The burning question at The Star as the summer of 2025 nears is: Will this be the year Dak Prescott breaks through in the playoffs?
He has a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, new running backs, a new WR2, and a rebuilt offensive line. It would seem that he has everything he needs.
Or does he?
Under Pressure
We’ve battered, bruised, and belabored the point about his contract.
He’s being paid $60 million a year. That’s because the Cowboys’ front office thinks he can get it done before the 2028 season, when the contract expires.
Prescott will be playing his 10th NFL season this fall. He only made it halfway through his ninth.
- Peyton Manning 9 years
- Drew Brees 9 years
- Matthew Stafford 13 years
Manning made it to two conference title games before finally breaking through in 2007. Brees made it to his first conference title game in six years.
The closest comparison to Prescott would be Stafford.
But his first 12 years were spent in Detroit, so it’s no wonder it took him that long to get there. And he had to change teams to do it at that
That being said, Stafford’s journey to a title is where Prescott should be pinning his hopes for 2025. More importantly, following that same blueprint.
The Stafford Way
While Stafford had a monster year, nearly 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns against 17 interceptions, he also had something else.
A two-headed monster in the backfield. The Rams battered opponents with Sony Michel (845 yards) and Darrell Henderson (688 yards).
They finished 12-5 and, after steamrolling the Cardinals in the wild card round, gutted out three-straight wins by a field goal margin to claim the Lombardi Trophy in 2021.
Prescott isn’t going to have to throw the ball 600 times this year like Stafford did back in 2021. In fact, if he is throwing the ball that much, it probably isn’t going to be good news at the end of the year.
He has plenty of targets to throw to now in CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson.
He also has a multi-headed running back room.
Empowering Prescott
Prescott, Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer, and coordinator Klayton Adams need to lean on that running attack. Let Prescott pick his spots to run too.
That threat has been missing in Dallas for some time.
Prescott’s best chance in 2025 to get further into the postseason will be making the defense honor the run.
Once that happens, he’ll find it easier to work the ball downfield through the air.
He might even, as Hank Stram might say, matriculate the Cowboys into their sixth NFL championship. That would be the perfect way to end Prescott’s 10th year in Dallas.
