Dak Prescott's woes continued in the Cowboys' 24-13 loss to the Seahawks, continuing a trend that has seen his numbers plummet from his stellar 2016 rookie season.
Prescott completed 19-of-34 passes for 168 yards, with a touchdown and two picks. He's now passed for less than 200 yards in five straight games dating back to last season. According to ESPN, that's the longest such streak by a Cowboys quarterback since Quincy Carter in 2003.
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That's a telling comparison for Prescott, who was being compared to Dallas greats such as Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman after his great rookie campaign (almost 3,700 yards, 23 TDs and only four interceptions).
As Pro Football Perspective notes, in Prescott's first 18 career games, he had HOF-type numbers: 4,237 yards, 27 TDs and five interceptions, with 7.79 yards per attempt. In his last 18 games, Prescott's completion percentage is down only slightly (63 versus 66 percent), but he's thrown for fewer yards and TDs (3,554 and 23) and been intercepted 15 times. He's been sacked 42 times those last 18 contests, versus 28 in his first 18 games.
PFF concludes Prescott "went from HOFer to replacement level."
Dak Prescott has played 36 games in his NFL career.
— Football Perspective (@fbgchase) September 23, 2018
First 18 games:
359/536, 4,237 yds, 27 TD, 5 INT, 28 sacks, 159 sack yards, 7.79 ANY/A
Last 18 games:
338/539, 3,554 yds, 23 TD, 15 INT, 42 sacks, 243 sack yards, 5.33 ANY/A
He went from HOFer to replacment level.
It's definitely unfair to blame the third-year quarterback for all the team's offensive woes. The Cowboys lack an elite No. 1 receiver. The offensive line is banged up (Prescott has been sacked 11 times this season, including five times by the Seahawks).
Still, Prescott's downward statistical trend is troubling. The 25-year-old QB took the blame for the offense's struggles after the loss Sunday.
"I've got to be more accurate, I've got to be more consistent making throws ... it starts with me," Prescott said.
Not surprisingly, Prescott has been roasted on social media lately, and the barbs continued after Sunday's tough outing.
Dak Prescott on pace to throw for less than 200 yards for the 9th time in his last 11 games. That is a problem
— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 23, 2018
"Dak Prescott isn't good" is a week 9 2017 take. We're way past that. Time to discuss if he's the worst starting quarterback in the league. We are going to start a dialogue.
— Beyonce has an uncle named Larry Beyince. Bruh.... (@DragonflyJonez) September 23, 2018
**BREAKING** With Dak Prescott struggling to get the ball downfield a reality, the Cowboys have made a blockbuster trade with the Lions for ... MATT PATRICIA!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/TpyApfaNP8
— 🆃🆁🅾🆈 🅷🆄🅶🅷🅴🆂 ™️ (@TommySledge) September 24, 2018
The season is still young, and Prescott can silence the critics with a couple of big games. Perhaps he's not as great as his rookie numbers suggested. But the Cowboys and their fans are hoping he's not as bad as his recent performances indicate.