Dak Prescott’s record-breaking performance puts Dallas Cowboys QB closer to all-time greatness than many think
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is so close yet so far of all-time greatness. And there’s nothing he can do outside of the obvious to author a Hall of Fame career.
Dak Prescott arrived at AT&T Stadium rocking Roger Staubach’s jersey and a Cowboy hat. It wasn’t a coincidence. Prescott knew this wasn’t only a home opener in which his Dallas Cowboys needed a win but it was an opportunity to etch his name in the history books.
“(Staubach) was just on my mind and home opener, knew that this was an opportunity to break this record and just felt right,” Prescott said postgame. “Just felt right. As I said, he’s the standard. He was the first great one here and I think he still is.”
The jersey brought Prescott some good luck. A four-touchdown performance during the Cowboys’ Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders earned him a special place in franchise history as the quarterback to throw the most touchdowns ever rocking the Star at 249.
Now granted, Prescott would be the first to say only Super Bowl rings will earn him a right to be a part of the conversation for greatest QB in Cowboys history along with Staubach and Troy Aikman. He would be right. But now he’s the owner of a unique piece of franchise history. And it pushes him slightly closer toward owning a “great” legacy.
Prescott is on the verge of all-time greatness
Greatness in football is a funny thing. Longtime Cowboys play-by-play radio announcer Brad Sham shared a thought on 105.3 The Fan that illustrates it perfectly: “If (Dak) would ever win a Super Bowl, that’s a Hall of Fame career.”
So close to all-time greatness. Yet so far.
Winning a Super Bowl: easier said than done. And the Cowboys quarterback can’t do it by himself. But for Prescott, really, it’s all that’s left. That and maybe winning MVP, which he got close to in 2023 when he was the runner up for the award behind Lamar Jackson. But even then you can argue MVP is a team award, as win-loss records are clearly a bigger factor than they should be.
In Year 11 of his career, going all the way and winning the big one is all that matters for Prescott. He could go on to hit 300 career passing touchdowns (and chances are he will). Heck, he can double it as he said he plans to and the needle on his legacy will move so little it would be imperceptible.
Right now, it’s Super Bowl or nothing. Playoff success is what separates Dak from going from the Hall of Very Good to a Hall of Fame legacy.
That alone goes to show how good of a career it’s been in the first place. That’s also why Prescott is chasing Staubach and not Romo, another franchise great whose record was broken on Sunday but that could never etch his name in postseason history. Prescott has passed Romo in many ways, but now it’s time to try and match Aikman and Staubach as a Super Bowl winner.
“(Staubach) is the epitome of what a Dallas Cowboys quarterback should be and
he’s who I’m chasing,” Prescott said of Staubach. “And so I’m thankful for the relationship that we do have and just wanted to support him [by wearing his jersey].”
Prescott’s chase of Staubach goes beyond the football field, as the Cowboys quarterback acknowledged the latter’s trajectory off the field. He’s doing close to perfect in that department. In celebrating Prescott’s achievement, teammates reminded him of how he’s perceived in the locker room.
“Nobody is more deserving,” CeeDee Lamb told Prescott after his record-breaking touchdown pass.
Many who have been around the former fourth-round rookie who came out of left field in 2016 agree. Dak is a special leader of men. He happens to be a heck of a quarterback, too. All that’s left to do is adding a ring to start talking about his greatness in a different light. We’ll see if he ever gets the chance.
