Cowboys $240 Million QB Dak Prescott Receives Shocking Week 1 Grade
The first week of the NFL regular season was an absolute movie for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott — one that began with “Spitgate” and ended with a thrilling, 24-20 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
In between all of that, Prescott played his position just about as well as anyone in the NFL.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski made Prescott one of just 6 quarterbacks to receive an “A” grade or higher in Week 1 — and the only one who earned the grade despite a loss.
The Cowboys very well could have come out with the win if not for a trio of uncharacteristic drops from NFL All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the second half.
Prescott, who missed 9 games in 2024 with a hamstring injury, finished 21-of-34 passing for 188 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions but was also brilliant in the pocket against one of the NFL’s top defense and didn’t take a single sack.
“All of the hullabaloo aside … quarterback Dak Prescott played as well as anyone could have expected in the Dallas Cowboys’ season opener,” Sobleski wrote on September 9. “However, his teammates didn’t help as much as they should have. CeeDee Lamb is one of the league’s best wide receivers. But three official drops, not including a fourth where he could have made a diving grab, all but sealed Dallas’ defeat at the hands of the rival Eagles … Prescott just needs to keep playing the same way he did in Week 1 and good things should start to happen for the Cowboys.”
Preseason Overshadowed By Parsons Soap Opera
Prescott and every other player on the Cowboys roster faded into the background during the preseason thanks to the epic soap opera drama between former edge rusher Micah Parsons and owner Jerry Jones.
There may have been an unseen benefit for Prescott. Were the Parsons drama not to have played out like it did, there’s a world in which the entire preseason’s top storyline would have been how Prescott, the NFL’s highest paid player at $60 million per year, has continued to fail to bring his team to the next level.
By the time Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers on August 28, the regular season was all but upon us and all Prescott had left to do was play.
Not Considered NFL Top 10 Quarterback
If you want to know the esteem in which Prescott was held in the eyes of NFL executives, coaches and scouts headed into 2025, just take one look at ESPN’s annual preseason position rankings.
Prescott, who was NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up and an NFL All-Pro in 2023, wasn’t just completely left out of the Top 10. He was also left off one of the 2 honorable mention slots and relegated to the “others receiving votes” category.
Within his own division, Prescott is no longer even looked at as elite. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 — the same award Prescott won in 2016.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts capped his year by being named Super Bowl MVP after a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Josh Grizzard Promised And Delivered… A Little
Ever since Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard was hired to replace Liam Coen, Grizzard made it clear he did not want to change the Bucs offense.
Instead, Grizzard wanted to keep Coen’s base offense, but expand and diversify a little. Specifically, Coen did not like throwing medium- or long-range passes.
Grizzard promised and he delivered. A little bit. As you can see from Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield’s chart below, Mayfield had five passes farther than 20 yards. Two were completed, both to Emeka Egbuka. Interestingly enough, both were touchdowns.
While five passes over 20 yards may not seem like much, consider last year in Week 1 against the Commandos, Mayfield attempted one pass over 20 yards, which was incomplete.
So Grizzard kept his word: He wanted to keep Coen’s offense but just sprinkle in a few deep throws. That is how things transpired in Atlanta on Sunday.
