Getty Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott
Pepsi or Coke. Ferrari or Lamborghini. Dak Prescott or Russell Wilson.
Everyone has their favorite brand, and each brand its loyalists. These are coin-flip choices to the general public, but no contest to unavoidably biased consumers such as Dallas Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones.
“That’s like asking you to compare your son to that boy,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan when asked to juxtapose the star quarterbacks. “You’re always gonna like your own better. But we know Russell is off to an MVP type season. He’s playing lights out. Dak’s playing lights out.”
On the surface, there’s little debate to be had. Wilson is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion who’s off to the hottest start of his career — 610 passing yards and an NFL-leading nine touchdowns through two games, both victories.
“Russell is at the best of his game that he’s ever been and his command, his control and understanding of everything we can put forth on him allows him to be, I think, at the best he’s ever been,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said before the season.
Underneath, an argument can be made that Prescott is just as talented albeit not nearly as accomplished. This is a signal-caller who outdueled his Week 3 counterpart in the 2018 postseason, who threw for more yards (4,902) in 2019 than Wilson ever has, who brought Dallas back from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit last Sunday.
“He’s really good,” Carroll said of Prescott, via The Athletic. “Playing with great confidence, great stature in the pocket, handling the rush around him, being able to escape it when he needs to. His accuracy is really there. He can throw the ball all over the field. There’s nothing he doesn’t do well.”
Historically, Wilson has been the better QB.
Recently, it’s a statistical toss-up.
Intangibly, they’re the same player, and Dak’s strongest asset reminds Seattle of their own.
“Poise. I think if you watch that Atlanta game, he never wavered,” Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner said, per The Athletic. “Even though they got down, he kept the group pretty calm and was able to rally those guys back.”
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Battle of the Bucks
Sunday’s clash at CenturyLink Field features an underlying yet fascinating subplot: Prescott facing the foe whose financial security he wanted for himself.
As the scuttlebutt goes, the 27-year-old rejected a $33 million-per-year extension offer last September in hopes of surpassing Wilson, who makes $35 million annually. Further negotiations eventually broke down and Prescott was forced to play 2020 on the $31.4 million franchise tag.
But his mental perseverance — another intangible — earned the immense respect of his peers, players and coaches alike.
“Just watching him go through the situation he had in the offseason with his contract, he really handled it with a lot of class. … I’m really proud of him,” Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. said, via The Athletic.
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