It has been a tough week for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. Fresh off their 42-10 beat down at the hands of Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers, the climate and conversations around the team have changed drastically.
At one point, the Cowboys looked like one of the true contenders in the NFL. But now, in the blink of an eye, it seems that everything is under question.
Whether fair or not, the conversation usually centers around the quarterback. In win or defeat, the QB typically gets more credit or blame than they’re typically warranted, and with that comes attention and pressure. There is probably no one who understands that dynamic more than Prescott, as he has been under a microscope his entire career.
With the latest loss being an ugly one, the heat is on for the eighth-year quarterback, and it seems like some in the national media are not believers in Dak being able to take the Cowboys to the promised land.
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Is Dak Prescott the Reason for the Dallas Cowboys’ Inconsistencies?
If you ask First Take’s Shannon Sharpe, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. And when he spoke about the veteran QB on Friday morning, Sharpe did not hold back in his belief that Dak is the problem in Big D.
.@ShannonSharpe believes the Cowboys' biggest problem is Dak's inconsistency:
"In the big games when you need him the most, he comes up the smallest." pic.twitter.com/gnj6qQiFJr
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 13, 2023
“In the big games when you need him the most, he comes up the smallest,” Sharpe would start.
“In the big moments, is when your players, your big-time players, your high-value players, that’s the time they’re supposed to shine the brightest, and it’s in these moments that Dak shines the least.”
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While the rhetoric around the QB is not always fair, in the court of public opinion, this is what the conversation is and will continue to be surrounding Prescott after the team fell short again against a good 49ers team.
Until the Cowboys are able to get over the hump and win games, and reach new heights they haven’t reached in over a quarter century, these conversations are going to continue to be had, fair or not.
Is It Really a Prescott Problem or a Team Problem?
The bottom line is no one played well for the Cowboys on Sunday night. Dallas got a dose of reality that they are not in the same class as San Francisco, and they have a ways to go before they’re even close.
The Cowboys’ defense played poorly, the weapons on offense could not make plays, and yes, Dak was not good enough to win.
However, can all the blame be placed at his feet? It’s tough to say, although it will be.
Dallas’ defense had no answer for Kyle Shannahan’s offense, and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is struggling to find his identity with the offense as a play-caller.
While it may be easy to point a finger at the Cowboys and find someone (or something) to blame, sometimes you just face an opponent that is superior to you and has your number.
The Cowboys have lost to the 49ers three times in a row in a variety of different ways. As discouraging a loss as it is, San Francisco looks to be the class of the NFL right now.
Dallas has a chance to turn around and right their wrongs this week against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. But if they don’t, the noise will only grow louder for Prescott.