The Dallas Cowboys and their fans went through a bittersweet season last year.
They clinched the NFC East last season, the sweet part of their year.
However, the bitter part came on a first-round playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
What many considered an easy win for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys turned into a nightmare for them.
A bad play call from Mike McCarthy would end the playoff game without Dallas tying the game.
Even with that play being on the head coach, pressure is now on Prescott to prove he can carry the franchise in 2022.
Prescott’s Poor Record In Playoff Games Puts The Pressure On Him
While the young Dallas star has shown flashes of greatness, he can’t seem to get it done in the NFL playoffs.
His 1-3 playoff record isn’t something that any team wants when trying to make it to the Super Bowl.
1-3 career record in the playoffs. 4-year, $160 million contract extension. Dak Prescott is overrated or at the very least, overpaid. Fight me.
— Scott Truxell (@ScottTruxell) January 17, 2022
It also makes some people believe he’s overrated because of those losses when his team needs him the most.
However, making the playoffs three times in six seasons is not a bad statistic to have.
But that doesn’t stop people from examining his play in the NFL playoffs.
People only looking at his record feel he can’t win when need.
But is that the truth or only an illusion?
Playoff Statistics Show A Mixed Bag Of Results
Prescott’s first playoff appearance saw him pass for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
#Rookie QB going toe to toe with Aaron Rodgers #Playoffs
Dak Prescott vs GB
24/38 302 passing yards
3 TD's
1 INT
73.6 QBR
103.2 Passer RateAaron Rodgers vs DAL
28/43 355 passing yards
2 TD’s
1 INT
83.1 QBR
96.6 Passer Rate https://t.co/M4o3DI4N0B— Andre’ Jackson (@therealdre_jack) March 11, 2020
The Cowboys lost that game 34-31 to the Green Bay Packers.
With Prescott making one mistake in that game, and the Dallas defense allowing 34 points, it’s not all on him.
His second playoff run saw him win the first game against the Seattle Seahawks and lose against the Los Angeles Rams the following week.
In the loss, he threw for one touchdown and no interceptions while the Dallas defense allowed 30 points.
However, his last playoff appearance left much to be desired for Dallas and their fans.
He had one touchdown, but also fumbled once and threw one interception.
So while not every playoff loss is on his shoulders, there are fans who will put it on him.
But one last comparison is something Prescott doesn’t need to hear.
Is He More Like Tony Romo And Not Troy Aikman?
Troy Aikman set the bar for Dallas quarterbacks.
His three Super Bowl wins puts him down in Cowboys’ record books as their best quarterback.
However, Prescott was getting compared to another Dallas quarterback who couldn’t win critical playoff games.
That quarterback is Tony Romo.
Romo is one of those Dallas quarterbacks fans either love or hate.
The same is happening with Prescott.
Both were 1-3 in the playoffs after their sixth season.
However, Romo finished his career by making it to the NFL playoffs one more time.
In his last playoff season, he went 1-1 during the NFL playoffs.
If Prescott wants to prove he can carry a franchise, he needs to upstage Romo’s career record as a Cowboy.
However, if he doesn’t, he will forever be remembered as the quarterback who couldn’t carry the Dallas franchise to a Super Bowl.
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