Cowboys’ Dak Prescott in thick of NFL MVP race thanks to ‘brotherhood’ team accountability

FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys’ fan base and team owner and general manager Jerry Jones annually proclaim, “It’s our year!” much to the chagrin of the rest of the football world. While in years prior, a collective eye roll would have been justified, the 2023 season might be different. 

The 10-3 Cowboys, tied with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers for the best record in the league, lead the NFL with a +188 point differential, the highest by a team through 13 games since the 2019 Ravens, who ended up as the AFC’s top seed. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was also unanimously named the 2019 NFL MVP that season. This year, Dallas’ 32.4 points per game ranks as the highest-scoring offense in the league while the defense is fourth-best, allowing 17.9 points per game allowed. 

At the center of it all is quarterback Dak Prescott, who a year after becoming the first player to lead or co-lead the NFL in interceptions after missing five or more games, is currently the 2023 league leader in passing touchdowns (28) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (28-6). That production, combined with the team success, has him squarely in the mix to be the first Cowboys quarterback to win league MVP. 

Caesar’s Sportsbook puts Prescott’s odds at +170, the second-best odds in the NFL behind 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (+130). FanDuel Sportsbook has Prescott’s chances at +150, barely behind Purdy’s +140 odds. 

DAK PRESCOTT 2023 SEASON STATS NFL RANK

Comp Pct

69.3%

4th

Pass Yards/Att

7.8

4th

Pass YPG269.65thPass TD281st

TD-INT

28-6

1st

Passer Rating 

107.5

2nd

EPA/Play

0.20

2nd

“Just [the] team, what we’re doing, doing the right thing,” Prescott said when told he’s near the top of the NFL MVP betting odds. “We’re winning games, first and foremost. As I’ve talked about, what I play is for at the end of the year, one of the last teams, and being the last team standing [winning the Super Bowl]. But obviously if I’m named in those talks, then we’re putting ourselves in the right spot. For me, it’s about continuing to do whatever I can to put this team in the best position, get that guy [CeeDee Lamb] the ball and just win games. The rest will take care of itself.”

Prescott’s connection with Lamb — the duo has the third-highest passer rating (125.2) of any wide receiver or tight end duo with 80 or more targets — his stout left side of the offensive line with left tackle Tyron Smith and left guard Tyler Smith each playing like the best or one of the best at their position, the emergence of second-year tight end Jake Ferguson and the All-Pro play of rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey have factored into Mike McCarthy’s team reaching new heights.

However, Prescott cites intangible factors for why he, the offense and the team are seemingly all playing their best football this season. 

“The standard, really does [set the tone],” Prescott said when asked what’s different about the 2023 Cowboys. “Guys expect to do everything that we’re doing right now. So right now it’s just about staying at that level, not getting complacent, continuing to push one another, continuing to compete at practice … [a player in the background yells No. 4 on the field, No. 1 in my heart]. Yeah, that right there. You know what I mean? Camaraderie, the brotherhood, the goofiness of being able to flip that switch, lock in, be accountable to one another and play at a high level is what’s special about that group in there.”

The quarterback, now at age 30 and in his eighth NFL season, feels like his teammates across the board are taking their work as seriously as they ever have since he’s been the starter beginning in 2016. 

“Guys are more disciplined, guys are being accountable to it,” Prescott said. “Not just [saying], ‘We got this brotherhood, that’s our strength.’ But rather like, ‘It’s our strength because of what I do, so I got to make sure I do my job. I got to make sure I stay committed to my role.’ Whether that be a show [scout] team player or whether it be running and clearing a route out. Those practice squad guys we got right now are some of the best. I promise you practice has been harder than a lot of these games, and that’s because of [defensive back] Sheldrick Redwine, that’s because of [linebacker] Malik Jefferson, that’s because of [defensive end] Tyrus Wheat. The way they approach the practices and the looks they give us, they’re not bullshitting. I think that’s goes a long way. The brotherhood is to make sure we take that application to the field.”  

He can also be seen sharing the love as he goes around the huddle and fist bumps every player before calling out the first play of each offensive drive. That’s something unique to Prescott that stands out among some of the past Hall of Fame quarterbacks — Joe Montana [Chiefs 1993-1994], Brett Favre [Packers 1999. 2006-2007] and Aaron Rodgers [Packers 2006-2018] — McCarthy has been around in his 30-year NFL coaching career. 

“I think it’s an illustration of the connection and how he operates,” McCarthy said. “I’m thinking of all the quarterbacks I’ve coached, and he has the record for fist bumps.”

Prescott has thrown 20 passing touchdowns to only two interceptions in the first half this season, including multiple first-half passing touchdowns in seven consecutive games. That’s the longest such streak since Tom Brady did so in eight consecutive games in his 2007 NFL MVP perfect regular season. Prescott sees that type of production right out of the gate as an extension of the intangible bond he so greatly appreciates about the 2023 iteration of the Cowboys. 

“I think, yeah, part of it’s obviously the coaching, the script, the communication, the process that we’ll do later today [on Thursday] of just going through favorite plays, plays that we think are good matchups, maybe different personnels that we think we can take advantage of,” Prescott said. “Then lastly, guys are just focused. Guys are just focused at an all-time high right now. It’s not just at the beginning of the game. It’s throughout the game but we do understand that when we start fast it allows our defense to play the way that the want to play [unleashing NFL Defensive Player of the Year favorite Micah Parsons and the rest of the Cowboys top-ranked pass rush to get after the quarterback] and ultimately that’s the beginning of the complementary football, especially in these last few games. We’ve gotten the ball first so what better feeling is it to [give] confidence to give your team. Go out there and score first, and now your defense is already playing with a lead and just building off of that and making the other team to play from behind is always a good formula to win.”

Starting fast has always been an emphasis for the Cowboys this season because of McCarthy’s unrelenting desire to play the highest level of complementary football as possible, but it will be especially valuable on Sunday at the 7-6 Buffalo Bills with dynamic, dual-threat quarterback Josh Allen on the other sideline. 

“It’s important wherever but especially on the road,” Prescott said. “You don’t have the home crowd behind you. Yeah to be able to try to take them out of the game. You know the earlier we can do that the better for us. It’s important for us to start fast. … My job’s to go out there and play against that defense. Understanding that I’ve got to take advantage of my opportunities, can’t stall out knowing they do have a playmaker, a great quarterback on the other side of the field. … So I’ve got a challenge in that [the Bills’ veteran defense] alone that yeah, just got to take advantage of opportunities, score some points knowing that with Josh on the other side that they can score as well.”