Recent comments by a talking head who doesn’t usually draw headlines has social media buzzing once again.
The subject is Dak Prescott. What’s new?
These slanderous and completely biased sports talk shows know that criticizing any member of the Dallas Cowboys organization draws the best ratings.
The latest outrageous comments came from the mouth of Joy Taylor as the host of Speak on FS1.
If you’re a Cowboys fan and don’t live under a rock, you are familiar with what she had to say.
“Dak Prescott is not talented enough to reach an NFC Championship Game.” – Joy Taylor
Some Cowboys fans, like myself, were left speechless at the baseless and uneducated comment.
Other fans were quick to point out lesser quarterbacks over the years who have made it to a conference championship game.
Taylor’s comments got the gears in my Cowboys brain moving.
I decided to take a look back at quarterbacks who have made it past the Divisional round of the playoffs, and how they don’t measure up to the Cowboys’ QB1.
For the sake of keeping this article under 20,000 words, I will only examine quarterbacks from the 2010 season forward.
Honorable Mentions
- 2010 Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
- 2010 Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
- 2019 Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
- 2022 Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
First off, let’s take Prescott’s best season as comparison for the rest of the list.
Dak Prescott
Year: 2021
Record: 11-5
PPG: 31.2 (1st)
Yds Per Game: 278.1
Completion Rate: 68.8%
TD/INT: 37/10
QB Rating: 104.2
Supporting Cast
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Tony Pollard
- Amari Cooper
- CeeDee Lamb
- Michael Gallup (not available for postseason)
- Dalton Schultz
Defense
PPG: 21.1 (7th)
Takeaways: 34 (1st)
The 2021 Cowboys season ended in a home Wildcard loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
It was a huge disappointment based on how complete the team was.
Prescott finished with a 3.7:1 TD/INT ratio. The best of his career.
He had three wide receivers who were talented enough to start on other NFL teams.
Dallas finished the regular season with the #1 scoring offense in the league at 31.2 points per game.
The Cowboys lost Michael Gallup to a torn ACL late in the season.
An injury to one of their top playmakers coupled with an offensive scheme that was predictable did not go over well against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Dak couldn’t do more with less, but he is far from the only culprit that kept Dallas from the NFC Championship game.
A franchise playoff record 14 penalties and the inability to stop the 49ers rushing attack are more to blame than Prescott.
In addition to not being able to stop the 49ers running attack, Dallas could not run the ball themselves.
Going down 23-7 near the end of the 3rd quarter made the Cowboys’ offense one-dimensional.
Knowing Dallas needed to throw the ball, 49ers Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ defense was allowed to do what they do best.
Pin their ears back and rush the passer.
It led to another early playoff exit where QB Dak Prescott was unfairly held solely culpable by the media.
Russell Wilson
Year: 2013
Record: 13-3
PPG: 26.1 (9th)
Yds Per Game: 209.8
Completion Rate: 63.1%
TD/INT: 26/9
QB Rating: 101.2
Supporting Cast
- Marshawn Lynch
- Golden Tate
- Doug Baldwin
- Percy Harvin
- Jermaine Kearse
- Zach Miller
Defense
PPG: 14.4 (1st)
Takeaways: 51 (1st)
Yes, I know Russell Wilson is a Super Bowl champion quarterback.
However, in 2013 he was just a 2nd year player who was carried by an above average rushing attack and an elite defense.
The 2013 season was the birth of Marshawn “Beastquake” Lynch and the “Legion of Boom”.
Cowboys fans should know this defense all too well.
The coordinator of that defense was none other than Dallas’ very own Dan Quinn.
On offense, Marshawn Lynch had 1,573 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns.
Seattle’s offense was also catered to Wilson’s strengths as a runner.
He added 539 yards rushing of his own, mainly out of the read option concept.
The real reason the Seahawks reached the NFC Conference Championship, and eventually the Super Bowl, was the defense.
It’s considered one of the best to ever line up on the field for a reason.
Just take a look at these names, and imagine they are all in their prime, because they were.
- Cliff Avril
- Michael Bennett
- Brandon Mebane
- Bruce Irvin
- K.J. Wright
- Malcolm Smith
- Bobby Wagner
- Kam Chancellor
- Earl Thomas
- Richard Sherman
- Byron Maxwell
That is a fierce lineup that held Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to 15 points in the Wildcard round.
They then held the 49ers to 17 points in the conference championship, and held the record breaking Broncos offense to eight points in the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Wilson himself averaged 14 completions for 174 yards and threw only three touchdowns during that entire playoff run.
So is Russ more talented than Dak? Maybe he eventually got to that point, but not in 2013.
Blake Bortles
Year: 2017
Record: 10-6
PPG: 26.1 (5th)
Yds Per Game: 230.4
Completion Rate: 60.2%
TD/INT: 21/13
QB Rating: 84.7
Supporting Cast
- Leonard Fournette
- T.J. Yeldon
- Keelan Cole
- Marqise Lee
- Allen Hurns
- Dede Westbrook
- Marcedes Lewis
Defense
PPG: 16.8 (2nd)
Takeaways: 33 (2nd)
Blake Bortles was taken as the third overall pick by the Jaguars in the 2014 NFL Draft.
The 2017 season was the only year where he had a winning record as a starting quarterback.
Bortles never lived up to the hype of his draft stock.
He also never returned to the playoffs outside of 2017, and last appeared in an NFL game in 2019.
Like Wilson mentioned above, Bortles was mostly carried by the running game and above average defense.
Rookie RB Leonard Fournette racked up 1,342 total yards and 10 touchdowns in just 13 regular season games.
T.J. Yeldon was also a capable backup who spelled Fournette with minimal drop off in production.
The real story here is the defense.
Led by Defensive Coordinator Todd Walsh, the 2017 Jaguars defense is considered historical by many.
They led the league in completion percentage (56.8%), passing yards allowed (169.9), passer rating (68.5), and defensive touchdowns (7).
Jacksonville also ranked 2nd in sacks (55), interceptions (21), total takeaways (33), yards allowed (286.1), and points allowed (16.8).
Any quarterback would be lucky to receive that much support from his defense.
Bortles’ playoff run was subpar, as was most of his regular season stats.
In three postseason games, Bortles averaged 16 completions for 198 yards passing.
He accounted for only three total touchdowns, and fumbled the football four times.
Is Bortles more talented than Dak? He certainly was drafted to be, but it never panned out.
Even in his best season.
Case Keenum
Year: 2017
Record: 11-3
PPG: 23.9 (10th)
Yds Per Game: 236.5
Completion Rate: 67.6%
TD/INT: 22/7
QB Rating: 98.3
Supporting Cast
- Latavius Murray
- Jerick McKinnon
- Stefon Diggs
- Adam Thielen
- Michael Floyd
- Kyle Rudolph
Defense
PPG: 15.8 (1st)
Takeaways: 19 (23rd)
Case Keenum is a journeyman quarterback who was thrust into a starting role for the Vikings in the only season he ever played for them.
Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater both suffered season ending injuries that allowed Keenum to start 14 games.
Supported by the #1 scoring defense in the league, Keenum needed a miracle to advance to the conference championship.
The Minneapolis Miracle, to be exact.
Keenum did average 295 yards passing in two playoff games during that run.
However, he only accounted for two touchdowns, and was responsible for four turnovers.
Throughout the regular season, Keenum had eight games where he threw one touchdown or less, including three games with zero.
Is Keenum more talented than Dak? Not by a longshot.
Ryan Tannehill
Year: 2019
Record: 8-4
PPG: 25.1 (10th)
Yds Per Game: 228.5
Completion Rate: 70.3%
TD/INT: 22/6
QB Rating: 117.5
Supporting Cast
- Derrick Henry
- Dion Lewis
- AJ Brown
- Corey Davis
- Adam Humphries
- Jonnu Smith
Defense
PPG: 20.7 (12th)
Takeaways: 23 (11th)
Ryan Tannehill is a college wide receiver who made the switch to quarterback in the NFL.
Originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins, Tannehill was released after the 2018 season.
He promptly found a starting job with the Titans for the 2019 season, and it ended up being the best season of his career.
The Titans’ magical run ended with a conference championship game loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Tennessee squeezed into the playoffs at 9-7 with a Week 17 win over Houston coupled with a Pittsburgh loss to Baltimore.
On the road in the Wildcard round, the 6th seed Titans stunned the 3rd seed Patriots in Foxborough.
The following week in the Divisional round, they won in even more surprising fashion, knocking off the 1st seed Ravens in Baltimore.
In those two games, the load was carried by a stifling defense that limited Tom Brady’s offense to 13 points, and the Ravens to 12.
RB Derrick Henry kept the defense off of the field in those two games, churning out 182 and 195 yards on 30 and 34 carries, respectively.
Tannehill’s contribution was minimal.
His averages in those first two playoff games were seven completions for 80 yards.
He did throw for three touchdowns, but they were short and setup by play action inside the 10 yard line.
Tannehill’s luck ran out against the Chiefs.
The defense gave up 35 points to Mahomes and Kelce, and Henry only managed 69 yards on the ground.
Is Tannehill more talented than Dak?
Go find me a playoff game where Dak threw for less than 100 yards TWICE, then come back and see me.
Where Does Dak Stand Now?
There is a common theme from these less talented quarterbacks making conference championship games.
Efficient play, above average rush offenses, and elite defenses.
Everyone knows Dak had an interception “problem” in 2022.
That notion has since been dispelled by film nerds, showing the scheme and poor wide receiver play did him no favors.
I expect a full bounce back to the 2021 Prescott that was used as the example above.
If last year is any indication, Prescott will have at least one of the other factors of the formula this coming season.
The Cowboys have come a long way from the putrid Mike Nolan defense of 2020 that set franchise worst records in many categories.
This is now year three under Dan Quinn, and I am personally expecting this defense to be the absolute best in the league.
The running game is the wildcard here.
Fan favorite Ezekiel Elliott is now gone after seven seasons.
Dallas did not draft a replacement, and seemingly are giving the reins to the explosive Tony Pollard.
Pollard is coming off of the best season of his career. A season in which he finally got more opportunity.
However, questions at left guard and right tackle could spell trouble for the rushing attack.
One factor that may alleviate that situation a bit is the implementation of Mike McCarthy’s West Coast philosophy into the current scheme.
The Texas Coast offense, as it’s been labeled, utilizes short horizontal passes in place of rushing attempts in an effort to spread defenses thin from sideline to sideline.
This, in turn, leads to wider running lanes for running backs.
There is one thing that I am certain of, however.
Rayne Dakota Prescott is more than talented enough to get Dallas past the Divisional round, and into the conference championship.
I’ll even go as far as saying he can win the conference championship, make a Super Bowl appearance, and win that game as well.
However the season shakes out, odds are that Joy Taylor and many others will be eating crow in February 2024.