Cowboys star misses out on significant opportunity
Dak Prescott is the most polarizing player on the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he might be the most polarizing player in the NFL. That comes with the territory of playing quarterback for the Cowboys. It's certainly not easy to be the face of the America's Team and having the microscope on you each and every […]
Dak Prescott is the most polarizing player on the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he might be the most polarizing player in the NFL.
That comes with the territory of playing quarterback for the Cowboys. It's certainly not easy to be the face of the America's Team and having the microscope on you each and every play.
But, that's what Prescott — and those before him — has had to deal with. The praise when it goes right and the scrutiny in the big moments when it goes wrong. That is even more the case in the playoffs, where every throw matters.
Dak Prescott entered the playoffs with the opportunity to prove his naysayers wrong once and for all. For a moment, it looked like he was on his way to doing just that. It looked as if the narrative was finally going to change.
Prescott thew for more than 300 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in a statement win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was an extremely impressive performance that saw Prescott elevate his game and knock out Tom Brady in the process.
That performance led to the Cowboys winning a road playoff game in what felt like forever. It also gave the Cowboys their fourth win of the Prescott or Romo era and advanced Dallas to the Divisional Round.
It was setting up for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys to make a postseason run. To the conference championship or even the Super Bowl. All that stood in the way was the San Francisco 49ers.
Missed opportunity for Cowboys
And, Prescott delivered a dud. He threw two interceptions and was inaccurate nearly the entire game. Certainly not the kind of outing that was expecting from Prescott after lighting up Wildcard Weekend just six days prior.
Prescott and the Cowboys had their moment to show everybody that things were different. That things would not be the same. That Prescott deserved his flowers and that the Cowboys were a forced to be reckoned with.
Instead, the Cowboys offense was embarrassed by the 49ers. For the second postseason in a row. Dallas only found a way to score 29 total points in two playoff matchups versus San Francisco. That won't get the job done.
Now, questions are coming in rapidly about whether or not Prescott can be the guy to win in Dallas. All of the criticism has heated up to another level. All of that could have been avoided, but the Cowboys offense did not show up to occasion on the big stage.
"There's no doubt that we'll be back," Prescott said following the loss. "No doubt at all."
It will be a long offseason and work to be done to prove him right. In the meantime, there is no getting around the face that Dak Prescott failed to deliver and missed out on a significant opportunity to quiet his doubters in the process.
Featured image Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
