Question of the week: How responsible is Dak Prescott for the loss to the 49ers?

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Here we sit, a shy possession of an NFC Championship appearance, a feeling that is all too familiar to Cowboys fans. They lost to the 49ers 19-12, which marks their lowest score for a playoff game since the 2009 Divisional Round. Add to that, 19 points is the fewest points the Cowboys have surrendered in the divisional round since 1995, which started their last Super Bowl run.

After the match, reproaches were launched everywhere by many people. Some people blamed Mike McCarthy for some dodgy second-half calls. Some didn’t like Kellen Moore’s calling plays. Others blamed the Cowboys having more than double the 49ers’ penalty figure. However, everyone placed at least some degree of blame on quarterback Dak Prescott.

Prescott threw two interceptions, the first time he’s done so in his playoff career. Of those two turnovers, runs were scored by the 49ers offense, which obviously proved fatal in the end. Despite completing 62% of his passes and only being sacked once, he simply didn’t do enough to lead the Cowboys to victory. Especially with Tony Pollard injured before half-time, they needed Prescott to be great and he was anything but.

There are different ways to attack the reason why they lost. Was Dak Prescott good enough? No. However, Michael Gallup had more 0-yard games than 50-yard games this season, and he topped that stat on Sunday night, Ezekiel Elliott led the backfield in touches and averaged 2.6 yards per carry, and other than CeeDee Lamb, no other wide receiver caught more than two balls. Putting everything into context, there aren’t many quarterbacks in the league who could do what was necessary of Dak Prescott, which begs the all-important follow-up question: did the Cowboys trust him to make a few too much ?

He was expected to put up an inconsistent offense and the 49ers game proved he wasn’t that type. He’s not the guy who can do it without more help. The Cowboys thought he was that guy, hence why Amari Cooper didn’t play with a star on his helmet this year. Prescott is the type of quarterback who can win and he’ll be the guy at the helm next year. However, he will need a little more help. This playoff loss proved it.

It’s truly a devastating loss for a team that can’t get over this bump. Jalen Hurts was unborn the last time the Cowboys were in the NFC Championship. Cowboys fans are demanding something be done, but it could be delusional if management doesn’t acknowledge the problem.

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