Commentary

Dak or Wentz? Don't waste breath

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Sunday was not a night to leave AT&T Stadium discussing that "Would you rather have Carson Wentz or Dak Prescott" debate. It will be at least next season before there is any reason to have it again.

The Cowboys defense did a more than adequate job keeping the Eagles' second-year quarterback under wraps for 30 minutes. But while he got loose in the second half of a 37-9 Philadelphia blowout, a pressing Prescott just kept getting worse and worse.

By the end of the night, Prescott had three interceptions, he lost a fumble for a touchdown, and he failed to direct Dallas to the end zone a single time. All of the Cowboys' points came on Mike Nugent field goals as any thought of Dallas competing in the NFC East race faded into the night.

While the 1992 Super Bowl champs were honored and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones received his Hall of Fame ring at halftime, the game served as a reminder that the Cowboys a quarter of a century removed from that Super Bowl glory will be fortunate to finish above .500.

At 5-5, the Cowboys are four games behind the Eagles, and Dallas is sixth in line for the two wild-card spots in the NFC.

This was Prescott's worst night as a pro. While two games against last year's NFC champs (Falcons) and the team with the NFL's best record (Eagles) make for a small sample, life without Ezekiel Elliott has proved quite unpleasant for Dak.

In Atlanta, the Cowboys' only touchdown came on a Prescott run in a 27-7 loss in which he was sacked eight times and lost two fumbles. Before the national Sunday night TV audience, Prescott turned the ball over four more times.

"Some decisions he made with the football hurt us," Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett said. "He's a competitor; he'll keep fighting."

Prescott grew defensive when asked about his risky throws.

"I forced the one pick," he said, referring to his second interception when he threw a ball up for grabs that Ronald Darby intercepted near midfield. "Other than that, it's a tipped pass and a miscommunication. I'll watch this a couple of times and hopefully forget about it."

It won't make for fun viewing. When Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham returned Dak's fumble 37 yards to make it a 37-9 game with about 11 minutes to play, Prescott had 86 yards on 13-of-24 passing.

His 30.4 passer rating was easily the lowest of his Cowboys career.

It's not as if Prescott is surrounded by elite help at the moment. And tackle Tyron Smith missed his second consecutive game. But Alfred Morris finished with decent running stats (17 carries for 91 yards) against the No. 1 run defense in the league, and that should have set up the passing game for some measure of success.

It didn't happen.

Two losses are not enough to tell us that this team is all about Zeke. Dak did enough as a rookie to establish his importance in Dallas' 13-3 ride. But if he can't find a way to move the team with consistency, to stop forcing dangerous throws that never seemed to trouble him in his first season-and-a-half as a pro, then this team won't stop losing games without Elliott.

And he doesn't return until Christmas Eve.

A year ago was Wentz's time to struggle. The second pick of the 2016 draft, taken 133 spots before the Cowboys called Prescott's name, Wentz appeared limited as the Eagles finished last in the East. But with improved receivers and backs around him, Wentz has taken a major leap forward. He threw two touchdown passes Sunday night, was great at converting two-point conversions after the Eagles lost kicker Jake Elliott to a concussion and was never sacked.

Wentz made great throws under duress. Prescott was unable to match him and will now have a short turnaround before facing the Los Angeles Chargers, who intercepted Buffalo rookie Nathan Peterman five times Sunday while scoring 54 points.

This wasn't really Wentz vs. Dak because this was a superior Eagles team (one that has had plenty of injuries of its own) beating up on what is clearly a very average Cowboys team. Maybe it's as simple as having Zeke back in the fold to revive the Dak vs. Wentz debate in 2018. But it's probably more than that.

And it sure felt like an out of place discussion Sunday night.

Sports on 11/21/2017

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