While he praised them for improving on the defensive side of the football, he said it all falls on quarterback Dak Prescott, who many feel is a chronic underachiever come playoff time.
Dak Prescott
Translation: Smith doesn’t believe in the Cowboys’ chances.
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Dallas added cornerback Stephon Gilmore, a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time selection to the All-Pro first team, and he will help fellow corner Trevon Diggs contain opposing wide receivers on both sides of the field.
However, an NFL team’s ceiling tends to rise and fall on the play of its quarterback, and while Prescott is a good one, he isn’t exactly elite.
In 2022, he threw for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns, but he led the NFL with 15 interceptions despite playing in just 12 games due to a thumb injury.
In the divisional playoff round against the San Francisco 49ers, he had two interceptions and only one touchdown pass as the Cowboys struggled offensively and lost 19-12.
It was their second straight playoff loss to the 49ers.
In 2021, when they fell to San Francisco in the wild-card round, Prescott completed just 23 of 43 passes in Dallas’ 23-17 defeat.
With the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles losing star running back Miles Sanders and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, the window could be open for the Cowboys to finish first in the NFC East, but their fans shouldn’t expect a Super Bowl parade down the streets of downtown Dallas any time soon.