Isn't it absurd how quickly perception can evolve over a short period of time? Just last week, after getting pantsed on the road by a shaky-at-best Carolina Panthers squad, the national dismay around the Dallas Cowboys was impossible to ignore.
From the pitiful defense to the rapidly fading postseason chances, the team's obituary was typed and ready to be submitted. Sunday afternoon, that document was inexplicably erased and replaced with a brief declaration: Dem boyz are back.
Sure, the Washington Commanders were battling a litany of injuries at key positions, but Dallas forced a pair of turnovers and beat the brakes off a division rival. The most recent result always supersedes logic and context - that's just how fans operate. Beyond the club's season outlook, this lack of rationale has seeped into the discussion around Dak Prescott's MVP candidacy.
After a 264-yard and three-touchdown outing, the Dak praise has been rampant, with the 32-year-old at least in the discussion for the NFL's most prestigious individual award. After the contest, legendary Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant made the case for his former teammate.
Cowboys great Dez Bryant proclaimed Dak Prescott the MVP of the NFL
"I played with Dak—to see him be successful means a lot,"Bryant said."If anyone is going to be a hard critic on him, it will be me. I told him that he's my MVP. No knock on Eberflus, but this is the weakest defense he's ever played with, and with the numbers he's put up, he has to be the frontrunner for MVP."
The argument for Prescott hinges on the interpretation of the word valuable. The veteran signal-caller trails other popular candidates like Drake Maye and Patrick Mahomes in EPA per play, with a worse depth per target. Not to mention Maye, along with other MVP options such as Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, having superior quarterback ratings.
Sure, Prescott doesn't have the luxury of a top defense, but what about the revived running game, along with arguably the best pass-catching corps in the league? At 3-3-1 with a 17% chance to make the playoffs according to the NFL's prediction model, the Cowboys are more likely to nail a draft class than for Prescott to add this illustrious piece of hardware to his trophy case.
Prescott deserves his flowers, but can we come back to reality? Unless this campaign makes a turn and Dallas is competitive for the NFC East crown, Prescott has no substantial argument. There's no benefit in pushing this agenda to ignore the mounting problems weighing down this organization.