The Dallas Cowboys need a significant amount of help to make the 2019 postseason. They would have to take care of business in their own season finale and beat the 3-12 Redskins. That’s no gimme; Washington always turns it up in pride games against their hated rivals, and Dallas suddenly has question marks at quarterback, as Dak Prescott is working at less than full speed this week. But the Cowboys also need the Philadelphia Eagles to suffer an upset loss in the Meadowlands at the hands of the 4-11 New York Giants.
According to the New York Times, that exact scenario- the only one that puts the Cowboys in the playoffs- has a 27% chance of playing out. So the odds say that Cowboys fans will be looking for other silver linings to the 2019 campaign come Monday morning. While possible changes to the coaching staff may offer newfound hope for next season and beyond, the brightest spot of the current season might reside in the statistical leaderboards, as a handful of Cowboys playmakers could finish in the top tier of their respective categories.
Dak Prescott
The Cowboys quarterback has never missed a game in almost four full seasons as a pro, but that streak is in doubt, as a sprain of this throwing shoulder is limiting him at practice leading up to Week 17’s game.
With 4,599 passing yards, Prescott currently sits in second place among the league’s passing leaders, behind Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston. Winston leads the NFL comfortably with 4,908 yards; it would require him sitting out the team’s closer versus Atlanta (or making a very early exit), coupled with a big game from Prescott for Dak to catch him.
The Chargers’ Philip Rivers sits in third place, 265 yards behind Prescott. Jared Goff of the Rams is 280 yards back, and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan is 446 behind Prescott. As long as he plays the full game against Washington, Prescott should maintain his hold on the runner-up slot in the category and finish as the league’s second-most prolific passer for 2019.
It would be Prescott’s highest finish and best yardage output by far. In his rookie year of 2016, the fourth-round draft pick finished 19th with 3,667 yards. The next year, he placed 16th with 3,324 yards. Last season, Prescott came in 15th with 3,885 yards in the air.
Prescott is also within reach of the team’s single-season passing record. With 305 additional air yards, his 2019 would supplant Tony Romo’s 2012 as the best regular season by a Cowboys quarterback in terms of yardage.
Say what you will about the Cowboys’ occasional ineptitude and reversion to bad habits at times this season, but the exponential impact that Kellen Moore’s offense and Jon Kitna’s tutelage have had on Prescott overall is obvious.
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