When Dallas Cowboy quarterback Dak Prescott was carted off the field of AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon with tears in his eyes, everybody knew that was the last time Prescott would be on the field in 2020.
Whether that was the last time Prescott would ever don a Cowboys uniform is yet to be determined.
Prescott ended up suffering a season-ending ankle injury, and even though the Cowboys hung on to defeat the lifeless Giants, they are now without their leader for the rest of 2020.
The Cowboys have a few things working in their favor as they try to right the ship, and make sure the 2020 season is not a total waste. Andy Dalton will take the reins of “America’s Team” for the rest of this season.
Dalton, while not a franchise quarterback, has shown throughout his NFL career that he is a serviceable signal-caller.
Dalton signed with the Cowboys this offseason after spending nine seasons as the quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals. Even though Dalton went 0-4 in the playoffs with the Bengals, he was above .500 and a steadying force for the habitually underachieving Bengals.
The drop off between Prescott and Dalton, while steep, is not as bad as Cowboy fans believe. Dalton should allow the Cowboys to become more of a run-heavy offense, focusing on a ground attack led by running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
This is Dallas’ best chance to win games, and protect a defense that has been one of the league’s worst through five weeks.
Before getting injured Prescott was on a historic pace. He had the most passing yards (1,690) of any quarterback over the first four games of a season, and even though Prescott was firing on all cylinders to begin the season it was not leading to wins. The Cowboys were 1-3 in the four full games Prescott played this season.
The Cowboys offense will not be as high-powered with Dalton, but playing shootouts every week is not the mark of a team that had championship aspirations to begin the season.
The fact that Dalton is now under center for the Cowboys is not ideal, but it will allow Dallas to reset after a very underwhelming first five games. While the Cowboys are 2-3 and leading the NFC East, an argument can be made they should be 0-5.
The Cowboys are far from a title contender in 2020, and the best Cowboy fans can hope for this season is Dalton can lead them to the playoffs in what may be the worst division in the history of the National Football League.
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