Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott playing his 'worst stretch of football' for the Dallas Cowboys in recent weeks

Updated Dec. 13, 2021 9:49 p.m. ET

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Sometimes, a win can almost feel like a loss — especially with the spotlight the Dallas Cowboys command on a weekly basis.

"America's Team" got a win over the weekend, a 27-20 triumph over the division-rival Washington Football Team, but the victory was far from convincing.

For starters, the Cowboys scored just three second-half points as they watched a 24-0 halftime advantage dwindle in the game's closing 30 minutes.

That's not to point the finger at Dallas' defense, which, spearheaded by an outstanding performance from rookie sensation Micah Parsons, was undeniably the unit most responsible for the wild win.

Parsons & Co. recorded five sacks, forced four turnovers and scored a defensive touchdown in a relentless performance, keeping WFT to 224 yards and holding them to 3-for-14 on third-down conversion attempts.

And when the Cowboys needed a big stop with the game in the balance, the defense delivered with a strip-sack on third-and-3 with roughly 2:30 left.

Dallas' offense, which manufactured just one touchdown, was a different story.

Dak Prescott had his worst performance of the season in a winning effort, completing 56.4% of his passes for 211 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and a passer rating of 58.8.

One of those interceptions, a pick-six with just more than four minutes remaining, nearly blew the game for Dallas, as it allowed Washington to close the gap to 27-20.

On their ensuing offensive possession, the Cowboys shaved off just 1:09 in a five-play, seven-yard drive before punting away to WFT. 

But as detailed above, the defense bailed them out with a critical turnover. That allowed Prescott to kneel out the time remaining on the clock after picking up a first down.

The victory was secured — but only just. As most pundits said Monday, the Cowboys were able to win not because of Prescott but despite him.

"I don't know what Dak is seeing," Shannon Sharpe said. "… This is the worst stretch of football that I've seen Dak Prescott play. … I don't even recognize Dak. Dak was in the MVP discussion. Now, his QBR has dropped all the way to 23. He was awful [Sunday]."

Shannon Sharpe: The Cowboys' defense is saving them; I don't even recognize Dak Prescott right now

Shannon Sharpe breaks down Dak Prescott's performance against Washington.

The stretch that the "Undisputed" host is referring to likely accounts for the past six starts for Prescott.

In that span, he went 151-for-239 (63.2%) on pass attempts for a total of 1,568 passing yards, eight passing TDs, six interceptions and an 82.8 passer rating. The Boys are 3-3 in those games, with an average of 25.8 points scored.

That is a far cry from Prescott's first six games of the season, prior to his Week 6 calf injury.

In that early stretch, Prescott went 158-for-216 (73.2%) on pass attempts for a total of 1,813 passing yards, 16 passing TDs, four INTs and a 115.0 passer rating. His 5-1 record and Dallas' average of 34.2 points through six games had the 28-year-old firmly in the MVP discussion.

But he hasn't looked the same since the calf injury, which kept him out of a Week 8 win against the Minnesota Vikings.

Even with that injury to consider, Colin Cowherd of "The Herd" contended that Prescott has already hit his ceiling, and expectations for the Cowboys QB need to be tempered.

"You're all looking for next-level," Cowherd said Monday. "Dak reached his peak, probably end of [his second year.] … And this is not a shot at Dak. It's a shot at people who screw up expectations. Dak can't be the soul of your team. He can be a leader. He can be a voice. He can be instrumental. But the best Cowboys in his stay were the early Cowboys, led by Zeke, and Cowboys today, led by the defensive front. Just come to terms with that."

Colin Cowherd: We need to temper our expectations for Dak Prescott

Colin Cowherd explains why Cowboys fans need to take a deep breath and stop pointing fingers.

One guy who knows a lot about taking Dallas to the Promised Land is back-to-back Super Bowl winner and legendary Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson.

The Hall of Famer joined "The Herd" on Monday to offer his thoughts and left Cowboys fans with some room for optimism. 

"He can win you a championship if you've got really good players around him … but you better get the running game back," Johnson said.

Jimmy Johnson: 'Dak can win Cowboys a championship, but they need the running game to return to form'

Jimmy Johnson joins Colin Cowherd to discuss Week 14 in the NFL, including the play of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

If the Cowboys can get the likes of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard back up to speed, could that take some pressure off Prescott?

If so, will he look more like the Dak of Weeks 1 through 6? Or will Prescott's recent rut carry on to next week and beyond?

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