Cowboys' Dak Prescott Leads NFL in Unique Metric: What We Learned

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott leads the league in an interesting metric after the Week 1 win over the New York Giants.

The Dallas Cowboys season-opening 40-0 win versus the New York Giants was as dominant as they come. 

So, as the Cowboys have turned the page on the Giants and have already begun preparing for their New York counterparts, the Jets, we take one last look back at what we learned from the Week 1 win. 

Positives

'Fast Dak' How much can be gleaned from Dak Prescott's performance on Sunday, as they didn't ask him to do much, nor did they need him to? With the blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and the multiple takeaways created by the Cowboys' defense, they just needed Prescott to take care of the football, which is exactly what he did. 

However, when you look at the advanced analytics from Prescott's season opener, you notice a huge difference in his average time to throw. This is likely in large part thanks to the new Mike McCarthy "Texas Coast Offense.'' Prescott's average time to throw against the Giants was 2.37 seconds, which made him top of the league in that metric and was the fastest time of his career, according to Next Gen Stats, which started tracking it in 2018. 

Dak Prescott's Average Time to Throw over the Years:

2023: 2.37

2022: 2.72

2021: 2.75

'20: 2.77

'19: 2.88

'18: 2.82

Obviously its a one-game sample for '23 but still shows a big difference between the Mike McCarthy and Kellen Moore offenses.

— Harrison Reno (@HarrisonReno) September 11, 2023

Doomsday 2.0? A couple of interceptions and a few sacks is usually considered a great day for an NFL defense, especially if they get the win. Although the Cowboys' defense may have set a new standard for "great" performances as they forced three turnovers, and totaled seven sacks, all the while pulling off a shutout.

Sunday provided as good of a performance as the Cowboys could've hoped for, and it all started up front, where Dallas generated pressure on 62.2 percent of dropbacks (23/37), according to Next Gen Stats, which was the fourth-highest pressure percentage in a single game since 2019.

Negatives

This section will undoubtedly grow in the coming weeks because, let's face it, the Cowboys will likely not have a better game this season. But ... to give the good and the bad, here is the one negative in the Cowboys' performance.

Drops What?! The Cowboys' receiving corps with offseason addition Brandin Cooks still had issues?!

Yes, drops were the biggest issue offensively, as they had multiple bumbles throughout the game. The first and potentially most costly came on Dallas' second drive where, on third-and-eight, Ferguson dropped a pass from Prescott that would've given them a first down.

While the Cowboys had three other drops in the game, Ferguson's turned out to be the only one that cost them points, as kicker Brandon Aubrey was trotted out to kick a 38-yard field goal afterward. 

While drops happen in almost every game, the Cowboys have learned in recent years how quickly a game's outcome can change over a simple dropped pass. The tight ends this week at The Star? They will be looking to tighten things up here.