JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys in action during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on December 18, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)
Dak Prescott has been under fire for his interceptions including a game-ending pick-six vs. the Jag. But one stat proves it’s not the Cowboys QB’s fault.
When the last image of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15 was Dak Prescott’s pass deflecting off of wide receiver Noah Brown and into a Jaguars defender’s arms for a game-ending pick-six, you already know what the discourse is going to be. People have been piling on the Dallas franchise quarterback about his interception numbers seemingly starting to pile up.
And to be fair, there have been a frustrating number of giveaways for Prescott lately. He threw two interceptions against the Jaguars in the loss, giving him 11 on the season and seven over the last four games.
Subsequently, everyone has been discussing the Dak Prescott interception problem, what the cause is, and how the quarterback can fix it. However, there’s one stat that sheds a bright spotlight on the issue and shows that the quarterback might not have much of a problem at all.
Dak Prescott stat proves Cowboys QB isn’t to blame for interception ‘issue’
PFF tracks a stat called turnover-worthy plays, which essentially translates to throws that were dangerous enough that they should’ve resulted in a turnover. And through Week 15, six of Prescott’s 11 interceptions on the season have come on throws that were not turnover-worthy plays, which is tied for the most in the league.
Another fun fact:
Dak Prescott is tied for the most INTs (6) on plays that weren’t deemed turnover-worthy plays (meaning they weren’t his fault) by PFF. #Cowboys
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 20, 2022
Essentially, more than half of the interceptions the Cowboys quarterback has thrown this season have not been his fault. We saw an instance of that on the pick-six. The throw was right into the hands and chest of Noah Brown where only he could catch it and it deflected up into the defender. There’s nothing a quarterback can do when the pass-catcher doesn’t make the play and is left to the whims of a bouncing oblong ball.
To be clear, most Cowboys fans might not care who is at fault — they just want to the turnovers to stop. With that said, anyone who is blaming Prescott for the interceptions solely clearly isn’t watching. He’s playing some of the best football of his career and is both getting unlucky and not getting consistent help from his receivers.
