5 reasons why Dak Prescott and the Buccaneers are a perfect match
By Rob Leeds
Dak Prescott is on the cusp of being a top-five quarterback in the NFL
People will immediately balk at the mere mention of the fact that Dak could be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but they rarely can refute the argument with any statistical approach.
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Prescott finished second in passing yards in 2019 only to Jameis Winston, but the real place that he succeeded in was in throwing far fewer interceptions than Winston. This area allowed Prescott to gain some separation as a pure passer.
Touchdowns and passing yards are great, but not at the expense of constant turnovers. Winston can air the football out and post unbelievable stat lines, but the turnovers were too much for the Bucs to overcome in 2019. In comparison, Prescott’s 2019 stat line would have placed the Bucs in far better playoff contention than Jameis’ league-leading numbers.
While the Dak versus Winston debate is worth looking at for Bucs fans, Prescott can also separate himself from the vast majority of the NFL. While passing yards and touchdowns alone may not be enough to convince fans that Prescott is elite, a more in-depth statistical analysis shows that Dak is closer to elite status than most would believe.
According to footballoutsiders.com, Prescott finished first in Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement (total value of the quarterback), sixth in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (value of the quarterback per play), and fourth in Total QBR (quarterback rating, but taking into account dropped passes, player mistakes, etc. as well as adding in a “clutch factor”).
Prescott finished in the top-five in the basic stats (touchdowns and passing yards) and was also well-within the top-10 in most advanced passing metrics. Dak is even able to stay relevant with a .625 win rate to go along with a playoff win in four years, even though QB wins aren’t a stat, haven’t been a stat, and never will be a stat.
The days of seeing Prescott as anything less than a top-10 quarterback are long gone, and the arguments are far easier to make that he is in the top-six rather than being outside of that group.