It’s hard to find a single position in sports that is more scrutinized than that of quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. For a player that many considered underwhelming, with a limited ceiling, November has proven to be something that is providing a renewed outlook. The only question is, will it prove to be a short-lived phase, or has this offensive talent truly turned a corner?
Dallas Cowboys NFC Player of the Month Winner
Dak Prescott has played the quarterback position about as well as he could have in November. Posting great stats, his breakdown had him leading in all major categories in his conference. Throwing for 1,298 yards on 68.5 completion percentage with 13 touchdowns, it’s not hard to see why the statistically best quarterback received this honor.
While throwing to receivers like CeeDee Lamb makes putting up big numbers easier, the most important aspect and what has been most impressive is his lack of turnovers. With only one interception throw, Prescott is not putting his defense into hard field positions and is finding ways to keep drives alive by moving the chains.
Dallas Cowboys moments that stood out
It’s no secret that having eyeballs on your game day performance will always greatly affect your public perception, for better or worse. There are not too many larger platforms than a Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game. Against a stingy Redskins defense, Prescott led an offense that not only ran up the score but did so with style and fanfare.
On the second drive, Prescott hit tight end Jake Ferguson for a 35-yard gain from his own end zone. This big play proved to be a preview of what was to come. Later, during the second quarter, while moving to his right, he then managed to throw to Brandin Cooks for a 31-yard score.
These were the types of throws that Prescott has shown the most improvement on while the game was still within reach. Keeping his footwork and mechanics fundamentally sound, eyes downfield, and connecting on deep threats, he did a nice job not putting the ball in harm’s way.
Elephant in the room for the Dallas Cowboys
While his run has been impressive, some are questioning the strength of his schedule. Critics are essentially attributing the stats to running up the score on otherwise poor teams. Combined, the records of the teams that the Dallas Cowboys last played was 6-22 going into their matchups.
There is a saying in sports that ‘you can only beat what’s in front of you.’ In other words, Dallas did what they were supposed to do. They handled the teams they were facing that we’ve seen in past years, which would have been self-inflicted stumbling blocks. This is why this particular criticism of Dak Prescott and the offense is unfair.
When tested fans were able to find out a little more about this team, they fared well, particularly Prescott, against an impressive Eagles team. They lost on the road by only five points. In this early November game, he out-dueled Jalen Hurts by nearly 200 passing yards while throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Dallas Cowboys’ remaining outlook
While previous teams may have been overhyped or peaked too soon, this 2023 roster offers something different. Offensively, Prescott is showing maturity in being able to handle the pressure, avoid negative plays, and is striking for big chunk plays at opportune times. For now, the overused talking point of the Cowboys not being able to compete against good teams will need to be laid to rest, thanks largely to the play of Dak Prescott.