀

"I gotta give credit where credit is due." pic.twitter.com/FflHheS4QU

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 30, 2023

The Eagles are 7-1; they have obviously earned praise, too, without many qualifiers. Can Smith give Dak a positive review "without any qualifiers''? Not quite.

"He showed up on Sunday, but he usually shows up when they get off early, and he’s got a lead, a little cushion,'' Smith said. "It’s when it’s tight and it’s late and the pressure is there, it’s a little bit different.''

The Cowboys vs. Eagles fact is that in head-to-head matchups when Dak plays, he's 8-3 lifetime. ... the sort of number that should really be tossed onto the analytical pile when it comes to critiquing Prescott and Dallas and Hurts and Philly. But we're not bothered by the likelihood that Stephen A. Smith is unaware of that significant fact ... because we understand that the facts sometimes get in the way of the jokes.