Cowboys Twitter has recently been stewing over a topic of vital interest to the upcoming 2023 season. The debate is raging about who is the better quarterback between Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
Why this is so eludes me, but it’s the offseason so what the heck, let’s dive in.
At the heart of the matter is the claim that Allen is being described in glowing terms while Prescott draws disparaging verbiage.
The claim further states that the two have strikingly similar numbers over their last 33 NFL starts.
I’m not sure why we’re only going back 33 games, but I don’t make the rules on Cowboys Twitter.
Is there any merit to any of the claims being made?
Is Allen getting praised for the very same things Prescott is criticized for?
Are their numbers that similar?
Or is there another reason why Allen is getting a pass while Prescott isn’t?
Good questions all. Let’s find the answers.
The Regular Season Numbers
First off, I hate cherry-picking numbers.
Taking a small sample like “the last 33 games they’ve played” is a poor way to compare players. I prefer to look at their entire careers to get a clearer look at the numbers.
If you go solely by their regular season numbers it’s pretty much a wash.
Prescott has been in the league two years longer than Allen. Prescott has started all 97 games he has played in over seven seasons.
Allen has 76 starts in 77 games in his five seasons in the NFL.
Over that time span, Prescott has a 61-36 (.629) record with 166 touchdowns and 65 interceptions. Allen is 52-24 (.684) with 138 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.
Fairly even, which means you’d be okay with either player as your starter at the position. Allen gets a slight advantage due to a better winning percentage.
He also gets the advantage of consistency.
Following his rookie year — when he made 11 starts in 12 games played — Allen has recorded double-digits in wins every single year (47-18 combined, .723) and has made the playoffs in four straight years.
Prescott has not played a full season in two of the last three years and only has three total seasons where he finished with 10 wins or more. He has qualified for the playoffs in just four of his seven years as a starter.
Allen also is the better runner of the two when he pulls the ball down and leaves the pocket.
Advantage: Allen. But it’s a slight one. Again, either player would be a solid starter.
Results When It Matters
The reason why Prescott is judged more harshly comes when we examine their postseason records.
Here is where Allen separates himself from Prescott. This is the area Prescott must improve his game in to quell the naysayers.
In four playoff tournaments, Prescott has managed just two wins — both in the wildcard round — and has yet to win a Divisional round game.
The inability to get the Cowboys into the NFC Championship game — much less the Super Bowl — is Prescott’s biggest negative.
Allen on the other hand, is just two wins better over four tournaments.
His 4-4 record in the playoffs is not earth-shattering. But he has at least driven his team into the AFC Championship game. He also came within 13 seconds of making it to a Super Bowl.
Prescott isn’t even in the same area code yet with a two-year head start.
Advantage: Allen. Hands down.
The 2023 Season And Beyond
Right now, if I had to choose between the two to start a franchise, I’d have to pick Allen.
But that doesn’t mean Prescott can’t reverse that decision. He can do that starting this upcoming season.
He has all the weapons he needs to put points on the board now.
A loaded receiving corps and what looks to be a strong group in the running back room should lead to plenty of points.
His defense will keep opponents from running out of reach for the most part.
But the burden will be on him to not lead the league in interceptions, and interceptions returned for touchdowns like he did last year.
He also needs to stop missing wide-open receivers and throwing into tight coverages instead.
Checking down and getting what the defense gives you instead of trying to play hero ball will improve his numbers.
It’ll also improve his, and the Cowboys, chances of getting past the Divisional round of the playoffs for the first time in over a quarter of a century.
In the meantime, Cowboys Twitter, both Allen and Prescott deserve everything being said about them. At least for now.