Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has never been particularly noted for his rushing statistics, but the drop in those numbers this season, when they are critically needed, is troubling.
The Dallas Cowboys are struggling this year, and quarterback Dak Prescott, recently awarded a contract extension that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history, isn’t helping the situation.
Here are the quarterback efficiency graphs for the last seven seasons. Dak Prescott has lived in the elite quadrant for most of his career. This is the first time he's been in the bad quadrant. While it's not all Dak's fault, we should admit that his play is part of the problem. pic.twitter.com/GG2pDNYeZX
— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 19, 2024
After a standout season last year, Prescott is now having one of his poorest performances to date. This isn’t to say I hold him solely responsible for the myriad issues facing the Cowboys…
While the defense deserves significant criticism as one of the league’s weakest units, the real concern lies with the offense. The defense can cite numerous injuries to its starters as a justification for its struggles. In contrast, the offense is nearly fully healthy yet continues to underperform.
The offensive line ranks 19th in pass-block win rate and 18th in run-block win rate. The wide receivers struggle to execute the correct routes, and head coach Mike McCarthy is making questionable play calls.
The Cowboys’ ground game is among the worst in the league, sitting at the bottom for rushing yards. Their RB1, Rico Dowdle, ranks 18th among running backs in EPA/attempt, while RB2 Ezekiel Elliott is at 41st in the same category.
The Dallas Cowboys have the fewest rushing yards over expected across the entire NFL this season with -129.
The next-closest team is the Miami Dolphins at -86.
Additionally, Cowboys runners have forced only 25 missed tackles this season which is the third-fewest in the NFL.…
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 22, 2024
This leads us to an astonishing statistic.
Dak Prescott has fewer rushing yards than backup quarterbacks through Week 7.
While Dak Prescott has never been known for his rushing prowess—he’s certainly not in the same league as Lamar Jackson—his significant drop in rushing yards this season is surprising. Over his first four NFL seasons, Prescott accumulated 1,221 rushing yards, averaging 305.3 yards per season. Following an ankle injury in the subsequent season, he managed only 570 rushing yards from 2021 to 2023, averaging 190 yards per season.
Now, after six games, Prescott has recorded just 25 rushing yards. If this trend continues, he could end the season with a mere 70.8 yards, which would be a career low.
What’s particularly startling is his ranking among quarterbacks. With only 25 rushing yards through Week 7, Prescott sits at 37th among NFL quarterbacks, trailing behind players like Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Flacco, Bryce Young, Marcus Mariota, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Spencer Rattler, among others. Here’s the list:
| Rank | Quarterback | Rushing Yards through Week 7 | Games played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamar Jackson | 455 | 7 |
| 2 | Jayden Daniels | 372 | 7 |
| 3 | Kyler Murray | 325 | 7 |
| 4 | Bo Nix | 255 | 7 |
| 5 | Justin Fields | 231 | 6 |
| 6 | Anthony Richardson | 197 | 5 |
| 7 | Daniel Jones | 184 | 7 |
| 8 | Josh Allen | 179 | 7 |
| 9 | Caleb Williams | 169 | 6 |
| 10 | Geno Smith | 161 | 7 |
| 11 | Baker Mayfield | 158 | 7 |
| 12 | Brock Purdy | 154 | 7 |
| 13 | Deshaun Watson | 148 | 7 |
| 14 | Jalen Hurts | 133 | 5 |
| 15 | Patrick Mahomes | 122 | 6 |
| 16 | Malik Willis | 114 | 3 |
| 17 | Will Levis | 106 | 5 |
| 18 | Sam Darnold | 100 | 6 |
| 19 | Trevor Lawrence | 95 | 7 |
| 20 | C.J. Stroud | 94 | 7 |
| 21 | Joe Burrow | 91 | 7 |
| 22 | Taysom Hill | 77 | 3 |
| 23 | Drake Maye | 68 | 3 |
| 24 | Tyler Huntley | 67 | 3 |
| 25 | Spencer Rattler | 61 | 2 |
| 26 | Jacoby Brissett | 51 | 5 |
| 27 | Aaron Rodgers | 44 | 7 |
| 28 | Dorian Thompson-Robinson | 44 | 1 |
| 29 | Gardner Minshew II | 40 | 6 |
| 30 | Marcus Mariota | 36 | 2 |
| 31 | Justin Herbert | 34 | 6 |
| 32 | Andy Dalton | 34 | 6 |
| 33 | Jordan Love | 29 | 5 |
| 34 | Tua Tagovailoa | 28 | 2 |
| 35 | Joe Flacco | 26 | 3 |
| 36 | Bryce Young | 26 | 4 |
| 37 | Dak Prescott | 25 | 6 |
In summary, while Prescott increasing his rushing attempts won’t fix all of Dallas’ issues, it’s an essential strategy this season, especially since the Cowboys’ running backs aren’t intimidating defenses.
The statistics show that the Cowboys are 15-5 in games where Prescott rushes for at least 30 yards, and they improve to 22-5 when he scores a rushing touchdown (27). However, if they continue to lag behind in games to the point where running the ball isn’t an option, it presents an even larger concern.
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