Is this finally the year for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys?

Following a dominant win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys are now 10-3 tied for first place in the NFC but are the Cowboys finally back?  

It’s been a running joke amongst NFL fans that the Cowboys seem to be back every year. Unbridled success in the regular season is usually followed by a crushing playoff loss, take 2022 for example, a 12-5 season led to a playoff berth, and after a comfortable win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round, they were undone 19-12 by the Brock Purdy led San Francisco 49ers.   

But things genuinely seem different this season in Arlington, since a 42-10 mauling at the hands of the 49ers in week 5 leaving the Cowboys 3-2 they have taken things to another level. In the 8 games since they are 7-1 with the only loss being a tight 28-23 road loss to the Eagles.   

In that time the Cowboys have blown teams away offensively with QB Dak Prescott playing at an elite level, following the 33-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night football Prescott has now overtaken Brock Purdy as the MVP favourite according to Draft Kings Sportsbook. Prescott is now +160 to scoop the award, with Purdy and Ravens Lamar Jackson next at +200 and +550 respectively.   

It’s hard to argue Prescott is playing at an elite level, he has completed almost 70% of his passes for over 3500 yards with 28 passing touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. Prescott’s 3505 passing yards ranks third in the league with only CJ Stroud on 3631 and Brock Purdy on 3553 ahead of the former Mississippi State man.   

His 28 passing touchdowns are enough to lead the league, 3 clear of both Purdy and Buffalo’s Josh Allen who have 25 a piece. If Dallas is going to end the season as the number-one team in the NFC, they are doing it the hard way.

With four games remaining, they include clashes with the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, all times that currently find themselves above .500. If Dak can guide the Cowboys to the top seed, it would be hard to argue that he wasn’t deserving of the MVP award.   

But what is different in Dallas this year as opposed to years past? The Cowboys have always had little problem navigating the regular season but fall when the lights shine brightest in the postseason, but things feel different this time around. Dak Prescott is playing at a truly elite level. A knock-on Prescott has always been his tendency to turn the ball over.   

However, Prescott has cleaned that up massively through 14 weeks of the season. He has just 6 interceptions so far this season and 3 of those came in the aforementioned blowout at the hands of the Niners. Considering the former 4th round pick threw 15 interceptions last year this is a marked improvement, and this number will likely be his lowest since his rookie season when he threw just 4 interceptions.   

Prescott also has a plethora of options on the offensive side of the ball. Protected by a top offensive line, WR CeeDee Lamb continues to grow into one of the league’s best at the position, the former-round pick out of Oklahoma is closing in on 100 receptions for the year along with 1253 yards and 8 touchdowns.  

Outside of Lamb, we’ve seen good production at the TE position, with Dalton Schultz moving on to pastures new, former Wisconsin man Jake Ferguson has stepped up in an elevated role as his 570 receiving yards is enough for 8th best amongst Tight Ends. We’ve also seen flashes from rookie second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker.   

On the opposite side of the ball, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has a litany of talent at his disposal, Micah Parsons is arguably one of the league’s best edge rushers, and the 2021 12th overall pick has 12.5 sacks on the season good for 8th highest in the league. Despite losing top corner Trevon Diggs to a torn ACL in September, Stephon Gilmore has stepped up in his absence.   

We’ve also seen exceptional play from DaRon Bland, the former Fresno State man who leads the league in interceptions with eight, his five pick-sixes on the season are also an NFL record.   

It’s understandable to be hesitant when it comes to lauding to much praise on this Cowboys team, year after year we see them crumble in the playoffs but it’s hard to argue things do genuinely seem different this time around. It seems to be a straight shootout between the Cowboys and Niners as to who is the top dog in the NFC and a meeting between the pair in the NFC Championship seems inevitable.   

Could 2023 be the year for Dallas and could “America’s Team” win its first Super Bowl since the 1995 season? It’s looking more likely by the week.