Dak Prescott Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

What Cowboys QB Dak Prescott must do to join the elite

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jan 5, 2023 12:17 PM ET

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott can change his career narrative with an elite playoff performance.

The two-time Pro Bowler has not played well in his previous playoff starts. His regular-season passer rating is 98.4 compared to 87.9 in the playoffs. Prescott is 1-3 in the playoffs.

Last year's 23-17 loss to San Francisco in the wild-card round stood out. He posted a 69.3 passer rating and made an embarrassing gaffe in the game's final seconds.

Dak Prescott ran a QB draw with 14 seconds left and handed the ball to the center, who placed the ball himself.

However, the ref is supposed to spot the ball.

The move cost Dallas a chance at a game-winning play. The 49ers advance.

@NFL pic.twitter.com/1LifgBFDAj
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 17, 2022

Falling short in big moments has prevented Prescott from joining the conversation about elite NFL QBs.

For the 2022 regular season, at least, Prescott has improved significantly over previous seasons.

Through 11 starts, he has a career-high 69.2 completion percentage—second in the league behind Seattle's Geno Smith. He's fifth in QBR (63.2), and Dallas has scored 25 points or more in nine straight games, a franchise record.

Come for the TD. Stay for the end zone stroll! @dak + #WPMOYChallenge ➡️ @_CeeDeeThree

: @NFLonFOX | #PHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/u3ignVCRs2
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 24, 2022

"It's time for Dak Prescott to receive his flowers while he's playing at such a high level," wrote Yahoo! NFL columnist Charles McDonald.

Prescott has played well this season despite lacking a deep receiving corps.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is tied for seventh in receiving touchdowns (eight), but tight end Dalton Schultz and wideout Michael Gallup have battled through injuries. In the offseason, Dallas traded elite wideout Amari Cooper to Cleveland.

So, Prescott needed to elevate his game, and he did. Now he needs to elevate his game when it truly matters.

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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