Dak Prescott Ends Cowboys QB Controversy with Big SNF Win

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott might not lead the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl LI, but his highly efficient if not spectacular performance Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers probably ensures he'll be given that chance. 

In his last three games entering Week 15, Prescott had completed just 58.2 percent of his passes while averaging a mere 6.3 yards per attempt. During that stretch, his passer rating was just 79.0, and he completed only 17 of 37 passes while throwing two interceptions in a Week 14 loss to the New York Giants. 

That had a lot of fans and pundits wondering if opposing defenses had figured the fourth-round pick out, and if four-time Pro Bowl signal-caller Tony Romo gives the Cowboys a better chance to win down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Prescott replaced the injured Romo prior to the regular season and played so well that the 2014 NFL passer rating leader returned as a backup. And it took just a few so-so Prescott performances to hatch a fresh controversy in the capital of the football world. Even team owner Jerry Jones stoked that fire by leaving the door open for a potential change under center. 

Against a red-hot Tampa Bay defense and streaking Bucs squad on national television, this was likely going to be the game that decided Prescott's fate one way or the other, and with the pressure on, he delivered by doing exactly what the Cowboys need him to do. 

With the best offensive line in football paving the way for NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys don't need Prescott to carry them. They need him to complete the vast majority of mainly simple passes, use his legs to neutralize opposing defenses and make the occasional big throw. 

That's exactly what he did Sunday night, completing all but four of his 36 passes while rushing four times for 20 yards and a touchdown in a 26-20 victory over a team that had surrendered just 12.8 points per outing during its recent five-game winning streak. 

Prescott averaged just 8.7 yards per completion, which is more than two yards shy of the NFL average, and only one of his 32 completed passes traveled 20-plus yards. But he kept the offense moving forward with a turnover-free performance. Dallas had to punt just twice, and the Tampa defense was kept honest by the fact Dallas' rookie quarterback posted the second-highest completion percentage on 30-plus attempts in league history. 

Should the Cowboys be concerned that Prescott might not possess the experience and/or ability to consistently make throws downfield in the event that Elliott (who had 188 yards from scrimmage Sunday and leads the NFL in rushing by a 327-yard margin) and/or the offensive line are held in check? Yes, but every NFL team has concerns entering the final two weeks of the regular season. 

This year, everybody is flawed—Dallas included. 

The defense has flashed promise with seven takeaways and just 30 points allowed in the last two games, but the unit still entered Week 15 with the league's sixth-lowest sack rate. And while sometimes lacking bite on that side of the ball, the Cowboys sometimes lack discipline on the other side—that talented line has developed a bad penalty habit, and the offense has turned the ball over six times in the last three weeks. 

Elliott has been phenomenal, but there's no telling whether he'll hit a rookie wall this or next month. And if he falters or the line starts to struggle or the defense can't close or anyone gets hurt, we simply don't know how Prescott might handle having less support than he's used to. 

But if the 23-year-old is only asked to do what was requested of him Sunday night, we have enough evidence to conclude that he won't become a liability. Prescott won't cost this team a chance at a championship, at least until or unless the team asks too much of him. 

The Cowboys should earn the NFC's top seed regardless at this point, and there aren't enough games left for Prescott to lose his starting role between now and the Cowboys' first playoff matchup. 

A rookie quarterback has never won a Super Bowl as a starter, but with so many quality players starting from the get-go, it's only a matter of time before that changes. And we received more proof Sunday night that Prescott has a realistic chance to make history, primarily because he isn't being forced to carry the Cowboys. 

And he certainly isn't holding them back. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon