The last decade has been an incredible run for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott … in the regular season and in his checking account.
That’s not going to create many legacies.
Until Prescott can find some modicum of playoff success, he’s going to continue winding up at the top of lists like the one Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay just put out ranking the NFL’s Most Overrated Quarterbacks.
In a sad, small victory, at least Prescott didn’t take the No. 1 spot. That belonged to Baltimore Ravens quarterback and 2-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, who Prescott finished as runner-up to in the 2023 NFL MVP vote. Prescott was in the No. 4 spot.
“The Dallas Cowboys have been riding with Dak Prescott as their starting quarterback for a decade now,” Kay wrote. “While he’s helped the team emerge as a playoff contender for much of that run, his stunning lack of success in the postseason has also held this proud franchise back from reaching its potential.”
The Cowboys are 3-5-1 and still firmly in the NFC Wild Card hunt headed into a Week 11 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football — with Prescott playing some of the best football of his career this season.
While the Cowboys have been atrocious on defense this season — 31st out of 32 teams in overall defense — the offense has been one of the NFL’s crown jewels.
Prescott is sixth in the NFL in passing through 9 games with 2,319 yards, 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, with all of the Top 3 passers yet to have their bye week — the Cowboys are coming off their bye in Week 10.
The storyline of Prescott’s career has been defined by his regular season success as much as his postseason failures — he’s 2-5 in the playoffs — but more than that it’s been defined by his incredible timing when it comes to new contracts.
Twice in his career, Prescott has become the NFL’s highest paid player of all time. In 2020, he became the NFL’s first $40 million per yer player when he signed a 4-year, $160 million contract. In 2024, he became the NFL’s first $60 million per year player when he signed a 4-year, $240 million contract.
When Prescott’s current deal runs out following the 2028 season, he’ll have approximately $436.3 million in career earnings.
Prescott got some relief from the criticism lobbed his way almost continually throughout each offseason of his career as former Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and owner Jerry Jones drew almost all of that fire with their ongoing, messy contract dispute.
That’s not to say some people still weren’t going out of their way to take digs at Prescott, including the No. 1 Cowboys hater in the world — ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith — when Smith questioned the level of respect Prescott garners in his own locker room.
“Do people respect the man who they know isn’t going to show up in January?” Smith asked on ESPN’s First Take on May 15. ” … I think he’s a fabulous regular season quarterback who does an outstanding job of making sure he gets paid.”
The Cowboys haven’t advanced to the NFC Championship Game since following the 1995 season — also the same year they last won the Super Bowl. It’s the longest NFC Championship Game drought out of the 16 NFC teams.
The Denver Broncos rank fourth in fourth-quarter points per game through 10 weeks this season. However, Broncos head coach Sean Payton is concerned with how his team has performed during the other three frames in games, which rank no better than 15th (1Q).
The Broncos face their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Week 11, and Payton has already set the tone for how significant this matchup is.
They have much larger goals, though, and reaching them will require cleaning up their issues.
Payton was again presented with a question about the Chiefs, this time regarding the differences between this year’s team and those of seasons past. There was not much to critique.
That is particularly true with wide receiver Rashee Rice back from a six-game suspension.
“There’s a reason this team has won for a long period of time,” Payton told reporters on November 12. “It’s talent, it’s coaching, it’s a program, it’s a GM, it’s ownership, and that’s where we’re aspiring to go.”
The first thing Payton cited was the Chiefs’ “consistency” through the years. He also noted that they are playing good “complementary football.”
They have been frequent visitors to the red zone this season.
The Chiefs have the third-highest conversion rate on the fifth-most red zone trips, per Pro Football Reference. The Broncos have frequently been lauded for having many, if not all, of the components Payton mentioned for KC.
Putting it all together for a full 60 minutes is their next challenge. A win in Week 11 could vault Payton and the Broncos into another stratosphere mentally.
To get it, they must properly address the issues they have encountered early in games.
Payton and the Broncos are 8-2, atop the AFC West standings, and tied for the best record in the NFL heading into the Chiefs game. The head coach met with the media on Wednesday, and he spoke highly about the team’s ability to emerge victorious in tight contests.
The Broncos are 6-2 in one-score games this season, and their two losses came in Weeks 2 and 3, against the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively.
However, presented with a question regarding the Broncos’ slow starts, Payton was frank.
“It’s our jobs to, offensively, put ourselves in a position of starting faster. And when I discussed this after the game, there aren’t many times when a game’s over – when you win, even – where you’re fully satisfied. There’s something bugging you. There’s something. And certainly, getting that balance and the time of possession, also to help our defense. And so, I like that this year we’re doing better in these one-score games,” Payton said.
“I think you gained some confidence. And if you tried to pick when did that turn, you might look at Philly. But to go where we want to go, there has to be improvement. And certainly we understand that.”
The Broncos enter this game riding a seven-game win streak. The Chiefs lost in their last outing against the Buffalo Bills before their bye in Week 10.