A year ago at this time, there was much agitation over Dak Prescott’s increasing number of interceptions.
With a league- and career-high 15 interceptions at the end of the regular season, he sparked talk about his unexpected turnover problems throughout the offseason.
Prescott, 30, has almost halved his number of interceptions this season and is on track to lead the NFL in touchdowns, so it appears that he and the Dallas Cowboys were successful in their goal to address those issues.
According to Todd Archer of ESPN, Prescott stated on Tuesday, “I knew this is who I am at that time last year, just as I talked about then.” “There were moments when things were difficult, balls weren’t going exactly where I wanted them to, there were odd bounces here and there, and some tight throws weren’t going my way. And then there are your sporadic poor interceptions, which have persisted this season.
“For me, it’s just about staying true to myself, keep working and not allowing other people’s opinions — critics really — affect my game or the way that I approach this.”
With eight interceptions in 16 games, Prescott is getting close to making history as he and the Cowboys attempt to defeat the Washington Commanders on Sunday in order to secure the NFC East.
His 32 touchdown passes lead the NFL, behind only by the 31 of San Francisco 49ers’ injured player Brock Purdy. Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers (30 touchdown passes) and three other players tied at 28 trail behind that point. If Prescott wins the TD toss title at the end of the season, he would become only the second Cowboys quarterback in history to lead the league in touchdown passes, behind Roger Staubach in 1973. According to NFL Research, he would also follow another Hall of Famer, Bob Waterfield (1945–1946), in topping the league in interceptions after leading it in touchdowns in a given season.
Prescott has a chance to make history because he dominated the Commanders 45-10 on Thanksgiving earlier this season with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
The fact that Prescott and company can enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed with a win is crucial, and part of that achievement can be ascribed to the quarterback’s interception percentage of 1.4, which is the second-lowest in his eight-year career.
Prescott hasn’t spent a lot of time celebrating his stats this year, despite the fact that he was keen to lower his INT numbers this year and has done so strongly.
“It’s numbers. It’s stats. It’s part of it. That’s why I don’t get caught up in that stuff,” Prescott said. “A lot of great quarterbacks were injured this year, unfortunately. I just worked to be my best each and every day and make sure the guys around me are [working too]. Numbers are numbers, I don’t get caught up in them.”
Plenty of critics were caught up in his INT numbers last season, and with one game left, Prescott is poised for a historic statistical turnaround.
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