Stephen A. Smith reveals what will shut him up about Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott helped the Dallas Cowboys advance further in the NFL Playoffs last year than he did the season before. This is progress in the franchise's quest for a long-awaited sixth Super Bowl ring that has evaded Jerry Jones for nearly 30 years. While many have faith in Prescott being the one to end their drought, not all have the same confidence in him.

It should come as no surprise that one of the biggest doubters of Dak Prescott's chances of eventually winning a ring is Stephen A. Smith. He has long been well-known for being one of the biggest Cowboys haters in the media. He trashes the franchise at pretty much every opportunity he gets, including consistently criticizing Prescott.

While Stephen A. Smith will likely never stop hating the Cowboys, he recently explained on an episode of First Take what it would take for him to stop being so critical about them this year:

"Me, personally, Super Bowl. In all seriousness, enough's enough. The man has been in the league, you know, it's going on nine years. Okay, he's got two playoff victories on his resume. Okay, enough's enough, this is the star. This is the most prestigious franchise, arguably in the world of sports. These are the Dallas Cowboys here, and the reality is that."

"And I'm not joking around about this. I'm dead serious. All joking aside, not trolling the Cowboys. I did that yesterday. I'm being dead serious. At some point in time, you're damn right it’s the Super Bowl. It's a Super Bowl appearance. Anything short as far as I'm concerned is not good enough."

For Stephen A. Smith, it sounds like a Super Bowl appearance is the bare minimum requirement for the Cowboys to have a successful season. Owner Jerry Jones probably agrees with him, as he's often stated that the current roster is good enough to win a ring right now. That puts more pressure on Dak Prescott, but that's to be expected in Dallas.

Dak Prescott's career in the NFL Playoffs

Dak Prescott

Since taking over for Tony Romo as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2016 NFL season, Dak Prescott has made four appearances in the NFL Playoffs. He has totaled six postseason games, posting a disappointing 2-4 overall record. He has failed to win more than one game in any of his playoff appearances.

On the positive side, he has made progress over the past two years. He helped the Cowboys make consecutive trips to the playoffs for the first time in his career. Following the 2022 NFL season, he also helped Dallas record their first postseason victory since 2018. They defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers for the second consecutive year.