There won't be many people itching to pick up a flag and march for Dak Prescott in the MVP debate after the way the Dallas Cowboys' season ended. Dallas' embarrassing home loss to an inferior Green Bay Packers team did not leave many clamoring for Prescott to take home his first MVP award this season.
When you look at the entire season in a vacuum, the Cowboys' signal-caller might have the strongest case out of all the quarterback finalists. Lamar Jackson, Brock Purdy, and Josh Allen are the other three passers in the running, and Prescott has a strong argument on paper over all of them.
The numbers show Dak Prescott deserves the MVP
Prescott has more total yards and total touchdowns than the current betting favorite to win the award, Lamar Jackson. He's also got a better completion percentage and a better quarterback rating than the Ravens quarterback.
Allen's volume was better than Prescott's this season, but Prescott was much more efficient. The Cowboys quarterback threw half as many interceptions as Allen did this season, threw more touchdowns, and beat Allen's QBR by nearly 15 points. Allen's running game boosted his numbers, but Prescott still averaged 4.4 yards per rush to Allen's 4.7. Prescott got crucified for throwing too many picks a year ago, so rating Allen's 2023-24 season ahead of Prescott's would be contradictory.
Prescott's numbers beat Purdy's as well. With a better completion percentage, more total yards and total touchdowns, fewer interceptions, and better-rushing marks across the board, Prescott's season was comprehensively better than Purdy's by the numbers.
So, why isn't the quarterback with the best numbers the front-runner? It's a quarterbacks award, right? That's why Christian McCaffrey is an afterthought in the argument despite racking up over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns.
Purdy's argument is tied to the San Francisco 49ers' success this year. The Niners looked unstoppable all season on their way to a division championship with Purdy at the helm. With numbers that rival the most productive passers in football, that makes Purdy's case even more compelling.
Jackson has the same winning qualities that Purdy has, and he separates himself even further thanks to his unique skillset. No other quarterback in football runs the way Jackson does, and this season he added top-tier arm talent to his game as well.
There's also a case to make that Prescott and Jackson are each more valuable to their teams than Purdy is to his. The Niners probably don't feel that way after the second-year quarterback booked San Fran's third Super Bowl appearance in the last decade, but Kyle Shanahan might have a tough decision to make if he could choose between Purdy, Jackson, and Prescott.
If you want to argue that Prescott deserves the MVP this season, the best case he has is this: Jackson and Purdy's cases for the award are largely narrative-driven. They've each got incredible numbers, but neither has better numbers than Prescott.
If Jackson wins MVP, it will be because he's the only player in the league capable of running and throwing at the level he does. If Purdy wins MVP, it'll be because the Niners built one of the most unstoppable rosters in the history of the league. If Prescott wins MVP, it'll be because he was statistically the best passer in the sport this season.
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