“We just gotta put our belief and faith all in Dak Prescott,” former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and 3x Super Bowl winner Michael Irvin has always been quarterback Dak Prescott‘s biggest supporter. Prescott, who now enters the 11th season of his NFL career, last led his team to a postseason appearance in 2023. Looking at these numbers, even the legend has grown impatient now as the team last lifted the Lombardi Trophy 30 years ago.

“When you look at Dak’s numbers, put them up to Tom Brady’s numbers, any numbers, Dak is right there,” Irvin said. “It’s just right here in the playoffs, you gotta get over that hump. And Dak has to do it this year.

“I believe he has a chance because we’ve finally given him the tools with both receivers to do it this year.” 

Why Dak Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs is truly a mystery. This is the lowest postseason win percentage among NFL QBs who have started more than five games in their careers, according to CBS Sports. It’s a bad look on a QB who shocked the league as a rookie, taking Dallas to the postseason in 2016 after a disappointing 2015 season when they finished 4-12.

This is someone who has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in every season, barring the two when he was injured. Prescott was among the top 5 QBs in the league in five of the last ten seasons. In 2016 and 2017, he finished right behind Tom Brady in passing yards and QB rating. But during Prescott’s tenure, Brady has taken home two Super Bowl rings and retired.

After consistent failures, many have asked whether it’s really a Dak Prescott problem or a Dallas Cowboys problem. To be honest, it’s a bit of both.

Prescott gave his team a fighting chance in the 2016 divisional round clash against the Green Bay Packers, tying the scores at 31-31 in garbage time. But the defense fell apart, allowing the Packers to put themselves in field goal territory. Three points kept Prescott from a dream season at Dallas, coming to the league as a fourth-round pick.

But fans are also quick to bring up Dallas’ 2021 Wild Card round loss to the San Francisco 49ers whenever someone praises Dak Prescott. The Cowboys were trailing by six points with less than a minute on the clock. They were 23-17, having added 10 points in the fourth quarter alone. An attempt to score could have been made if the Cowboys had some time, but incompletions from Prescott ended the season for the team. He connected on only 23 of his 43 passes.

According to predictive NFL analyst Warren Sharp, Dak was 7th in the list of 10 worst QBs inside the red zone in 2025. Inside the 20, his completion rate fell to 55.56%. He even tied for the second-most interceptions inside the 10-yard line, throwing two picks from that zone, even though he had two great wide receivers to help him out: CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.

Prescott’s playmaking ability is an asset that the Cowboys cannot gamble with if they plan to go into the postseason this year. They’ve ensured it remains consistent with Lamb and Pickens locked down for the 2026 season. But the trio has to make it past the regular schedule alone before thinking about planting a flag in the postseason.

After facing the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil, the Cowboys will be on the road for three of their next four games. And, all three of them were in the playoffs last year (the Houston Texans, the Green Bay Packers, and the Philadelphia Eagles). This is the schedule, even before the Cowboys complete 10 weeks in the season, while their bye week remains sandwiched between two road games.

Simply put, Dak Prescott is not going to have an easy time this season.

Steve Beuerlein continues the pressure on Dak Prescott

Former Dallas quarterback and Super Bowl XXVII Steve Beuerlein understands the unique pressure of wearing the star on the helmet. The quarterback took the Cowboys to their third Super Bowl win after 15 years, when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 52-17. He knows how ruthlessly the opposing defenses will attack Prescott’s mental state, given that 2-5 stat. 

“I guarantee you that the other team, they’re going to be mentioning that Dak Prescott—they’ll be reminding them, ‘Hey, this guy has not gone deep into the playoffs in his whole career,” Beuerlein said on 105.3 The Fan. “He is one of the highest-paid players in NFL history, and he’s never gone deep in the playoffs. Let’s see if we can continue that streak.’ That monkey’s on his back until he gets it off his back. 

“It should be something he addresses and gets out in front of, saying, coming into this year, it’s on me,” he advised. “The organization has addressed all the issue that anybody can identify as being potential issues for this team. Now, it’s on me to say, OK, let’s get this thing to the finish line and let’s show we can go deep in the playoffs and make a run at this.” 

Prescott should ideally have better help from the defense this year, considering all the additions that the franchise has made. With personnel like Rashan Gary and Caleb Downs, this doesn’t seem like a unit that could fall apart like last year. Team owner Jerry Jones said he’d “bust the budget,” particularly for the defense, and they’ve made some bold choices.