It’s not even in question. Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott has been one of the best regular season quarterbacks over the years. It’s also not a secret that Dallas has struggled in the playoffs with him under center.
Debate and conversation have raged over over the years. That’s again the case after two-turnover performance in a loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs last season. Prescott is also under a microscope as the quarterback prepares to enter his contract year without a new deal.
The former fourth-round pick and Dallas’ brass failed to come to terms on an extension this past offseason, meaning that Prescott will likely hit free agency in March.
With Prescott and the Cowboys facing a ton of pressure heading into Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, one teammate seems to have his back.
“It’s blasphemy. It’s unbelievable. The guy shows up every year, year in and year out. Putting up numbers, leading his team. He can’t do it all by himself,” Brandin Cooks on Dak Prescott criticism, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “A lot of those great quarterbacks that I’ve been with, Tom (Brady) and Drew (Brees), don’t get me wrong, they won a lot of games, won a lot of Super Bowls, but they had a lot of help around them as well, right?”
Cooks went on to say that he takes the criticism personal.
“Us players around (Dak) also got to step up,” Cooks continued. “So when we hear that disrespect, I take that personally and as his teammates we should take that personally, because at the end of the day, somebody has got to be able to help him get over that hump so we can go win one.”
Related: Ranking Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott among NFL starting QBs
Prescott is not solely to blame for Dallas’ playoff struggles (2-5 record) in seven career starts. But as the quarterback for America’s Team, he is going to face the most criticisim. Given the fact that Dallas has not earned a spot in the NFC Championship Game since back in 1996, and this is magnified further.
- Dak Prescott stats (2023): 69.5% completion, 4,516 yards, 36 TD, 9 INT
When you look at Prescott’s regular season stats, it’s hard to reconcile that with what we’ve seen during the playoffs. Hence, the criticism.
Either way, it’s not a surprise to see one of Prescott’s teammates go to bat for him. That’s the way it should be.
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