The circumstances of this season have not proven very fair for Dak Prescott. The Dallas Cowboys' franchise quarterback had to wait until the eleventh hour of the offseason to get his deserved contract extension before suiting up for a team around him that has the troubling appearance of group not ready to win.
Despite their struggles and a unfortunate helping of injuries, the Cowboys stumbled into the bye week with a 3-3 record. Certainly not ideal given their three consecutive 12-5 seasons, but also not writhing in desperation.
Coming out of the week off, Prescott and Dallas have a prime opportunity in front of them. They had back to the Bay Area once again, taking on the San Francisco 49ers. But the vaunted foe will not have its assortment of usual weapons to dismantle the Cowboys.
Christian McCaffrey will likely remain out with an Achilles injury and Brandon Aiyuk is now out for the season with tears in his ACL and MCL. Additionally, Deebo Samuel is dealing with pneumonia and George Kittle has popped up with a sprained foot.
Suddenly, the Cowboys' rival has several chinks in their armor. However, this game will not come down to just the 49ers injury woes. Prescott and the Cowboys will need to perform to snag another victory on the road.
In his recent performances at Levi's Stadium, Prescott has not delivered much for Dallas to feel encouraged about. In his past two trips, he has completed 37 of 61 passes for 359 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Putting it simply, the concoction of minimal offensive output and multiple turnovers will not work for Dallas, even against a hobbled Niners group.
Prescott has not broken through this year and this Dallas group needs a spark. The hope would be it come from elsewhere to supplement the efforts of their quarterback, but that seems it won't be the case.
Now the highest paid quarterback in league history, this is Prescott's moment to step forward and deliver a key victory.
Regardless of what the current perception of San Francisco is, they have been the bully standing in the way of the Cowboys in recent years. A win in whatever fashion Sunday night would be nothing short of monumental for this team heading into a gauntlet of a stretch in their schedule.
But such prosperity starts with Prescott delivering for his team in a big way.
