It's been almost a year since Dak Prescott suffered a gruesome ankle injury in a Week 5 game against the New York Giants in the 2020 NFL season. That cost the Dallas Cowboys quarterback the rest of the year and put him on an arduous path to reclaim his spot as the team's starter.

The Cowboys clearly missed Dak Prescott the rest of the way in the 2020 season. The team finished with a 6-10 record and missed a postseason berth. With Dak Prescott back, the Cowboys are humming and looking like a legitimate threat to any team this season, especially after thrashing the previously undefeated Carolina Panthers at home in Week 4, 36-28.

The Cowboys' surprising defensive unit, led by a red-hot Trevon Diggs, surely is a huge reason for the success they are enjoying at the moment, but it will always be Prescott whom the team will look to for stability.

After surviving 2020 with Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert as temporary replacements for Dak Prescott, the Cowboys must be mighty glad that the days of seeing those guys take snaps are over.

In Week 4, Dak Prescott exposed Carolina's defense, which entered the game among the best in the NFL. The former Mississippi State Bulldogs star went 14-of-22 for 188 yards and tossed four touchdowns against zero interceptions. It's the third time in four games where Dak Prescott has had at least a 101.0 passer rating. He has also passed for seven touchdowns with zero picks over the last two games. This season, Dak Prescott has thrown for 1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns, and just a pair of interceptions. He didn't even take much time to heat up. Back in Week 1, he unloaded for 403 passing yards and three touchdowns with a pick on 42-of-58 passing.

Dak Prescott is doing all that with a seemingly hurt Amari Cooper and with Michael Gallup on the injured reserve since Week 2.

What makes Dak Prescott such a favorite to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year at this point of the season is the lack of serious competition. Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is probably the closest threat to Prescott, who has the better numbers between the two.  Giants running back Saquon Barkley hasn't yet looked like his old self after suffering devastating lower-body injuries in 2020. Panthers do-it-all tailback Christian McCaffrey is already dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of Week 4's showdown against the Cowboys. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz is a long shot to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year based on what he has shown so far.

Dak Prescott could even get better from this point forward. The Cowboys' schedule from Week 5 to 18 isn't as daunting as the other teams' slates. In fact, only four Cowboys opponents over that stretch have a winning record through four weeks. That said, there's still plenty of work for Prescott, and many landmines for him to evade along the way. Barring an injury, Prescott should be able to tighten his grip on the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award as the season rolls along.