2021 NFL Wild Card is reminder why Cowboys must sign Dak Prescott
NFL Wild Card Weekend was a delight for many football fans, even without the Dallas Cowboys on the television. A total serving of six games were played over the weekend, three on Saturday and three on Sunday. Interesting matchups and storylines could be found all over with the additional two playoff games, and it was […]
NFL Wild Card Weekend was a delight for many football fans, even without the Dallas Cowboys on the television.
A total serving of six games were played over the weekend, three on Saturday and three on Sunday. Interesting matchups and storylines could be found all over with the additional two playoff games, and it was difficult to not be glued to the screen throughout the two days.
The Buffalo Bills notched its first postseason victory in more than two decades behind the performance of Josh Allen; the Cleveland Browns largely dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers from the opening snap in the franchise's first playoff game in 18 years; Lamar Jackson avenged last year's loss to the Tennessee Titans.
Seemingly every matchup had some kind of storyline to go along with the actual action in between the lines.
Wild Card Weekend was also the latest reminder in how important quarterback play is in the National Football League.
A team could be set at a number of different positions on the roster, but that is moot if they lack reliable and strong play from its quarterback. Case in point: the Washington Football Team and the Chicago Bears, to name two examples.
Washington possesses, perhaps, the best defensive line in all of football, led by star pass rushers Chase Young and Montez Young and disruptive interior linemen Da'Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen. Ron Rivera's entire defense is above average and gives them a fighter's chance more often than not.
Likewise, the Chicago Bears have one of the nastiest defenses in all of the league — headlined by the likes of Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith (who missed Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints), and Eddie Jackson. Similar to Washington, Chicago's defense keeps the team in many games, but they aren't able to always pull out the victory themselves.
Unfortunately — or fortunately, for Cowboys fans in regards to Washington — quarterback play has held them back.
Washington's quarterback situation has been a mess for a while, and neither Alex Smith or Dwayne Haskins (who was recently cut) showed much of anything to change that. Taylor Heinicke had a fun game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but how much of his performance is actually sustainable?
As for Chicago, Mitchell Trubisky is among the worst starting signal callers in the NFL, and the Nick Foles experiment certainly did not work out. Both teams have some solid pieces on offense — Brandon Scherff, Antonio Gibson, and Terry McLaurin for Washington; Allen Robinson, David Montgomery, and Cody Whitehair for Chicago — but inconsistent-to-poor quarterback play has been detrimental for both squads and has prevented each of them from taking that next step.
The Dallas Cowboys need to secure their quarterback long-term.
Washington and Chicago were not the only two teams to have bad quarterback play over the weekend. Phillip Rivers looks closer to retirement each time he steps on the field, Ben Roethlisberger was atrocious in the first half of Pittsburgh's game, and Ryan Tannehill struggled against the Ravens defense as Baltimore shut down Derrick Henry.
Even Russell Wilson had a rough outing.
With quarterback play more important than ever in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys need to lock up their franchise signal caller rather than risk falling into quarterback purgatory. Dak Prescott has performed as one of the best gunslingers in the game since entering the NFL, and he was on pace to shatter NFL passing records before suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle.
Assuming that Prescott does, indeed, fully recover from his gruesome injury — and reports suggest that he is on track to do just that — he will once again be among the top passers in the league. That should be especially true when considering that Kellen Moore will be back as the play-caller after signing a three-year extension earlier this month.
With Moore calling plays and Prescott throwing the rock, the Dallas Cowboys fielded one of the elite offenses in all of football. Dallas averaged over 31 points per game in Prescott's first four starts of the season, and number four was tops in the NFL in passing yards.
Prescott was the reason why the Dallas Cowboys were in games and why many expected Dallas to win the NFC East. Despite a porous defense that is now in search of a new defensive coordinator, Mike McCarthy's squad has enough talent on the roster to compete and get into the playoffs next season.
Good quarterback play cannot be overstated in the National Football League, and the Dallas Cowboys currently have one of the best in the world at the position. The Cowboys must find a way to sign Dak Prescott to a long-term contract extension this offseason so that the team can prepare to play postseason football in January 2022.
Featured image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
