The main headline we are all waiting for out of Dallas Cowboys camp is the announcement of a new contract for QB Dak Prescott.
Dak famously put a soundbite out there that will be replayed until he reaches a deal on a new contract. “I don’t play for the money.”
If that’s the case, Mr, Prescott, then have your agent Todd France loosen his grip a little bit and come to the table to get this done.
Then again, many Cowboys fans don’t even want Prescott to be re-signed, citing his playoff performances as the key indicators that he isn’t the quarterback to lead the Cowboys to the promised land.
To those people I say why? Prescott has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and the numbers prove it. Call him a regular season warrior if you want to, but he has shown up in the playoffs as well.
Today, I came across an interesting graphic that shows just how ridiculous the “playoff Dak” narrative is.
Today, I’ll take the information in this graphic to prove to you that “we must get rid of Dak because he doesn’t perform in the playoffs” is a sham.
You may be comfortable returning to quarterback purgatory, but those of us who understand how important Prescott is to this team know better.
Playoff Record
Prescott has a career playoff record of just 2-5 but it takes a deeper look to understand how that record came to be.
Wins
Prescott’s first playoff win was an exciting 24-22 win over Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, and the mighty Seattle Seahawks in his third year as the starter.
Dak played well, capping off the game with a career-defining signature run through Seahawks defenders that ended with him flipping heels over head towards the endzone on a late 3rd & 13 scramble.
The ensuing plays resulted in a touchdown and the game-winning score. Dak posted a solid stat line. Passing for 226 yards and a touchdown on 67% completions.
Dak’s next playoff win wouldn’t come until the 2022 season versus the mighty Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccanneers but it appeared he saved up all of his playoff energy to send Brady into retirement.
He passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns on 76% completions to lead the Cowboys to a huge 31-14 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
Prescott also ran for another 24 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first player in Cowboys history to score five total touchdowns in a playoff game.
The 30-Point Losses
Now we arrive to the section that matters most: the playoff losses. Prescott has had a couple of ugly playoff losses and there’s no denying that.
However, is it really all his fault? Football is an 11-on-11 game. Not the quarterback by himself versus the entire opposing team.
34-31 Loss to Green Bay
This is a day I can never forget. My youngest and last child was scheduled to be delivered by C-section on the same day Prescott and the Cowboys faced off versus the mighty Aaron Rodgers.
The Dallas defense allowed a quick 21 points to the Packers, putting rookie Dak in a 21-3 hole early in the 2nd quarter.
Prescott stormed his team back with 18 points in the 4th quarter, actually tying the game at 31 late in the 4th quarter, but then Rodgers worked his magic on the Cowboys’ defense.
We all know the fateful 3rd & 20 play to Jared Cook on the sideline that set up Mason Crosby’s game-winner, but the overall defense’s performance up to that point is what really set the Packers up to win.
Rodgers passed for 355 yards, picking apart the Cowboys defense all day, including the final drive to seal the game.
Prescott can’t be blamed fully for that loss. He passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
30-22 Loss to Los Angeles
This loss might be the most frustrating loss out of the three for fans. This is because despite Prescott almost leading his team to victory from behind, the defense once again couldn’t keep the levee from breaking.
The Rams signed RB CJ Anderson off the couch and the Cowboys defense embarrassingly allowed he and Todd Gurley to rush for 273 yards and three touchdowns at 5.7 yards per carry.
Dallas once held a 7-3 lead, but 20 consecutive points from the Rams spanning the 2nd and 3rd quarters put the Cowboys in a hole.
It didn’t matter if Prescott threw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns in the 2nd half. The way the Rams were running the ball at will, the offense never would have caught up.
In this eight-point loss, the Dallas defense gave up 459 total yards, over 36 minutes of time of possession, and allowed the Rams to convert 54% of their 3rd and 4th down attempts.
48-32 Loss to Green Bay
The Cowboys went out this past January and lost a playoff game they had no business losing. This time it wasn’t even Aaron Rodgers at the helm.
Jordan Love carved up the Cowboys, throwing for 272 yards and three touchdowns on 76% completions to lead the Packers to the upset of the playoffs.
Prescott and the offense started slow. It was reminiscent of the 2016 bout with Rodgers and the Packers mentioned above.
If the defense could have just held the Packers on two or three drives throughout the game, Prescott and the offense might have had a shot for the comeback victory.
Even after 403 yards passing and three touchdowns, Prescott’s performance wasn’t enough to bring the team back to win.
You can blame Prescott. You can blame McCarthy, But the unit that deserves most of the blame for Prescott’s losing record in the playoffs is the defense.
Keep that in mind next time you call for the Cowboys to let Rayne Dakota Prescott walk in free agency.