He asked for it to be repeated, but Dak Prescott definitely heard the question.
Last week following the Cowboys’ gut-wrenching overtime loss in Green Bay in which he threw two interceptions that helped put Dallas in an early hole, the quarterback was asked if his play this season has been more erratic than in seasons past.
He thought long and hard about it before starting a reply, but it turns out Prescott saved his actual answer for this past Sunday in Minneapolis.
Prescott enjoyed one of the most accurate days of his Cowboys career in Week 11’s obliteration of the Vikings, competing 22 of 25 pass attempts for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 40-3 win that marked the largest road victory in franchise history.
Prescott’s completion percentage of 88% was the second highest in his 94 total games as a Cowboy, and his final passer rating of 139.3 was his seventh-best as a pro.
So maybe don’t dismiss Dak quite yet.
Prescott did admit, though, that he’s heard the noise since coming back from his thumb injury.
“I don’t usually get motivation from what other people say. I’m very intrinsically inspired,” he told reporters from the podium after Sunday’s win in Minnesota. “A lot of people and things in my life that move me, a great team in there, guys that I don’t want to let down each and every day that make me the man that I am. But yeah, when you hear some things about your performance- ‘erratic’ coming from you guys- yeah, things stick and stay.”
The simple truth is, Prescott has been erratic of late, at least by the textbook definition of the word: not even or regular in pattern; unpredictable.
The 2022 season opener that he didn’t finish ranks as one of his worst-ever statistical showings, with a 48.28% completion rate. He was strong in his comeback against Detroit and slightly better the next week versus Chicago- with 76% and 77.78% completion percentages, respectively. Then the Lambeau letdown, where he connected on just 58.7% of his throws.
So yes, passer ratings of 47.2, 113.2, 114.5, 78.6, and 139.3 probably does count as erratic.
But Prescott and the entire Cowboys squad responded to the Packers disappointment in a resounding way.
“Just focused,” Prescott said. “Obviously, after last week, had a good week of prep and just wanted to come in and set the standard and expectation that I’ve talked about, that we have for ourselves… I was just staying in the moment, as all the guys were.”
Prescott guided the offense to scores on their first seven possessions, starting with turning a Micah Parsons strip-sack on the Vikings’ first series into an early field goal… and ending with a third-quarter pass to Tony Pollard that saw him race 68 yards to the end zone to deliver the kill shot. Then they tacked on 10 more points after that for good measure.
“Credit to us just being dialed in and staying within each play, taking it play-by-play, giving our best, and resulting in points on those drives that obviously gives us a lead and allows the defense to go and hunt.”
Prescott was incredibly accurate, spreading the ball around to 10 different receivers and seeing only three passes hit the ground. His two scoring throws were Nos. 150 and 151 for his Cowboys career, the most by any Dallas player in his first seven seasons.
The day-long clinic gave owner Jerry Jones a glimpse of the Cowboys’ possible long-term future.
“You saw vintage Dak. You saw the Dak that I hope I get to see for 10 more years, at least. Seriously,” Jones said after the win. “You saw Dak play the game that he and the coaches worked out to play, and he was right on the mark.”
Head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Prescott executed the planned passing attack exactly as it had been drawn up.
“I had a visit with him just before the game like he always does, and the last thing we talked about was just the completions. This is a veteran defense, lot of experience,” McCarthy said of the Vikings in his postgame remarks. “I thought Dak was extremely, extremely patient. Going back to the touchdown on Tony, he goes all the way through his whole progression. Tony’s the last option. And that’s the way you’ve got to play against these guys.”
The pass to Pollard was a simply gorgeous highlight that showed Prescott’s entire game in miniature. Not only did it extend the Cowboys’ impressive lead, it helped convince CBS to bail out of their national game of the week (featuring America’s Team against an 8-1 club) midway through the third quarter for a more evenly-matched contest.
“Give credit to Kellen there,” Prescott explained of the pass play to Pollard. “That was a great play call by Kellen. Saw exactly what we wanted; that’s the matchup we were going at when we saw them in that defense. That touchdown’s pretty much all Kellen as it is the pass and Tony on the catch and the run. Perfect timing, got the look we wanted, and we were just able to execute it at that level.”
Prescott was quick to share credit for the massive bounceback win with those around him on offense and defense, as well as the coaching staff. It’s all part of the quarterback’s rare leadership skills, which have never ever been labeled as erratic, uneven, or unpredictable.
“I really love this locker room, and we are definitely not short in the area of veteran leadership,” McCarthy said. “You have to go through adversity moments, you have to have moments like last week, and you definitely have to respond like we did this week.”
Even when moments like last week lead to uncomfortable doubts regarding the team’s marquee player.
“He’s conscious of it and sensitive about it, I think, very definitely,” Jones said of the criticism heaped on Prescott. “He’s not cavalier about that, and you can just sense it. I think he addresses it. I think Dak has been addressing his foibles or his shortcomings and trying to get those better and also working on his assets. I think Dak’s been doing that all his life. I think that’s the way his mama brought him up.”
Prescott was also taught to never dwell too much, on the failures, on the achievements, or on the sometimes erratic moments in between.
“Right now, the challenge is handling success. Having a game like this, 40-3, in the NFL is tough to do,” according to Prescott. “We’ve got to put this behind us. We’re as good as our last game, so we’ve got to turn the page and go put another one together on Thursday.”
If Prescott is anywhere near the level he played at this past Sunday, it should serve as a loud and clear answer to any more questions about being erratic.
[listicle id=705666]
[listicle id=705662]
[lawrence-newsletter]
