Dallas Cowboys: Is Dak Prescott the NFC East’s best QB?
#1 — Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Nobody turned more heads in 2016 than Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. After the Cowboys took him in the fourth round, the expectations were virtually non-existent. Considering Tony Romo stood in front of him on the depth chart, there wasn’t much thought to him seeing the field at all.
Granted, the risk for the Romo injury was already pretty high in most peoples’ minds, many thought that Kellen Moore would see more time than Prescott.
Yet, he got the call after both of the men in front of him went down. Needless to say, magic ensued. Dak threw for just 3,667 yards, but the impressiveness of his game didn’t come from quantity. It came from quality.
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His 104.9 passer rating trailed only Brady and Matt Ryan, both elite veterans that played in Super Bowl LI. That’s probably because he threw just four interceptions throughout the entire season.
In typical rookie fashion, he took the second-most sacks of all NFC East QBs with 25. But the difference is that he lost just 143 yards on those plays. Only Manning lost fewer, and the difference was by just one yard. This could have a bit to do with the incredible Cowboys offensive line, but nevertheless he took a sack better than any other quarterback.
He set his own bar high for the upcoming season. To impress most critics, he’ll have to duplicate or surpass his performance from 2016. With the likely loss of Ezekiel Elliott to suspension, that will prove to be a challenge. However, the incredible offensive line in front of him will lighten that burden.
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Expect a few more interceptions, but a few more touchdown passes to boot. He’ll increase his yardage numbers and he’ll throw in at least six rushing TDs, too. Dak will look good once again in 2017, but his numbers might not be quite as sensational as the year before. Yet, he’ll still have a much more successful season than Wentz, Manning and Cousins.