Getty images Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
Dak Prescott quieted a lot of his doubters with a five-touchdown performance in the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and even got a shoutout from Hall of Famer Steve Young after the game — drawing the ire of some San Francisco 49ers fans.
Young was on-hand for the matchup as part of his ESPN gig and shared some thoughts on Prescott following the dominant win on Twitter.
“Playoffs change perception one way or another. Dak changed the perception of his game,” Young tweeted. “The power of the playoffs.”
Of course, Young had a historic career with the 49ers, winning a trio of Super Bowls. While he may be a neutral bystander now as an analyst, backing a Cowboys quarterback on the week they take on San Francisco didn’t sit well with some.
“Steve cmon bro not this week,” one commenter wrote.
“Cowboys content on my favorite 49ers twitter, on Cowboys hate week,” another wrote with a cringing GIF.
Young: Cowboys Missing Something in Locker Room
That’s not to say Young hasn’t been critical of Dallas recently. Heading into the postseason, he pointed to some mixed results on the field as a lack of “grit” from the Cowboys.
“They’re missing something in the locker room and most of the time it’s not talent,” Young said, via BVM Sports. “It’s somehow how the interaction of the group and the leadership doesn’t bring forward the grit that is necessary to go every week to prove we have a Super Bowl roster.”
Young also had a particularly bad take on the pregame show, saying the Cowboys should have not worn the classic star on their helmet, adding that they’d have to “earn it.”
Prescott, along with the rest of the Cowboys, shut down a lot of that criticism with their convincing victory against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Prescott had possibly the best — if not most important — performance of his career, completing 75.8% of his passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also avoided turning the ball over, which had been his bugaboo this season.
“Dak showed that he’s a warrior,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “He’s a baller, and he came out slinging it. I feel like it was a statement game for him.”
Cowboys Face Stiff Test Against Surging 49ers
The Cowboys have a tough test ahead of them in the 49ers, who are riding an 11-game win streak. San Francisco blasted the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 in their Wild Card matchup.
The second-seeded 49ers have overtaken the Philadelphia Eagles as the Super Bowl favorite in the NFC, coming in at +450 to win it all. Philadelphia, which earned a bye to the Divisional Round, comes in close behind at +500. The Cowboys are +850 to win their first Super Bowl since the 1995 season.
The Cowboys also have a shot at revenge on the line, with the 49ers ending their season a year ago in the postseason.
“Just being able to get [the 49ers] again … this thing’s set up just for us — playing teams that have beat us, teams that we’re familiar with,” Prescott said. “So it’s important for us now, as I said, to capitalize on this preparation, take it one day at a time and make sure we’re ready to go as we work for this one.”
The 49ers are a 3.5-point favorite for Sunday’s matchup at Levi’s Stadium.