Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott was no MVP candidate, elite difference-maker vs. Chiefs
READ MORE
Cowboys Overtime
Check out past clips from our Dallas Cowboys video series and tune in for the live show Tuesdays at noon CT on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Expand All
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t have his best weapons.
Amari Cooper, the team’s highest-paid receiver and the savviest of the bunch, didn’t play because of COVID-19.
CeeDee Lamb, the emerging superstar, didn’t return for the second half due to a concussion.
The offensive line gave him no help.
At the end of the day, no one cares.
As much as the Cowboys were under the microscope and didn’t measure up in Sunday’s 19-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, so was Prescott in terms of living up to the status of Patrick Mahomes as a viable MVP candidate and difference-maker who can lead his team to the Super Bowl.
It matters not that Mahomes didn’t have that great of a day.
He was 23-of-37 passing for 260 yards with an interception and a fumble on a sack.
But Mahomes’ status has already been cemented. He won the MVP in 2018. He led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title in 2019, winning MVP honors and led them back to the Super Bowl last season.
Prescott is trying to get there.
And while the Cowboys don’t have those questions about their quarterback as evidenced by the four-year, $160 million contract they gave him last March — his performance on Sunday was not elite.
And Prescott is the first to admit as much.
“Not really discouraged but pissed off,” Prescott said. “Pissed when I don’t play well, the team doesn’t play well and the offense doesn’t play well. We had a great opportunity to come out and play against a team that has been in the Super Bowl the last couple of years. And prove it to ourselves, prove it to one another what we are capable of. It sucks.”
It wasn’t simply the ugly numbers.
He completed 28 of 43 passes for 216 yards with two interceptions and a 57.9 quarterback rating, the fourth worst of his career.
It was also the fact that he did nothing to elevate his short-handed team, which sorely needed a $40 million difference-maker.
And this one is going to sting.
Prescott entered the game as the league’s No. 1-ranked passer and was leading the NFL’s No. 1 offense in yards and points.
A victory against Mahomes would have vaulted Prescott to the top of the MVP race.
The Cowboys scored nine points in the game and both Prescott interceptions came in scoring position.
The problems for Prescott started on the first play of the game.
He missed a wide-open Michael Gallup down the right sideline. It was an opportunity to set the tone and let everyone know the offense would be fine without Cooper.
Two plays later, reserve receiver Noah Brown dropped a perfect pass from Prescott. It was one of several drops in the game. But there were also several missed passes, caused by pressure up front.
“They did a good job. They got us today. They got the best of us,” Prescott said. “It started with our communication and just executing out wide when we had a chance to make plays. Missed a throw early. Didn’t make some catches. We all take part in this loss and be accountable for everything that happened out there.”
The second drive ended with a sack and fumble when left tackle Terence Steele, who started for the injured Tyron Smith, didn’t hear the snap count and didn’t come out of his stance, allowing defensive end Frank Clark to have a free run at Prescott.
It was one of five sacks in the game for the Chiefs defense.
The third drive netted a field goal after the Cowboys got as close as the 10-yard line but were set back by a false start due to crowd noise.
The Cowboys punted on the next three drives, gaining just 34 yards.
And then came the moment of truth for Prescott and the Cowboys.
Down 16-3 late in the first half, the defense presented an opportunity to change momentum and possibly change the game, thanks to a sack and forced fumble from rookie defensive end/linebacker Micah Parsons.
But a pass from Prescott to Lamb in the end zone proved to be too short and it was intercepted by cornerback Charvarius Ward.
“I wanted to give my guy a chance,” Prescott said. “I don’t regret making that decision. But maybe I got to look at and say get more air under the ball. Maybe put it in the back corner of the end zone. The defender did a good job shielding our guys off. I am sure CeeDee will want that one back as much as I do.”
Lamb suffered a concussion on the play. Without him and Cooper in the second half, the Cowboys offense had no chance of making a comeback, despite some interesting moments.
Prescott’s final interception in the fourth quarter was simply a horrible pass.
There is no question he will bounce back. He has a 19-9 record after losses with 42 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions.
Prescott has a short week to do it, as the Cowboys play the Las Vegas Raiders on Thanksgiving Day.
Cooper is out.
And there is a question about Lamb’s status. He told Prescott he will be fine but he must pass concussion protocols.
The biggest issue for Prescott and the offense is whether the receivers can beat physical press coverage and whether there is a true blueprint opponents can copy.
It was a strategy the Denver Broncos used in shutting down the Cowboys in a 30-16 victory two weeks ago. While they ran the Atlanta Falcons out of it in a 43-3 blowout the following week, the Chiefs used it for success on Sunday.
The Raiders will certainly employ a similar strategy.
“It’s just like anything in this league, if you don’t defeat it one week you’re going to see it again,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We got to do a better job against the aggressive secondaries that we saw in Denver and Kansas City.”
Prescott completed 6 of 19 passes for 79 yards through quarters against Denver before throwing two meaningless touchdowns passes in the fourth quarter after being down 30-0.
But he reiterated that there is no blueprint to stop the Cowboys offense if they execute and do what they are supposed to do. They didn’t against the Chiefs.
“They’re physical on the outside and did a good job of that,” Prescott said. “But we’ve got to fight through that, make throws, make catches, and if we do that tonight, it’s a whole different game.”
The Cowboys didn’t and Prescott was no difference-maker.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
