The Dallas Cowboys had to be pleased with what they saw out of Dak Prescott in his first game since receiving his hefty contract extension. Prescott completed 19-of-32 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown in the 33-17 win against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. The Cowboys' franchise player now has to silence his critics in the 2024-25 season. But will he be able to erase the doubts that he's truly a championship-caliber QB.
ESPN's First Take made Prescott comparisons to Peyton Manning on Wednesday, which left Stephen A. Smith “hyperventilating” at the claim. Former Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday mentioned the similarities between the two quarterbacks.
Prescott, 31, became the NFL's highest-paid player in history at the conclusion of last week. He's a 74-41 as a member of the Cowboys and has thrown for 29,638 yards and 203 touchdowns in his nine-year career. As a leader, he possesses some of the important qualities that helped lead Manning to two Super Bowls and five MVP awards. That said, Prescott hasn't achieved near what “The Sheriff” did over his Hall of Fame journey.
What Stephen A's arguing is very fair. He mentioned that Manning was “calling his own plays” as early as his rookie season with the Colts in 1998 when he was only 22 years old, emphasizing that Prescott has never had the same “brilliance” as an NFL quarterback. Smith also added that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy made it a point to run the offense the way he wanted, and dismissed former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Dak Prescott's faulty playoff record is his downfall
In Saturday's defense, he backed up Manning for 13 years in a Colts uniform. So he's not totally in the dark about this topic. However, it's possible that his sentiment is that Prescott is dealing with a lot of the same pressures Manning faced in the postseason. Add that to the fact Manning won his first Super Bowl at the current age that Prescott is now.
Overall, both sides have a fair contention. Stephen A. certainly won't pivot away from his, and rightfully so. Prescott has been in the MVP conversation before but never won it, and he's been in conversations ahead of Cowboys seasons that have predicted that he would make a deep playoff run and deliver a banner to AT&T Stadium. Until all of that becomes a reality, no one can be mad at Stephen A. for how he reacted to such an intrepid comparison to one of the greatest of all-time.
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