Cowboys legend Troy Aikman discusses struggles of Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys legend and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman spoke with reporters on Tuesday about the playoff struggles endured by current Dallas starting quarterback Dak Prescott. 

"I do know that we all draw on our past experiences," Aikman said about Prescott, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. "And when we don’t have great experiences, those then become hard to overcome. And I think that’s the challenge for Dak, because the question for him and really for the team isn’t so much what happens in the regular season now, it’s: How are they going to play? And how is he going to play once you get into the postseason? That makes for a long year when that’s the way it works." 

Prescott helped the Cowboys claim the NFC East division title with a record of 12-5 and, per ESPN stats, finished the regular season ranked second in the NFL among qualified players with a 72.7 adjusted QBR and a 105.9 passer rating. However, he is now 2-5 across seven career postseason starts, and he tossed a pair of interceptions in Dallas' 48-32 wild-card playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 14. 

"I’ve been there as well, as far as when the expectations are that high," Aikman added about Prescott. "But I still believe in Dak. I think that until you do it, there’s always those criticisms. … The pressure gets higher, for sure, as they go into this offseason and then next season, but it makes it hard. It makes it hard to come back and put themselves in a position to do it all over again. … Hopefully, they have more opportunities ahead of them." 

For better or for worse, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is running it back with head coach Mike McCarthy for another season even though Jones may/may not have been interested in hiring former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. 

As for Prescott's future, ESPN's Todd Archer mentioned in a piece published Wednesday morning that Dallas could have the 30-year-old set to enter the final year of his contract begin this coming September "on the same win-or-else track as" McCarthy.