It’s Week 2, and I’m already block walking and knocking doors in the campaign for Dak for MVP. “Hello. Do you have a moment to discuss our lord and savior, Rayne Dakota Prescott? Please, take a flyer.” The Mississippi State product has just entered his 11th campaign, and through the first two weeks, he’s already playing as if it could be his best yet.
As is typically the case against this particular foe, Prescott was unstoppable in Sunday’s home opener at AT&T Stadium against the Washington Commanders. He was the undisputed star of Fox’s nationally broadcast America’s Game of the Week, accounting for more than 300 yards (279 through the air) while completing 26 of 31 passes for a staggering 84% completion percentage and throwing for four TDs, earning a shiny 143.8 passer rating and my heart growing two full sizes. All this without the benefit of any supporting run game. The win pushes Prescott’s all-time record against the former Washington Football Team (they should have kept that name) to an eye-popping 14-2.
In addition to his continued historical dominance over the NFC East (38-11 all time), more legacy was being built on Sunday for No. 4. The last of the four touchdowns on the night to come off his arm made Prescott the franchise leader in career touchdown completions with 249. This is a milestone reached in nine fewer games than previous record holder, Tony Romo, in 248 matches. With yet another franchise QB record added to the ledger, it leaves only the regular season wins total, currently held by Troy Aikman with 94, for all-time Cowboys regular-season accolades, a mark he has an outside shot of attaining this year. Granted, postseason successes remain another matter.
Yet with all due respect to his predecessor, it is undeniable that Dak is now the greatest Cowboy quarterback of the 21st century. In most other NFL franchises, Dak’s regular-season accomplishments would already put him in their Ring of Honor as their best ever at the position. Most franchises, however, have never had a Troy Aikman. Much less an Aikman and a Roger Staubach.
There is, of course, a very large and vocal contingent of Cowboys fans who will say, “So what? I don’t give a rip about the regular season. Playoff success is all that matters, and Dak is a choker in the playoffs.”
To me, nothing outs a person faster as a football casual than that tired take. If you can look at the last 10 years of Cowboy football, as mediocre and disappointing as it might be, and think it could have been just as good or (even more laughable to think) better with any other option the Cowboys could have reasonably (highlighted, underlined) acquired at quarterback, that tells me you might know a lot of things, but football isn’t one of them. Prescott may not be the most valuable player in the league, but he is without a doubt the most valuable player to this team.
That’s the main reason I’m banging the proverbial drum for his MVP chances. It’s the fact that the first two games of the season are illustrating that it will require nothing short of that level of play from him for Dallas to make the long-awaited deep playoff run that fans are hoping for and that many thought during the offseason was within reach.
This defense may ultimately end up where we all were hoping it would be, which is really only middle of the pack, but they’ve got a long way left to go to get there. Right now, they look flat atrocious. The line is a bright spot, but the linebackers and secondary are a complete mess. With all the new personnel, young players, and a first-time defensive playcaller, we should have expected growing pains, but so far, the product on the field is disheartening. Communication mistakes, on-field confusion, poor tackling, wide-open zones — it’s all still there.
If not for Dak’s heroics (and a little help from Jayden Daniels’ insecure elbow joint), the Cowboys would undoubtedly be sitting in a 0-2 hole. Prescott was the only reason they had any shot at all against the Giants in Week 1, and if he’d had more than just five possessions in that game, we might be sitting at 2-0.
Next week’s opponent offers another challenge. A mobile quarterback appears to be the Dallas defense’s kryptonite, and Baltimore has the best one to play the game since that dog murderer in Atlanta from a decade ago. With the way this defense manages a QB with legs, Lamar Jackson might run for 250 yards on the day.
There’s no question, though. If the Cowboys have any shot at all in leaving Brazil with a win, it will be because of No. 4. So, give him his flowers, cheer him on, and keep your damn mouth shut about the playoffs. We’ll deal with that if and when we get there. Make no mistake. If we’re able to have that conversation, it will be because Dak put us in the position to do so by dragging the rest of the team there.
