Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and coach Mike McCarthy have been warned they need to prove they can mix it with the best in the playoffs after a stellar regular season.
Only the Baltimore Ravens (13-4) have bettered the Cowboys record (12-5) as they finished top of the NFC East division.
And with 36 touchdowns and over 4,500 passing yards, Prescott is arguably one of the best-performing QBs this year – perhaps only bettered by Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
It gives hope that the Cowboys will put on a show for their fans, given that they haven’t advanced past the divisional round of the playoffs for 28 years since they won the Super Bowl.
But Prescott, 30, has only won two of his six postseason games, while McCarthy hasn’t tasted much success since Aaron Rodgers delivered the Super Bowl for his Green Bay Packers side 12 years ago.
Cowboys fanatic Skip Bayless of Fox Sports, speaking on The Skip Bayless Show podcast, has explained why Dallas’ regular season stats are no longer enough – urging them to step things up a notch in the playoffs.
“Neither Mike McCarthy nor Prescott have proven one thing to me. Not one thing,” said Bayless in a video posted to X.
“Dak remains 2-4 in the postseason. Mike McCarthy won that long ago far away Super Bowl in large part thanks to Aaron Rodgers. Right place, right time. And then what?
“Neither of these two, Mike or Dak, have proven a thing to me.”
McCarthy gives Cowboys secret motivation
The Cowboys are expected to beat the Packers, who went 9-8 this season under the guiding hand of Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love, as they aim to win their first Super Bowl since 1995.
McCarthy has done his best to motivate the team with the Latin phrase ‘Carpe Omnia’, meaning seize everything, and even left a blank space for the Cowboys’ Super Bowl photo next to the franchise’s previous winners.
It is a move that has earned praise from Prescott, who believes it has made a difference to how the Cowboys have approached their games. Now, the Packers stand in their way.
“Credit Mike for making that the theme of this season,” Prescott said, per ESPN. “It’s been something that we’ve pointed to at different parts of the year – and right now it’s bigger than ever.”