FRISCO, Texas – In the midst of a career season, Dak Prescott certainly has the respect of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
"He's playing behind a good offensive line, he has good receivers, he's in a good system, the passing game is very well coordinated and organized," Belichick said Tuesday via conference call with the Dallas-area media. "They hit teams on a lot of plays that are tough against the coverages or the matchups. They find good route combinations and they find good matchups in the passing game and they exploit them with all their players.
"And if you don't do a good job on the pass rush then Prescott can extend plays or scramble. I wouldn't say he's trying to run – he's a very good passer. But at the same time, if you're not sound with your pass rush he can easily pick up a first down or make you pay for bad decisions or bad pass rush organization."
Prescott piled up 444 passing yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 35-27 victory over the Detroit Lions. Through 10 games, he leads the league in passing yardage (3,221) and is tied for second in touchdown passes (21).
The Cowboys have the top-ranked offense. The Patriots have the top-ranked defense. Something has to give Sunday in New England.
"It's everything – you've got to stop everything," Belichick said. "It's going to take good team defense just to be competitive against these guys."
