Dak Prescott receives respectable Week 16 grade despite fading late

The Dallas Cowboys dropped their eighth game of the season on Sunday, falling 34-17 to the Los Angeles Chargers. The story in this one was similar to every other loss, as Dak Prescott performed at a high level while the defense had no answers for the opposing offense.

One day after Dallas found out their season would end without a trip to the NFL playoffs for the second year in a row, Prescott came out on fire. He led the Cowboys to a quick touchdown on the opening drive. In all, Dallas had 17 points in the first half and it could have been more if not for a holding penalty that negated a touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy.

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Prescott continued to play well in the second half, finishing his day going 21-of-30 for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The problem was that the offense failed to score in the second half, which led to Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski giving Prescott a ‘B’ in his weekly report card despite the impressive numbers.

”The Chargers defense did something the Dallas Cowboys haven't accomplished all season; Los Angeles adjusted midgame and slowed the opponent's offense,” Sobleski wrote.

“Dak Prescott and Co. came out firing on all cylinders with three straight scoring drives. The Cowboys didn't score another point during the rest of the game.”

Defensive woes have put too much on the shoulders of Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott passes against the Los Angeles Chargers. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

As frustrating as it was to see the offense stall out in the second half, it’s not fair to put the blame solely on Prescott.

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The truth is that Prescott and the Dallas offense have no room for error. Their defense, which forced just one punt on Sunday, has put them in a situation where they feel the pressure to score a touchdown on every drive.

As we saw when Flournoy’s touchdown catch was overturned and Dallas had to kick a field goal, they never could take control back. It’s a harsh reality that Prescott has dealt with all year and the primary reason their season will end in two weeks.

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