Dak Prescott Led The NFL In One Intriguing Stat, According To ‘PFF’
Heading into the 2017 NFL season, Dak Prescott was expected to have a huge season for the Dallas Cowboys. After coming in as a rookie and taking over the starting job from Tony Romo, Prescott led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFL during the regular season. Dallas ended up getting knocked out of the postseason by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Prescott underwhelmed throughout the 2017 season, leaving fans wondering what to expect in 2018. Jerry Jones and company have gone through major changes this offseason, with both Dez Bryant and Jason Witten not returning to the team. Bryant was released by the Cowboys and Witten decided to retire to pursue a career in broadcasting.
Those departures are even more of a concern for the Cowboys, who need their quarterback to step up if they want to get back to playing at a Super Bowl level.
Throughout the course of the 2017 season, Prescott completed 62.9 percent of his pass attempts for 3,324 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He also ran for 357 yards and six touchdowns. It wasn’t the type of season that many were expecting from him, but there is no reason for fans to freak out just yet.
According to Pro Football Focus, Prescott led the NFL in one intriguing stat during the 2017 season. He was the most productive quarterback against opposing defenses blitzes.
The NFL's most productive passers against the blitz! pic.twitter.com/hZoyTCZuyV
— PFF (@PFF) May 4, 2018
That statistic may not be something that impresses many fans, but it certainly is a good thing for the Cowboys. Prescott is young but has proven himself to be able to handle pressure. Even at 24 years of age, Prescott has figured out how to play at the NFL level against pressure.
Jason Garrett and the Cowboys’ coaching staff will have to figure out ways to make Prescott successful in 2018. His favorite targets are gone and Witten was the kind of security blanket that every young quarterback needs.
Cutting down his interception total will be a major focus for Prescott and developing chemistry will be a need as well. Prescott will be looking at a wide receiving corps of Michael Gallup, Cole Beasley, Tavon Austin, and Terrance Williams. There are question marks with all of those receivers.
Expect to see Prescott come through with a nice bounce-back season in 2018. Dallas will head into the season as a darkhorse contender, but Prescott could very well help them contend with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in the NFC East division race.
