A lot of the offseason chatter surrounding Dak Prescott has been about his recovery from a third leg injury and his “return” to being the best quarterback in the NFL.
But is he? Is he even the best quarterback in the NFC?
For that matter, is he the best quarterback in the NFC East? John Kosko at PFF doesn’t seem to think so.
Is he right?
To find the answer, one must dive into the numbers. The key is not to focus on just his regular season numbers.
Regular Season Star
There is no denying that Prescott has posted some solid numbers in the regular season. As noted before, he is in line to set new passing records for the Cowboys’ franchise this year.
You don’t set team records for any NFL team if you are a bad quarterback, aside from the turnovers and losses marks that no one wants to claim.
Prescott is 76-46 in the regular season with 31,437 yards and 213 touchdowns in nine seasons.
The yardage number puts him 53rd all-time in the NFL. If he replaces Tony Romo (34,183) he will move into the Top 40 if he can run down Patrick Mahomes (32,352) before then.
Again, good numbers. And, again, they have come in the regular season.
When The Lights Shine Brightest
The same people who praise that impressive won-loss record in the record season, and point to it as a prime indicator of his greatness, have a big problem.
They’ll immediately say Prescott’s 2-5 playoff record isn’t his fault. It seems hypocritical to give him 100% of the credit for the good record and 0% of the blame for the bad.
Running up the numbers against lesser opponents is not an acceptable way to determine greatness.
It’s what one does in the big games, against stronger opponents, and in the playoffs that determines who is the better quarterback.
On that basis, the pecking order of quarterbacks in the NFC East is clear. And Prescott is not at the top of that list.
The Division’s Best
Jalen Hurts has only started for four-and-a-half years for the Eagles. In his four full seasons as a starter, he is 45-17, a .726 winning percentage, well ahead of Prescott’s .623.
Hurts has 13,606 yards and 79 touchdowns in those four seasons.
That puts him about 800 yards behind Prescott’s nine-year pace, almost statistically even. Hurts is on pace for 192 touchdowns passing, 21 behind Prescott’s current pace.
Where Hurts leaps over Prescott with plenty of room to spare is his playoff record.
He is 6-3 with two NFC Championship wins and one Super Bowl victory to his name. His TD-INT ratio is 10-3.
Prescott is 2-5, and he has thrown two first-half interceptions in each of his last two playoff games.
And that is why, overall, Hurts is the best quarterback in the NFC East.
Prescott is second, for now.
However, he had better be looking over his shoulder because Washington’s Jayden Daniels is already trying to elbow his way past.
If Daniels can avoid a sophomore slump, and gets the Commanders back to the NFC title game in 2025, Prescott slides to third. Especially if he fails to make the playoffs.
As far as the Giants, it doesn’t matter who Big Blue starts.
That player is a distant fourth, and already fading fast.
