Which NFL quarterback led the league with the most interceptions thrown last season? None other than Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, with 15 interceptions.
Except, Prescott’s INT total was much more egregious when taking a closer look at the numbers from the 2022-23 NFL season. Unlike Davis Mills, who also threw 15 picks and started 15 games, Prescott started just 12 games. He had the highest INT% in football, tossing a turnover in 3.8% of his pass attempts.
Obviously, this is not a category any QB wants to lead the league in, and definitely not one that helps a team find success down the stretch and in the postseason. But one could argue that Prescott suddenly becoming a turnover-prone decision-maker came out of the blue.
Related: Who to draft in your Fantasy team, Dak Prescott Or Joe Burrow?
He had never had higher than a 2.7% interception rate in his career, and that mark came in his second NFL season at the age of 24. Aside from that, Prescott has never had an INT rate higher than 1.8%.
Aside from the roster moves and parting with Ezekiel Elliott and others, big changes were made to the Cowboys’ offense this offseason. Previous offensive coordinator and play-caller Kellen Moore was ousted, and head coach Mike McCarthy will now be in Prescott’s headset with the play calls.
But he still won’t be making decisions on the field or physically making the throws. That all falls on the two-time Pro Bowl QB’s shoulders, but Prescott is already making bold claims about his upcoming season with the Cowboys.
Related: Predicting NFL playoff bracket and Super Bowl 2024 winner
Dak Prescott guarantees better ball protection in 2023
A year after dealing with injuries and inconsistent play, Prescott says, “I won’t have ten interceptions this year.” Here’s the full quote.
“I know who I am, and you can go back and take away half of those off drops. I’m not saying it’s on the receiver, but if you cut that in half then we start talking about those, nobody is talking about it. Some of it is the offense and them understanding exactly where we are. Mike does an amazing job with those guys. They know where to be, why to be, when they’re getting looked at. That’s going to be a big jump. I won’t have 10 interceptions this year.”
Dak Prescott on protecting the football this season
That’s a pretty strong statement, considering just five QBs who made 15 or more starts a season ago threw fewer than ten interceptions. Or the fact that Prescott has tossed ten or more picks in four of his seven seasons, with one year almost entirely wiped out by injury.
For Cowboys fans, it’s great to hear your starting QB head into the year with plenty of confidence, but is it justified? What happens if Prescott somehow starts the season with a two, three, or even four-interception game? That leaves very little margin for error in the next 17 starts.
Ultimately, no one will care whether Prescott has nine interceptions or 13, they just want to know if the Cowboys are built to get past the Divisional Round this season. If Prescott can take care of the football as well as he hopes, Dallas should have a strong chance of at least making it back to the postseason. It’s anyone’s guess from there.
