Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are among those name-dropped
1 min read
When the Panthers take on the Cowboys this Sunday, they figure to have their hands full, even as their defense ranks among the best in the league after a 3-0 start. One look at Dallas’ offensive lineup, and it’s not hard to find multiple weapons — Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper among them. According to Panthers coach Matt Rhule, however, no one is more dangerous than the man under center: Dak Prescott. Rhule is so enamored with Prescott, in fact, that he compared the former MVP candidate to some of the NFL‘s all-time greats when addressing reporters this week.
“When you talk about (the Cowboys offense),” Rhule said, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota, “I think you have to start with Dak Prescott. I watched him last year. I’ve watched him this year. He’s superb. He calls the game at the line of scrimmage. He’s getting the ball out of his hand. He’s the second-fastest guy in the NFL right now from snap to throw, which is emblematic of a quarterback who knows exactly where the ball is going to versus the defense, who is getting in the right plays versus the right coverages, who is making sure that he’s protected … It’s like watching Peyton Manning, it’s like watching Drew Brees call the game at the line of scrimmage.”
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“I think what Dak’s doing right now,” Rhule added, “is unbelievably impressive.”
The numbers sure agree with him, as Prescott has quietly been one of the NFL’s most productive passers since returning from ankle and shoulder injuries in the lead-up to Week 1. No one is completing more passes than him (77.5 percent) through three games, and his QB rating (110.1) ranks eighth, ahead of guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and a red-hot Derek Carr. He’s also thrown 878 yards during the Cowboys’ 2-1 start, which ranks 10th among all starters.
This comes a year after Prescott was on pace to break the NFL’s single-season passing record, before the ankle injury ended his season prematurely, and amid the Cowboys’ run as one of the game’s best current offenses, with only four teams totaling more yards through the first three weeks of 2021.
