Last season, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott left his imprint on the team’s record books, taking over as the all-time leader in passing yards, moving ahead of the likes of Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach. And while Prescott’s accomplishment was impressive–he is now at 35,989 yards on his resume–even his staunchest supporters know that the number attached to Prescott that matter the most is this: 2.
That’s the total number of wins, in 10 years as the Cowboys starter, that Prescott has managed in the playoffs. In all, he has quarterbacked Dallas through seven playoff games and has just two wins to show for them. As good as Prescott has been, he is going to need to change that record to truly get to the level of Aikman and Staubach.
And while he has had reasons for poor finishes in recent seasons–the lack of a No. 2 receiver, problems at running back, a shoddy defense–now, it seems, Prescott is entering 2026 without many excuses for playoff failure at the ready.
Dak Prescott Has ‘Monkey on His Back’
For former Cowboys quarterback Steve Beuerlein, who was Aikman’s backup, that means extra pressure on Prescott. He appeared on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas to talk about the Cowboys’ outlook, and the subject of Prescott came up. Beuerlein, who played for six teams over 14 seasons, said that as the Cowboys improve over the season, more and more teams will focus on Prescott’s poor playoff history.
Said Beuerlein: “I guarantee you that the other team, they’re going to mentioning that Dak Prescott—they’ll be reminding them, ‘Hey, this guy has not gone deep into the playoffs in his whole career. 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.”
GettyFormer Cowboys quarterback Steve Beuerlein
Cowboys Give Dak Prescott a Complete Roster
But Beuerlein said that Prescott ought to embrace the pressure the upcoming season will bring. Much will be expected of the Cowboys because they have two stars at receiver–CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens–plus Javonte Williams at running back and a revamped defense under coordinator Christian Parker.
Prescott has much of what a quarterback could possibly want.
“I think more than anything, I think it should motivate him,” Beuerlein said. “It should be something he addresses and gets out in front of, saying, coming into this year, it’s on me. 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.
“We really have nobody to point a finger at, no excuses to make. I think that’s the attitude Dak will bring into it.”
Still Cowboys’ Undisputed Leader
Now, it should be noted that the pressure and the view of Prescott as a playoff loser comes from the outside. In the Cowboys locker room and in the organization in a wider sense, Prescott remains well-respected and popular.
“I don’t think there is a question in the locker room about whether Dak Prescott is the undisputed leader of this football team,” Beuerlein said. “I don’t think there’s a question about whether he has the ability to get it done in the big games. I don’t think there is a question about whether he is worth the status and the economic pay scale that he is at and has been at for a long time because of what he has earned and what he has proven over the years.
“But there still is that question mark.”
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