Is NFL.com Wrong About Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Ranking?
Life in 2021 began pretty well for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Other than some setbacks in training camp - and we were led to believe the shoulder injury was just a minor setback - Prescott opened the regular season on a tear.
He was performing at an elite, if not MVP, level for at least the first six games of the season. But then the calf injury suffered during the game-winning overtime touchdown pass against the Patriots sort of derailed Dallas' season.
Of course, as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, expectations are a bit higher and the pressure is a bit more than most other teams, and it doesn't appear that Prescott was up to the task, at least for part of the season in 2021.
According to NFL.com, there were 62 quarterbacks who suited up as a starter for an NFL game last season, with Dallas accounting for two, with Prescott and Cooper Rush. The website ranked all 62, and Cowboys fans will be happy to know that Prescott cracked the top ten - just barely - at No. 9, up from No. 16 the previous season:
Dak’s play sunk after a Week 6 calf injury, but his struggles ran deeper than the injury. “I wouldn’t say it lingered as long as people gave me the excuse of it,” Prescott said on The Rich Eisen Show during Super Bowl week. “I went through a period of time during the season where I just didn’t play my best ball.”
After Prescott’s fast start to the season, his inaccuracy and tentative play made for one of the most inexplicable stories in the entire league. He still mixed in enough boffo games to finish with strong stats, but the bar is higher for Prescott, considering his teammates.
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The Cowboy's backup signal-caller, Cooper Rush shows up on the list at No. 44:
Hard to do much better as a backup than going 1-for-1 in quality starts. Rush pushed the ball down the field in a win over the Vikings to great success and with a bit of good fortune. It weirdly may have been the high point of the Cowboys' season.
Cooper performed above expectations in his only start, but everyone knows him for what he is. A backup in the league who can win a team a game or two during spot starts.
After Prescott's up-and-down season in 2021, there are many arguing he's not the quarterback everyone thought he was prior to the 4-year, $160 million contract. And while that might not be far to Prescott, the only way to silence the critics is to play better in 2022 while carrying the Cowboys through a deep playoff run.
