Dak Prescott has faced a lot of adversity throughout his career, from injury to being underrated by many. Recently ESPN released a list of their top 10 quarterbacks for the 2022 season, and Prescott came in as the 10th best quarterback. The following week Fox Sports One’s lead analyst, Colin Cowherd, created his own top 10 quarterback list and left Prescott off it altogether. Even though his peers seem to fail to acknowledge him, he has continued to stay professional and work hard to become a better player. Dak Prescott will have to once again be resilient during the 2022 season.
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Dak Prescott Must Be Resilient Again in the 2022 Season
Dak Prescott (here is his fantasy profile for 2022) was drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. He was slated to be the third-string quarterback. But, after several injuries to the signal callers above him on the depth chart, he was thrown into the fire and started as a rookie. No one could have expected that he would have one of the most electrifying rookie seasons of all time, leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record, which was their best since 2007. He was on top of the world, and he received multiple commercial deals, and was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the year award. After a good playoff game, Prescott was a new young star at quarterback. But the next few years did not go as smoothly as he expected.
In the two seasons following Prescott’s stellar rookie campaign, he and the Cowboys missed the playoffs one year and lost in the Divisional Round the following year. He did win his first playoff game in the Wildcard round, but it was bitter-sweet since Dallas did not break their streak of failing to reach the NFC championship game. Prescott was known for putting his team on his back late in games and led 14 game-winning drives in his first three seasons, which is the most by any quarterback through three seasons since at least 1960. The resilience he has shown has been admirable.
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2019 Season
Heading into the 2019 season, the Cowboys hired former quarterback Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator. This hire was supposed to help Prescott continue to grow as a passer, and he did just that. Prescott went on to have one of the best passing seasons of his career, throwing for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns. He ranked second in the NFL behind Jameis Winston‘s infamous season when he threw 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Prescott also had one of his highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades, 80.1, that season The Cowboys offense led the NFL in yards per game and was third in passing yards per game. But this blistering hot offense could not help masquerade the team’s terrible defense. After neglecting the defense for another year, the Cowboys ended up with an 8-8 record and did not make the playoffs.
2020 Was a Historical Season
After throwing for 4,902 yards in 2019, the expectation was for Prescott and Moore’s offense to regress. But Prescott had no intention of succumbing to the expectations of others, which is something he has continuously done since he was drafted in the fourth round. He was on pace in the first four games to break the NFL’s single-season passing yardage record. He was averaging an astonishing 422.5 yards per game, with the previous record being held by Peyton Manning at 342.3. So, Prescott was set to shatter the record through four games by over 80 yards per game. This season was looking magical for Prescott until adversity struck yet again. In a Week 5 game against the Cowboys heated rival, the New York Giants, Prescott was running the ball after the pocket collapsed and a Giants player landed on his leg. At first, it did not look so bad until the monitor showed the replay. Prescott had suffered a compound fracture and dislocated his right ankle, which required two surgeries. His historical season was cut short, and he had to watch his team struggle from the sideline.
2021 Before the Calf Injury
Going into the 2021 season, there was a lot of talk about whether Prescott would be the same quarterback he had been prior to suffering that gruesome injury and whether or not he would be available to start Week 1. A lat muscle strain Prescott suffered in the middle of training camp put his availability even more into question. But the Cowboys never stopped believing in Prescott, and a week before the season started, he was announced as the starter. In Week 1, the Cowboys faced the reigning Super Bowl champion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only was Prescott set to make his debut after his injury, but it was against the most decorated quarterback in NFL history. And Prescott had one of the best showings of his career when he passed for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Even though it was a loss, Prescott gave Cowboys fans something to root for. After that loss, the Cowboys went on a six-game winning streak with Prescott at the helm for five of those games. But, in the second to last game of that win streak, Prescott injured his calf muscle while celebrating his game-winning pass to Ceedee Lamb (here is Lamb’s fantasy outlook for 2022).
DAK TO CEEDEE FOR THE WINpic.twitter.com/7Hl00xXjio
(via @NFL)— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 17, 2021
2021 After the Calf Injury
When Prescott returned from injury against the Denver Broncos, expectations were that they could beat an underwhelming Broncos team even though he was hurt. Instead, the Cowboys lost by 14 points, and in some moments, it felt even worse than that. Prescott and the offense looked flat, and this game was the first sign of things to come against teams with winning records. The Cowboys ended the season with a 12-5 record, but they lost to three teams that ended up making the playoffs. They could not seem to put it all together versus quality teams, and in a playoff game at home, they were upset by the San Francisco 49ers. The game came down to a wild last play, in which Prescott did not stop the clock after he scrambled for too long with no timeouts. The season ended on a sour note for the Cowboys and their fans.
Projection for 2022
This off-season, the Cowboys lost two wide receivers who played a huge part in them leading the NFL in yardage two out of the last three years. Dallas did address the offensive line and wide receiver corps in the draft but they will feel the departures. And the team hopes their new rookies make considerable contributions in year one. Jalen Tolbert and Tyler Smith are scheduled to start Week 1 versus the Buccaneers. CeeDee Lamb is also looking to take a massive leap in year three after having over 1,100 yards last season.
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But, the Cowboy’s biggest X-factor is Dak Prescott and the resilience he can show after a bad playoff game. Throughout Prescott’s career, he has faced adversity, and this year will be no different. But there is no reason to start doubting Prescott now. He ranks fifth all-time in career passer rating with a rating of 98.7. He was Player of the Week three times last season and had an 83.8 PFF grade. He has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL since 2016, and he isn’t looking to slow down now. In the first two games of the 2022 season, he will face two of the last four quarterbacks to start in the Super bowl. He will show everyone that he can play at the same level as the best quarterbacks in the league.
Main Photo
https://twitter.com/MichaelJBier/status/1550531646004215809/photo/1
