Dak Prescott Back to Elite Form Dominating NFL Rankings
Obviously, there are concerns for the Cowboys with the team sitting at 1-1 after two weeks, needing a 64-yard last-second kick from Brandon Aubrey and an overtime to get past the lowly Giants at home. Offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs–there’s a lot to worry about here.
But if there’s onhttps://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/t_new_photo_album_2x/f_auto/cowboys/y2p8snsx1c18p5sxnhhd.jpge thing that is encouraging, it’s that after a forgettable 2024 season that was cut in half because of a hamstring injury, quarterback Dak Prescott is back to looking like Dak Prescott again. And the numbers are there to show it.
Through two weeks, Prescott has 549 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception, a completion rate of 68.6% and a passer rating of 88.8. In the vaunted grades handed out by Pro Football Focus, Prescott currently has a grade of 89.9, which is just off of his career high, 90.0 in 2023.
As things stand, after he was rated No. 30 out of 42 quarterbacks in 2024, Prescott is the second highest rated quarterback in the NFL, behind only Matthew Stafford of the Rams.
Dak Prescott Returning to the Deep Ball
Prescott current leads the league in completions at 59, and he’s done that despite the Cowboys’ receivers already tagged with three dropped passes. He’s also gone back to one of his strengths as a quarterback–looking for deep balls. Deep passes (20-plus yards) have accounted for 15.1% of the Cowboys’ pass plays and though Prescott is 4-for-13 on those shots, he’s gotten a 90.3 on those throws. He has gone 10-for-11 on passes in the 11-to-19-yard range.
Last year, Prescott was excellent on deep throws, but the Cowboys only used them 11.9% of their pass plays. Prescott also struggled with mid-range passes of 11-to-19 yards, completing 51.9% of them, with four touchdowns and six interceptions.
It’s early but Prescott’s numbers evoke his 2023 season, in which he was a second-team All-Pro and an MVP runner-up. Prescott’s deep-pass grade that year was 95.3 and his mid-range grade was 91.3, with 26 touchdowns and three interceptions combined.
Cowboys Offseason Changes Yielding Payoffs for the Offense
For Prescott, the two major changes that have paid off thus far have been the addition of George Pickens, the talented if enigmatic wide receiver the team got from Pittsburgh, and new coach Brian Schottenheimer.
CeeDee Lamb has been back to his usual self (222 yards on 16 catches) but the addition of Pickens (eight catches and 98 yards) gives the Cowboys one of the best WR2s in the NFL.
And Schottenheimer has Prescott back in his comfort zone under center. Prescott has been very complimentary about him.
“That game was an epitome of him and his coaching style and just the resiliency that he has and the way he carries himself and the way he coaches,” Prescott said. “The standard is the standard, and at the end of the day, that’s winning.”
Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar says out loud what most NHL fans are thinking
There are some things that NHL fans would love to see changed, and right at the top of the list is the format for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The current setup frustrates a lot of Boston Bruins fans and some players around the league.
Greg Wyshynski and Kristen Shelton of ESPN did a roundtable with some players, and they answered several questions on several topics. One of the topics was on the Stanley Cup Playoff format, and Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar said what a lot of fans and some players are thinking.
Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar says out loud what some NHL players and fans are thinking about the postseason
Right now, the current NHL playoff format does not benefit anyone. It is the top three teams in the two divisions in both conferences, and then two wild-cards. A lot of fans and some players wish it went 1-through-8 in each conference.
"I feel like all the players want back to 1 to 8. I think that's a thing that we'd like, but I get it. I understand the playoff format now. It makes the road harder sometimes."
"I mean, if you're from Edmonton or L.A., I'd say so, yeah. Sometimes you get a good matchup and sometimes you are playing a top-six team with another top-six team like we did this past year. That's the way she goes."
Seeding teams 1-through-8 in each conference makes too much sense. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the single-best postseason of any sport, and going to the 1-through-8 format would only make it that much more exciting for everyone. It feels like some teams are getting penalized for having good seasons right now, and there are some first-round matchups (remember Colorado and Dallas last year in the first round?) that fans would love to see at least one or more rounds later. Cale Makar speaks for most NHL fans and said out loud what a lot are thinking.
