Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

Can Dak Prescott be Cowboys' catalyst against Eagles?

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Dec 23, 2022 5:30 PM ET

Dak Prescott can prove he's a Cowboys championship catalyst, not an inhibitor if he leads Dallas to victory over Philadelphia without the aid of his highly-touted defense.

Although the Cowboys have the sixth-best Super Bowl odds, per Oddschecker, Prescott has had an inconsistent season.

He's thrown 11 interceptions in nine starts and posted a 55.0 QBR. The Cowboys passing offense doesn't look elite, ranking 17th in the league.

Dak Prescott has already thrown more interceptions this year than he did in all of 2021. pic.twitter.com/LBCv8EXFI5
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 19, 2022

The Cowboys' defense, ranked eighth, carried the team throughout most of the season. But it can't lift the Cowboys for the entire season due to the unit currently battling injuries.

Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is out with a right shoulder stinger, while Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs are questionable with an illness.

Even with Eagles starting quarterback Jalen Hurts sitting out due to a right shoulder strain, Philadelphia is still one of the league's top teams. It ranks third in total offense and second in total defense.

So, Prescott needs to be the driving force.

"It's not the most important game in his career, but it could be the most telling," said FS1's Colin Cowherd on his simulcast Thursday.

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The game may determine if Prescott finally discovers championship intangibles or still lacks the qualities needed to push a team over the top and improve his 1-3 playoff record.

However, if Prescott's the game-changing factor against the league's best team, it invalidates tracing issues back to him and proves he's ready to carry a team in legacy-defining games.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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