Philadelphia Eagles’ fans probably won’t like this opinion. Part of the Dallas Cowboys’ fanbase will grab their torches and pitchforks for even suggesting this upbeat take on Dak Prescott.
In either case, here it goes.
The 2016 NFL Draft changed the complexion of the NFC East. The initial tug of war for the top quarterback claim in the division was with that year’s number two overall pick, Carson Wentz and Prescott. We all know how that ended.
It was the epitome of the tortoise and the hare.
Wentz started the blocks quickly but stumbled as Prescott skipped past him for the crown.
Now, another Eagles quarterback is attempting to overthrow Dak’s claim. No pun intended.
Last season, Jalen Hurts was on fire. He led his team to a Super Bowl appearance and was an MVP candidate.
The top consensus Quarterback Patrick Mahomes ultimately bested him on both fronts.
Even still, most media pundits and critics would argue that Hurts is the top quarterback in the division by a large margin.
While I won’t sing Dak’s praises and I’ve wrote my fair share of Dak criticism, I’m also not ready to anoint Jalen after one really good season.
Dak Prescott owns his NFC East opponents and that includes Hurts
People will have you believe that the NFC East has been a less-than-impressive division controlled by the seven-year quarterback.
Twenty-seven wins and seven losses.
When healthy, Prescott has been hard to beat within the division.
In addition to Wentz, Eli Manning (albeit at the back end of his career) was on the wrong end of those wins that Dak racked up.
Kirk Cousins wasn’t much better with his 0-4 as Washington’s signal caller when he went head-to-head versus Prescott.
That’s all fine and dandy, but this is about Prescott and Hurts.
In the 2020 and 2021 seasons, both quarterbacks grabbed one win in the games they participated in.
Last season, their teams went 1-1 versus each other, but there were no head-to-head matchups because of injuries.
The numbers were closer than you would have guessed in the last five regular games last season.
The one item I like to use as a point of distinction is the eye test against each other’s defenses.
Yes, Hurts pulled out a win at their place early in the season, but it wasn’t his best individual performance.
He went 15-25 for 155 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 65.6 QBR.
When Dak played the Eagles at AT&T Stadium, he reminded everyone how good he can be under pressure.
The 347 passing yards and 3 touchdowns with an 86.2 QBR were beautiful.
To dethrone the king of a division, you have to do it convincingly
In the fight world, to take a champ’s belt, you have to either knock them out or win with no doubt left to the viewers.
For Hurts, yes, he has made it to a Super Bowl (and lost it), but is that enough for him to supplant Dak as the top quarterback in the NFC East?
I think not.
I have to give some credence to consistency. Yes, leading the league in turnovers while missing five games will leave a mark.
It was not pretty from a turnover standpoint for Dak last year. It was darn right ugly.
However, the sample size of seven seasons compared to only two seasons must stand for something.
Give kids a toy seven years ago; there’s a high chance they’ll lose interest. A new remote control car with updated features will excite them. That is what is happening.
Jalen is Dak 2.0. Minus the Super Bowl appearance, the Cowboys quarterback has done everything that Hurts has done.
I have been as critical of number 4 as anyone else, but I also know the journey of carrying an albatross of a contract around your neck is only just beginning for the former Heisman runner-up.
I intend to let this play out.
This may be the beginning of Jalen and drop-off for Dak. If so, I will gladly admit I was wrong. I am not ready to concede yet, and Prescott isn’t offering his throne yet, either.
