While the Dallas Cowboys’ quest for their sixth Super Bowl triumph continues into 2023, the postseason pressure is already mounting — not to mention that training camp in Oxnard, Calif., hasn’t started yet.
While the burden is great, it weighs most heavily on the head coach and, of course, on the shoulder pads worn by the franchise quarterback.
So Dak Prescott, admittedly feeling a sense of urgency, steps into a crucial campaign where perhaps Dallas’ greatest dilemma is whether he can lead the Cowboys to playoff success. A look at the numbers provided by NFL Research shows that the stats are not in Prescott’s favor when it comes to playoff success.
Since their last Lombardi trophy came at the end of the Super Bowl. Three of those losses, including losing to the San Francisco 49ers last season, happened with Prescott under center as he became one of five QBs in the Super Bowl era , who started three or more division games and went winless.
Who did this last?
Well, it was current CBS analyst and former Cowboys QB1 Tony Romo who replaced Prescott in Dallas. The Cowboys are the only franchise to have two quarterbacks who have played in three or more division round games without winning one. Gone are the days of Hall-of-Famer Cowboys greats Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, whose reputations rested on playoff wins and clutch play, which saw them fall 5-2 and 4-1 in the divisional round, respectively. The days of Cowboys QBs leading their teams on long postseason runs as captains have come to an end so far this century.