Saturday night, Dak Prescott made his preseason debut when the Dallas Cowboys took on the Indianapolis Colts. Prescott played a total of two series and then watched his team pull out a win after. In the two series that he played, Dak was 6-8 for 60 yards and a TD. Dez Bryant was the recipient of his one touchdown throw and was his favorite target in his short time on the field. He also hit veteran Jason Witten for a nice gain on the drive as well.
Prescott and the Cowboys received devastating news this week when their starting running back Ezekiel Elliott was suspended for the first six games of the 2017 season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
The suspension came from an incident that Elliott's ex-girlfriend accused the star back for physically abusing her on multiple occasions last year. Zeke was never charged but the NFL did their own investigation and felt that he was guilty of some of the accusations.
With the absence of Elliott, the team will rely on the play of Prescott much more this season. Both he and Zeke were equally a big reason why the Cowboys finished with an NFC best 13-3 record. Coming into this season, there were high expectations for the team and with the talent of Prescott and the arguably the best offensive line in the league, Dallas fans are still expecting their team to produce. If he plays the season like he did in his preseason debut, the Cowboys should be in good hands.
Avoiding sophomore slump
In his first season with the team, Dak Prescott exceeded expectations enough to take the job away from longtime starting QB Tony Romo. So much that the veteran QB went into an early retirement at the end of last season. Now, Dak will be entering what will probably be the most important year of his football career.
After having a breakout rookie season, the pressure is always on a player to prove that it wasn't just a one-time thing.
In order to avoid a sophomore slump, Prescott will have to embrace the recent suspension of Ezekiel Elliott and use it as an opportunity to carry more of the load. One of his biggest assets to his game is his ability to use his feet to extend plays.
So, fans can expect to see him running the ball a little more than he did in his debut season. Last year, aside from his solid numbers through the air, he put the ball on the ground 57 times for 602 yards and saw the end zone six times.
Finding familiar targets
In Saturday's game, Prescott made sure he found his targets he's most confident and familiar with in Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. For a 2nd year QB, that is usually the best way to get into a rhythm early in the season. Bryant has not caught over 1,000 yards over the last two seasons. So, he will be eager to get more touches this year in order to continue proving to fans he is still a top five receiver in the league. If he and Prescott can build an early chemistry, the Cowboys may be in a good place by the time Elliott is eligible to return.
