It's OK to Worry About Dak Prescott

What They're Saying

Prescott after the game: "I've got to go look at it from the offensive standpoint. I know scoring 14 points is never going to be OK. And damn sure not with this offense, this unit, the team, the players that we have. ... We're kicking ourselves, and that's the reason that we're not getting first downs. It's gotta start there. Everybody's gotta look in the mirror and say, 'How can I be better?' ... I know we're capable of scoring, and if we've gotta score like we did last week [against the Giants], we're gonna do that."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Granted, that's reaction immediately after a bad loss. But it does come across as calling the whole group out rather than shouldering blame. Is that fair?

Well, Prescott ranks third in the league in Pro Football Focus passing grade through three games. He has dealt with a 9.1% drop rate, according to PFF, eighth-highest among 36 qualifying passers. That's also Prescott's highest drop rate since 2019.

The Dallas QB has also seen the highest pressure rate of his career so far, despite facing three defenses that rank 17th or lower in DVOA. And that 37.3% pressure rate sits solidly higher than any of Prescott's previous six seasons:

• 2024: 30.9%
• 2023: 31.3%
• 2022: 31.2%
• 2021: 31.6%
• 2020: 27.9%
• 2019: 31.9%

That pressure has helped knock Prescott's average target depth to the shortest of his career, and his yards per pass attempt also sits at a career-low 6.3. That follows a mark of 6.9 last year, which stood just 0.1 higher than Prescott's previous low.

Fewer drops and better protection would obviously help a QB who seems to otherwise be playing better than his stats would say. But improving that protection will be difficult in season. And Dallas' pass-catching group just isn't that good, especially with Lamb out.

Even WR George Pickens wavers between impressive and frustrating.

So What Should We Do with Prescott?

I wouldn't drop him in most cases. But I'd sure try to have a different option for Week 4, when Dallas hosts the Packers on Sunday night.

If you're in a spot where that requires dropping Prescott for a Week 4 replacement, then that's a move at least worth considering.

We'll see about Lamb's availability and Prescott's outlook for a Week 5 visit to the Jets and beyond.

Positive matchups with the Panthers and Commanders sit on the other side of that contest.