Prescott had a superb Week 2 outing, but now comes the hard part… doing it against elite opposition.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, much like most of his offensive weapons, bounced back in Week 2 in a win over Washington after a disjointed showing in Week 1 in a loss at New York.
In topping the Commanders, 37-20, Dak threw 4 TDs, two to CeeDee Lamb, including the record-breaking one that surpassed Tony Romo for the franchise record (now 249).
But as we know, Dak has beaten up on the NFC East, especially at home, so what he did didn't really move the needle too much in terms of how he is viewed in the league.
Many want to see how he fares against elite competition, which he'll do a lot over the next month.
For NFL.com's Nick Shook, he released his QB rankings after Week 2, and he has Dak at No. 4, above Matthew Stafford and behind Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen.
"Dak Prescott got back on track in Week 2, dropping an absurd amount of gorgeous dimes on CeeDee Lamb in a 37-20 romp over Washington and reminding the football world of his elite talents (yes, I called him elite and I’m not exaggerating)," Shook wrote.
Dak was elite against the Washington Commanders, there's no doubt.
But what fans, and I think most NFL media want to see is how he fares against the Baltimore Ravens in Rio, and then the Houston Texans on a short week.
(The Ravens' Lamar Jackson, by the way, is ranked eighth.)
We know last season Dak played well against the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Kansas City Chiefs, but then stumbled against the Detroit Lions (two INTs), Minnesota Vikings (zero touchdowns), and then against the Los Angeles Chargers, didn't even score in the second half, a theme that followed for the next game as well.
So yes, we know Prescott is masterful at times against lower teams, but you can argue that this is where he truly has to prove himself, against a top defense that will make life tough for him.
If Dak manages to play reasonably well in Rio, and Dallas gets the win, then we are cooking.
But history, well, the second half of last year, tells us that it might be a little wobbly for Dallas' No. 4.
Shook called him elite against Washington (which he was), now let's see if he can be elite against the Ravens.
