Dak Prescott wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week, crystallizing MVP consideration
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been betting on himself all season.
And while he has yet to get a new contract with the Cowboys, the superlatives are starting to roll in.
Prescott, who leads the league in passing yards and is second in touchdowns while directing the NFL’s top-ranked offense, is starting to draw NFL MVP consideration.
And on Wednesday, he was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Cowboys 35-27 victory against the Detroit Lions. Prescott completed 29-of-46 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns to help keep the Cowboys (6-4) in first place in the NFC East.
It’s the second time he’s received that award this season with the first coming after he led the Cowboys past the Giants in the first game of the year.
It was the third time that Prescott has thrown for at least 400 yards in a game this season and the fifth time that he has thrown at least three touchdowns.
But there is no question he is playing the best football of his career and is worthy of being in the MVP conversation, said vice president Stephen Jones.
“I think he’s doing anything and everything a guy needs to do on a good football team to be in that conversation,” Jones said. “To me, I don’t see any QB playing at a higher level than Dak right now.”
Consider that Sunday’s 444-yard effort against the Lions was his ninth career game with at least 300 yards .
It was his fourth game this season with at least 300 yards in four games in 2019 to establish a single-season career-best.
Prescott has now thrown for 350 yards in consecutive games for the second time in his career.
He is the only Cowboys quarterback to record consecutive 350-yard games.
Prescott has four games this year with 375 yards and two touchdown passes, tied with Joe Montana (four) for the most games with those numbers through the first 10 games of a season in NFL history.
Prescott also surpassed 400 yards (444) for the third time this season to tie Romo (2012) for the most 400 passing yard games in a single season in Cowboys history.
Prescott has 3,221 yards and 21 touchdowns on the season, his fourth consecutive season with 3,000 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns to start his career. He is only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to begin a career with 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of his first four seasons.
No Cowboys quarterback has passed for more yards through 10 games in a season.
His two-game total of 841 yards against the Vikings and Lions are more than any Cowboys quarterback in consecutive games in team history.
Yet, Prescott says he can player better.
They will likely need him to Sunday when the Cowboys face quarterback Tom Brady and the 9-1 New England Patriots, who have the league’s top-ranked defense.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 9:35 AM.
