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By Jon Machota 1h ago
FRISCO, Texas — What is going on with Dak Prescott? It’s the most popular Cowboys question going into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
Everyone has been weighing in. From Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson to Prescott himself.
Dallas’ franchise quarterback was considered an MVP favorite through the first six games. Prescott was completing 73 percent of his passes, averaging 302 passing yards per game with 16 touchdowns to only four interceptions. His passer rating was 115.0.
But he strained his right calf on the final play against the New England Patriots in Week 6 and hasn’t been the same since.
In Prescott’s six starts since returning from the calf injury, he has completed 63 percent of his passes, averaging 261 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating in those six is 82.8.
Jones admitted earlier this week on 105.3 The Fan that it’s “probably fair” to say Prescott is in a slump. From head coach Mike McCarthy to offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to Prescott, no one else has wanted to acknowledge the same this week.
“I said this when he came back and I didn’t want to harp on it because we need him on the field more than anything,” former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin said this week on The Fan, “but I thought his gaits were different. I think he’s healthy, but like any human, maybe hesitant because of what he’s already gone through. Healthy is a structural thing, that means structurally, I am fine. I believe structurally he is fine. Mentally, there are still things to overcome.
“He deserves us raving about his comeback and how he’s played in the comeback, but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t mess with his head, the reality of the thought going back to it. Because I know how much it messed with my head after I came off that knee surgery. The reality of the thought of possibly having to deal with it again.”
Prescott said Thursday that he is not dealing with any injuries.
“I’m fully healthy,” he said. “Hundred percent healthy.”
Prescott said he has made some poor decisions and hasn’t been playing up to his standards recently. He’s banking on his reps during the week correcting any issues. Prescott and his receivers have been seen putting in extra work at the end of practices this week.
“His No. 1 strength is he is a great leader for that football team,” Johnson said this week on Fox Sports’ The Herd. “He can win you a championship if you got really good players around him. They’ve had some injuries with the running game. They’re not running the football as well they did before Dak got injured. When they’re running the football, those play-action passes, Dak is really good. … But when he’s got to drop back and start reading the whole field and make decisions about where he’s throwing the football, and the defense isn’t slowing down for the run … he’s not near as good. He can win you a championship, but you better get the running game back.”
Prescott says he has heard the recent criticism. Part of him likes the extra motivation it provides.
“I’ve been doubted my whole life,” he said. “Been (told) I couldn’t do this or couldn’t do that, so in a sense, I’m actually glad it’s kind of come back. I’m glad that that’s the way people feel and there’s a lot of that being said right now.”
The most likely answer to this issue is that there isn’t one answer. Several factors are in play. Prescott isn’t playing his best, but not many players are right now on Dallas’ offense. Over the past six games, the Cowboys are averaging just under 25 rush attempts per game for 101 yards, 4.1 yards per rush. During the first six games, they were averaging 32 rush attempts per game for 164 yards, 5.1 yards per rush. The difference is basically being one of the league’s top rushing attacks through the first six games to being outside of the top 20 over the previous six.
That’s on running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, who have been dealing with injuries, but it’s also on an offensive line that has struggled to build continuity all season.
“I mean, there’s 11 of us out there, so I wouldn’t say you could put anything on one player,” Elliott said this week when asked about those who say Prescott is in a slump, “because it takes 11 guys to make a play. And I think we all need to play better. The whole offense collectively.”
The receivers deserve their share of the blame, too, from route running to drops. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb spoke this week about how defenses aren’t blitzing nearly as much as they were earlier in the season. It’s been difficult for the receivers to stay patient as opponents are keeping everything underneath, limiting the offense’s chances for big plays.
“It’s hard to tell,” former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said this week on 1310 The Ticket. “It really is. I think offensive football is really about momentum and confidence and tempo and that can leave you, and it’s left this offense. Some of it, of course, has to do with who you play, but I also know that it can come back pretty quickly, and I’ve experienced that.
“I just don’t feel like this team has yet played a complete game. So an optimist would say that’s really good. I still like this team. I still like Dak and what they have on offense. I’m probably less concerned than maybe a lot of other people are.”
Moore, who is in his third season as OC, has talked for several weeks about how close he thought the offense has been to breaking out. There have not been any drastic changes behind the scenes because the offense hasn’t gotten back on track. McCarthy is spending as much time in the offensive meetings as he did earlier in the year.
“I think Dak is still doing a great job,” Moore said. “We got to play better as a whole group on offense. I got to call it better first and foremost. I feel like we got a great opportunity ahead of ourselves.”
The Cowboys have other experienced offensive play-calling minds on staff in quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, offensive line coach Joe Philbin and offensive consultant Ben McAdoo. Combine that offensive coaching experience with the talent on the roster and it just makes this stretch all the more puzzling.
Playing the Giants on Sunday could be part of the remedy. The Cowboys put up a season-high 515 yards and 44 points against New York in Week 5. The Giants are 4-9 and have lost three of their last four.
“I think this is the right time for us to turn it on,” Prescott said. “I had that talk with the skill position (players) in the signal-caller’s meeting. We’d much rather be going through what we’re going through in this time that we did than two weeks from now. Now that we’ve addressed it, we’ve held ourselves accountable for it, we can move forward and peak at the right time heading into the playoffs.”
