The Dallas Cowboys hit a bump in the road in Week 10 during their visit to Lambeau Field to face off against the Green Bay Packers. They lost the game 31-28 in overtime, suffering their first loss in franchise history in a game that they led by at least 14 points heading into the fourth quarter.
The offense went ice cold in the fourth quarter, which enabled the Packers to make their miraculous comeback. Dallas managed to gain only 47 yards on three drives in the final stanza, going three-and-out twice. After moving the ball down the field with ease for two touchdowns in the third quarter, that performance was certainly a letdown.
Overall, it was a pretty tough afternoon for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense. He went 27-of-46 for 265 yards, throwing three touchdowns along with two interceptions. The interceptions came on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter by Rudy Ford, giving the Packers life.
Green Bay scored a touchdown after both interceptions, gaining some momentum after missing a field goal on their first drive, punting on their second and fumbling on their third. If Dallas is going to hang with the best teams in the NFL, they need to receive better performances from Prescott.
Prescott is the x-factor when it comes to how much success the team will have. Former NFL defensive end and linebacker Rob Ninkovich believes that the key to Dallas making a run to the Super Bowl is the performance of their quarterback.
“For the Cowboys to go to a Super Bowl, Dak has to be a superstar, he cannot be average.”
Prescott’s performance this season has been up and down throughout the season. He injured his thumb in their Week 1 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the team is only 2-2 in games that Prescott starts this season. When backup Cooper Rush started, the Cowboys were 4-1.
Dallas needs Prescott to start playing at a higher level if they are going to find the same level of success that they had with Rush under center. There is no doubt that Prescott makes the offense more dynamic, but they need wins more than passing numbers.
The Cowboys will certainly be tested more in the coming weeks as they are set to face the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts. All three teams have strong defenses that will challenge Dallas and it will be up to Prescott to rise to the occasion and elevate the team’s performance.
