{"id":76775,"date":"2019-11-24T08:11:09","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T13:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=76775"},"modified":"2021-03-20T16:44:01","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T20:44:01","slug":"dak-prescott-mvp-frontrunner-win-new-england-patriots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/11\/24\/dak-prescott-mvp-frontrunner-win-new-england-patriots\/","title":{"rendered":"Dak Prescott Can Be MVP Frontrunner With Win Over New England Patriots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dallas Cowboys<\/a> quarterback Dak Prescott<\/a><\/strong> is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. The former fourth-round pick is having a career year and is at or near the top of just about every passing metric. Unfortunately for Prescott, Russell Wilson<\/a><\/strong> and Lamar Jackson<\/a><\/strong> are having some pretty amazing seasons of their own. These three quarterbacks are the clear frontrunners for the award, but Prescott can take the lead in the race if he can take down Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> and the New England Patriots<\/a> in Foxboro.<\/p>\n

Dak Prescott Can Lead MVP Race With Win Over New England Patriots<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before we get too deep into this, let\u2019s stop and appreciate just how good Dak Prescott has played this season. Through 10 games, Prescott is on pace for an absurd 5,154 yards, 34 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 104.1 passer rating. Prescott is also a threat with his legs and is on pace to finish the season with an additional 309 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The advanced stats tell a similar story, as Prescott is first in Football Outsiders\u2019 DYAR<\/a> and DVOA metrics and second in ESPN\u2019s QBR.<\/p>\n

The biggest case against Prescott\u2019s MVP consideration is the fact that he\u2019s put up most of his numbers against subpar defenses. It\u2019s hard to blame Prescott for this, as he has no say over his schedule. However, if he takes down the New England Patriots, nobody can use strength of schedule as a genuine argument. Outside of maybe<\/em> the San Francisco 49ers, there is no defense as good as New England\u2019s. Led by their ferocious secondary, New England\u2019s defense is allowing just 10.8 points-per-game and ranks first in Football Outsiders\u2019 DVOA.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have faced an easy schedule, but they\u2019ve managed to stop every non-Lamar Jackson quarterback they faced. Last week, New England went on the road and limited Carson Wentz<\/a><\/strong> and company to just 10 points. Wentz had a particularly rough day, completing just 50% of his passes for 214 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. If Prescott can go on the road and put together a strong performance one week after his division rival failed on his home turf, then Prescott should usurp Wilson and Jackson for the top spot in MVP voting.<\/p>\n

The Narrative<\/h3>\n

Winning MVP has just as much to do about narratives as it does actually playing at an elite level. Voters like a good story, and there\u2019s no better tale than going into Foxboro and taking down the Evil Empire. The Patriots are borderline unbeatable at home during the Brady\/Belichick Era, and the 2019 iteration of this team is no different.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have the better defense and the better coach. What they don\u2019t have is the better offense. If the Cowboys win this one, there\u2019s a very good chance it\u2019s because their quarterback outplayed the greatest quarterback to ever live. If that won\u2019t put Dak Prescott atop the MVP leaderboard, then nothing will.<\/p>\n

Even if Prescott can’t win this one, the Cowboys have to be happy with the direction of their franchise quarterback. Dak Prescott has established himself as one of the NFL’s best young passers, and one game isn’t going to change that. Winning MVP would just be the cherry atop the sundae that is Prescott’s breakout campaign.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>