Dallas Cowboys: 3 Takeaways vs. Eagles in Week 11

3. Importance of Dak Prescott

Prescott had more responsibility on his shoulders in this game than maybe any other game in his career, and it ended up as one of the worst performances of his young career. We know that Prescott cannot do everything by himself, but we also know that the offense will not survive if he is having an off game.

The Cowboys need Prescott to be a playmaker, and he cannot be making the mistakes he has been. The offense is no longer good enough in any other areas to try and mask a subpar performance from Prescott. Every mistake he makes is amplified right now, and he is finding himself more frequently in difficult situations.

Dallas’ offense will never be able to sustain their drives the way they did with Elliott, but Prescott needs to at least be the the same threat in the red zone. The Cowboys will not get as many opportunities in their opponent’s territory, and they will not be successful settling for field goals, especially with Dan Bailey also sidelined.

It is unfair to expect Prescott to get better as the season goes on with the talent around him being depleted. What is becoming clear, however, is that he cannot be regressing like this. It is much more difficult without the impact Elliott has on an opposing defense, but Prescott needs to be the same efficient playmaker who never loses games with mistakes if this team is going to get back on track.