Dallas isn't Letting Dak Prescott Throw Deep Passes, and There's Nothing Wrong with That
By Jason McIntyre
Dak Prescott has the Cowboys 3-1, and he’ll be the most interesting QB* to watch for the next two weeks, because if he beats the Bengals and Packers, he can’t lose his starting QB job.
If you want to mock the Cowboys for beating two bad teams (Bears, 49ers), that’s fine. But Prescott was pretty good against the Giants and Redskins, too.
How has the 3rd round pick delivered? He’s got an elite offensive line (albeit an injured one), but WR Dez Bryant is hurt. Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL in rushing, but he’s a rookie who had fumble issues just three weeks ago.
The defense has surprisingly been decent despite not having a pass rush.
The answer: Dallas has Dak playing it safe – making no deep throws. He’s making short, high percentage passes, methodically moving the ball down the field. It’s worked. (As a Jets fan, I watched Mark Sanchez do this for two seasons at the outset of his career. They had a top-rated defense and good running game, and Sanchez limited mistakes. And then he started making mistakes, the defense fell apart, and the 2-year run was over.)
Look at this chart from Pro Football Focus:
Dak Prescott, according to Pro Football Focus, is a Top 10 QB in the NFL through four weeks.
Until defenses figure him out, and the turnovers happen, and the Cowboys struggle, I don’t see how you can pull him.
* Yes, Tom Brady is back this week. But it’s against the Browns.