FRISCO - Dak Prescott leads the NFL in passing yards as we begin Week 15 in the NFL, but because the Dallas Cowboys are floating about with a .500 record at 6-6-1, the initial buzz about Prescott's MVP candidacy from earlier in the season has died down.
Died down.
But - like the Cowboys themselves - not dead?
The Cowboys are still clinging to a chance at making the playoffs, essentially needing to win these remaining four games and hope the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles stretch the failures from a three-game losing streak into at least two more losses the rest of the way.
Like the rest of Cowboys Nation, Dak has a fine overview of all things Eagles.
“I’m going to root against them regardless,’’ Dak said with a smile.
But to the individual race ...
Might Prescott's play in this final stretch - say, if the Cowboys make a valiant effort and win out to capture the NFC East title - be enough to earn him consideration for one of the NFL's most prestigious awards?
ESPN's Bill Barnwell lists Prescott as someone on the second tier of candidates, showing that there is more to get done. Barnwell cites the Cowboys QB's ability to target both George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb this season and build the league's best QBR of 73.4 - a metric that is above MVP-favorites Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford who lead the No. 1 seed in either conference.
"Prescott was getting more consideration as the Cowboys went on a three-game winning streak after the trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, which included a pair of nationally televised victories over the Raiders and Chiefs," Barnwell says.
But ...
"Losing to the Lions (again in prime time) brought Dallas' winning streak to a halt, though, and its playoff odds are at 10%, per ESPN's Football Power Index, with four games to go."
No, these prime-time games that Prescott is familiar with on "America's Team" do not tell the full story of a season, but as Barnwell suggests, they do hold a bit more weight in MVP voting, as they show voters how quarterbacks are able to perform under pressure and rise to the occasion.
Next up? Another national TV game, with Minnesota here for a "Sunday Night Football'' outing with Dallas favored by seven.
More Prescott success here could mean more positive vibes from the voters.
Dak's goal is obviously not to win votes. It's to win games. But in this final month? It is possible the two go hand in hand.