(Editor's Note: In the upcoming weeks before the start of training camp, the staff of DallasCowboys.com is looking to answer the 20 biggest questions facing the team heading into the 2024 season. Today, the staff writers continue the series with a question on Dak Prescott and his chances of winning NFL MVP.)
2) What has to happen for Dak to be MVP?
Nick Harris: What separated Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott last year in MVP voting, at least in my eyes, was Baltimore's season success paired with Jackson's playmaking ability with his legs. Yes, Prescott will never have the type of running ability that Jackson has, but he can make up for it by staying consistent over the course of the entire season, keeping the turnovers clean, and winning games. The Cowboys will have to at least win the division, he will need to be top 3-5 in just about every passing category/metric, and he will need to win some important head-to-heads against Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and others.
Mickey Spagnola: Put up similar numbers to what he did in 20213. And then team success. Sure helps if the Cowboys have one of the best records in the NFL, and that means being able to beat some of the best teams in the regular season. Remember, four of the Cowboys five regular season losses, and five overall, came to teams with winning records. But then of the 12 victories, only four were recorded against teams with winning records. Then, too, also produce one of the best offenses, not just yards, but tops in scoring. His numbers were better than Lamar Jackson's of last year, but Jackson synched MVP with his ability to run the football, too.
Kyle Youmans: Last season was the second time Dak finished in the top six of MVP voting, the other being his rookie season. In both of those campaigns, he won at least 12 games and threw less than ten interceptions. He has to start there. Additionally, he'd have to out-pace guys like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson in the touchdown and total yardage category. Meaning he'd likely have the lead the league in both categories and compound that with team success to have a chance. He nearly did that last season. So, if he can just string together a second-straight MVP-caliber season, showing a level of consistency that only the top quarterbacks in the league can show, there's a chance he takes home that honor.
Patrik Walker: Let's qualify this by reminding everyone the MVP nod is a regular season honor, not a postseason one (Super Bowl MVP notwithstanding). It's why Prescott was a frontrunner alongside Lamar Jackson for the honor in 2024 despite both QBs being dismissed in the playoffs — though Jackson did win a game in January. From a regular season standpoint, there's not too much more Prescott can do than what he did in 2023, seeing as he followed through on his promise to slash his INT tally while throwing for a career high in touchdowns (38) and his passing yards (4,516) were only second to his near-record setting 2019 season as the Cowboys logged a third consecutive 12-win season. And having blown out so many teams at home, Prescott didn't even play in several fourth quarters, so his numbers could've been higher without sacrificing any victories. That said, being more dynamic in certain road situations will go a long way to guaranteeing him a very real chance at finally taking home the MVP trophy.
Nick Eatman: If Dak even comes close to what he did last year stat-wise, he'll be in the conversation again. Last year, he finished second and had better passing stats than Lamar Jackson, but of course, Jackson is a different type of threat with his running ability. I think one way to show he's better than Lamar, is to beat him in a head-to-head duel in Week 3. Still, it'll take much more than that and Prescott will have to win some big games and keep the Cowboys atop the standings all year. I really don't think the Cowboys' lack of playoff success will sway the voters when it comes to a regular-season award. Personally, this MVP award is starting to remind me a little bit of Michael Jordan in the 90s. He didn't win it every year but he probably should have. To me, it seems like Patrick Mahomes could win this every year so even Lamar, Dak, Jalen Hurts and anyone else, still has to outshine him.
Kurt Daniels: A case could be made that Prescott should have won MVP honors last season. He finished second to Lamar Jackson, but topped him in pretty much every passing category. And not just in the traditional counting stats like yards and completions but also in areas such as target percentage, passer rating and QBR. So can Prescott do that again? He'll obviously have to shine individually, but he'll also need the offense and even the team as a whole to shine. Prescott has to take the Cowboys back to the top of the NFC East because if another quarterback has similar production, just like Jackson last year, you have to wonder if Prescott's past struggles in the playoffs will work against him. Hopefully, it won't.
