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Dak Prescott began the season not just trying to win Comeback Player of the Year but MVP as well. He played at an elite level over the first six games before the Denver Broncos waxed the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. That's when Prescott's MVP case ended.
Prescott has had a blend of jaw-dropping and unimpressive games since. As a result, many have questioned whether Prescott is in a slump. But ups and downs are the norm for the life of an NFL quarterback.
We've seen the same question raised with Patrick Mahomes this season.
Dak Prescott isn't going through a slump
The argument for Prescott's slump stems from multiple poor outings since Week 9. Admittedly, he had inadequate games in Weeks 11, 14, 15, and 17. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cowboys' offense looked inferior and scored just nine points.
Against the Arizona Cardinals, Prescott came up short in making the big-time throws his team needed to be victorious. But it should be noted -- his left tackle Tyron Smith missed Weeks 11 and 15. Prescott has been a less effective quarterback throughout his career when Smith didn't play.
Dak Prescott, also, suffered a calf strain in Week 8. Coming off a severe leg injury that ended his 2020 season, any further suffered leg injuries are harmful. Despite suffering the injury, statistically, Prescott put up the best numbers of his career.
We've seen, in multiple games, how accurate the 28-year-old can be. Two weeks ago, against the Washington Football Team, he threw for four touchdowns and completed 28 of 39 passes.
Dak Prescott has the seventh-most pass attempts in the NFL but still has completed the highest percentage of his throws in his career.
The argument that Prescott can't beat good teams is an overrated one. Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and even Aaron Rodgers are below .500 against winning teams in their careers.
Perhaps expectations are too high for Prescott, who set such a high bar at the beginning of the season. But every NFL quarterback will go through ups and downs, as stated earlier, with Mahomes as an example. He amassed a lot of success in only three years.
In 2018, Mahomes was named the NFL MVP. In 2019, he led his team to the Super Bowl and won. In 2020, Mahomes and the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl but fell short to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
At the start of the 2021 season, Mahomes threw nine interceptions in the Chiefs' first seven games, and they were 3-4. This caused many to panic, but Mahomes has turned it around, and the Chiefs are 1st in the AFC West.
Can Prescott afford to be better in the playoffs than he's been in the last few weeks? Undoubtedly, but the same can be said for many quarterbacks around the league.
A slump is a prolonged period where you're not yourself. Prescott hasn't been a non-elite quarterback long enough for the term to be associated with him.
