After just completing a three part series on Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s career win-loss record versus all opponents on the 2023 schedule, I decided to flip that coin over to the other side.
We will now be dissecting how the Cowboys as a team have fared against each of the opposing quarterbacks for this season.
There are a handful of teams on the schedule who have questions at quarterback. For those teams, we will discuss all options.
New York Giants
Projected starter: Daniel Jones
W/L record vs DAL: 1-6
In the midst of the 2019 NFL Draft, it was no secret that the New York Giants were looking to draft the successor to franchise legend Eli Manning.
General Manager Dave Gettleman and his staff shocked the NFL by selecting Daniel Jones, quarterback and three year starter at Duke University with the sixth overall pick.
A shallow quarterback draft class was likely the main reason the Giants spent their top pick on him. Only two other quarterbacks were taken in the first round. Kyler Murray was selected by Arizona, and the late Dwayne Haskins was selected by Washington.
Jones has certainly fallen short of the expectations of a top-10 pick. His 21-31-1 overall record aside, the stat Giants’ fans care about most is his 1-6 record versus the Dallas Cowboys.
The quarterback under center for Jones’ only win vs Dallas was veteran Andy Dalton in a meaningless Week 17 battle that ended the season with 6-10 records for both teams.
Daniel Jones’ subpar career numbers are even worse when facing America’s Team.
In those seven games, Jones has never thrown for more than 228 yards. He has only four total touchdowns, and has turned the ball over nine times.
Even with a new head coach in Brian Daboll, the chances of Daniel Jones reversing his fortunes versus the Cowboys are slim.
New York Jets
Projected starter: Aaron Rodgers
W/L record vs DAL: 8-3 (2-0 in playoffs)
When it comes to the newest quarterback for the New York Jets, Stephen A. Smith’s famous words come to mind. “Aaron Rodgers is a bad man.”
The Cowboys have had regular season success against Aaron Rodgers while he was still a member of the Green Bay Packers. The playoffs are where he is still undefeated, handing the Cowboys and their fans two losses in heartbreaking fashion.
Luckily, the only way Dallas can face Rodgers in the playoffs now is if they meet in the Super Bowl.
Cowboys fans should be glad to have one of the top defenses in the NFL when Rodgers comes to town in Week 2.
Rodgers is a sure-fire first ballot selection for the NFL Hall of Fame, and has excellent stats versus most teams in the NFL. His stats against Dallas are astounding, and cement him as the biggest Cowboys killer of them all.
His numbers in 11 total games versus Dallas are as follows:
Completions: 67.6%
Yards per game: 257.7
Touchdowns: 19
Interceptions: 2
QB rating: 104.9
Those are staggering numbers that rival the numbers of his MVP seasons. Dallas gets the chance to bridge that gap facing Rodgers for the first time in Jets green.
Arizona Cardinals
Projected starter: Kyler Murray
W/L record vs DAL: 2-0
For as much as Cowboys Nation likes to ridicule Kyler Murray for his stature and not being deserving of his contract, you’d think he’d never beaten the Dallas Cowboys.
In reality, the opposite is true. He hasn’t lost to the Cowboys in two games against them.
His numbers don’t jump off of the page, but he has managed to make timely plays when his team needs him the most.
The first time he lined up across the field from the Dallas, he walked off of the field with a 38-10 victory. Granted, Dak Prescott was out with injury, and filling in was journeyman Andy Dalton.
Prescott was available and healthy for Murray’s second game vs Dallas, yet the result was the same.
It was a much closer game, but Prescott’s three fumbles proved to be more costly than Murray’s lone interception, and the Cardinals escaped Dallas with a three point win.
The circumstances may be reversed in this Week 3 matchup. Murray is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in Week 14 of the 2022 season that is leaving his status in jeopardy.
Should Murray not be ready to go, Dallas will likely face backup Colt McCoy, who sports a 2-1 record versus the Cowboys.
New England Patriots
Projected starter: Mac Jones
W/L record vs DAL: 0-1
New England Patriots QB Mac Jones has only faced the Cowboys once in his young career.
In only his sixth start, Jones played a solid game in a thrilling 35-29 overtime loss in Foxborough.
To say Jones has improved enough to defeat the Cowboys this time around would be going out on a ledge. There were rumors this offseason that Head Coach Bill Belichick was trying to trade him away prior to the draft.
Like the old saying goes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Belichick fell just short of confirming the rumors, but context clues will tell you they were true.
Should Mac Jones not win the starting job in training camp, 2022 4th round pick Bailey Zappe is likely to get the start.
Zappe started two games in place of an injured Jones, winning both games while throwing nearly 71% completions, 5 TDs, and 3 INTs.
San Francisco 49ers
Projected starter: Trey Lance
W/L record vs DAL: 0-0
San Francisco QB Trey Lance has not had the pleasure of facing the Dallas Cowboys yet in his young career. We can assume he is the likely starter when Week 5 rolls around, but it’s not set in stone.
Like the previously discussed Mac Jones, there were also swirling rumors about a possible Trey Lance trade leading up to the draft. A deal couldn’t be struck, and as of today, Lance is still a member of the 49ers.
Lance has been bitten by the injury bug in each of his first two seasons. As a result, he has only started four games, and has a record of 1-3.
Should San Francisco elect to start someone else at quarterback, it would come down to 2022 7th round pick Brock Purdy or former number one overall pick Sam Darnold.
Purdy is recovering from a UCL tear suffered in the first quarter of the NFC Championship game after defeating Dallas in the Divisional round.
Sam Darnold is 1-1 vs the Cowboys, with his only win coming as a member of the New York Jets.
Parts two and three of this series will be available in the coming days.