Dak Prescott has the chance to do something really special in the NFL playoffs

Dak Prescott has come a long way since that gruesome injury.

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I don’t feel like we’re talking enough about Dak Prescott and the year he’s had and the opportunity that now sits in front of him, because it’s all pretty cool.

To talk about Prescott’s year we have to go back to last year and to that horrifying injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Giants. It’s impossible to forget those images of the Cowboys star QB being carted off the field with a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle that looked as every bit as gruesome as it sounds.

Making things even more difficult was the fact that he was in a contract year so not only was his 2020 season over at that moment, but his bright future with the Cowboys was suddenly in jeopardy.

It was a lot.

Fans instantly wondered if Jerry Jones would bring him back. People questioned Prescott’s decisions to keep betting on himself and not signing a new deal until he got the offer that he wanted. Did that whole plan backfire in one awful moment?

We now have the answers to all that, and they are good for the QB – Prescott’s future is just fine, he was able to sign a big, $160 million new deal with the Cowboys in the offseason, and now he’s playing his best football heading into the playoffs, leading a Cowboys team that has all the weapons to make a Super Bowl run.

That has to feel pretty sweet.

Prescott has the chance to do something really special in these playoffs, too. He has the chance to finish off a comeback season in remarkable fashion, and there is a chance that he would have to beat Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers to get it done, which would be nuts but very doable.

The Cowboys, of course, haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the 1994-95 season when Barry Switzer was the coach. They haven’t even been to a NFC Championship Game since that season, either, which is all a very long time ago.

This year’s team appears to be peaking at the right moment, and it’s all led by Prescott – he has 12 TD passes and zero INTs over the past three games – and a very good defense.

Prescott and Dallas will play host to the 49ers on Sunday in a classic postseason matchup between to legendary NFL franchises. A win there could set up a date with Tom Brady and the Bucs, which would be a really fun divisional-round game.

It’s not crazy at all to think that Prescott and the Cowboys can represent the NFC at Super Bowl 56 next month.

And if they do, it will be a pretty incredible way for Prescott to put a final stamp on what has been a long journey back.

Quick hits: Georgia gets wrong hats after winning the title… Kirby Smart’s joyous jump becomes a meme… What are the Giants doing????… And more. 

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

– Georgia beat Alabama last night in the national championship game and then… got the wrong hats to wear while celebrating.

– Georgia coach Kirby Smart jumped so high on the sideline after the championship-sealing INT and became a meme.

– The New York Giants are keeping Joe Judge and basically opting out of next year’s playoffs, writes Christian D’Andrea.

– Charles Curtis ranks the 10 best possible Super Bowl matchups.

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