Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is a polarizing figure in the NFL and games like Sunday's primetime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers only furthers the controversy.
Prescott turned the ball over three times during the Cowboys' third road victory of the season. In a way, he was the reason why the game was so close, as the offense came away empty handed from multiple scoring opportunities.
And yet, he was largely the reason why they won, having the second best dropback EPA/play performance of the NFL in Week 5. He produced four players with 50+ receiving yards in the game and led the Cowboys to big-time touchdown scoring drives - one for 90 yards, another for 70 - in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.
His performance was so impressive at times that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach couldn't help going out his way to praise Prescott with some strong words, even saying that it would be a "disservice to the game" to not do it. Tomlin was going through the mistakes of his team over the weekend before stopping to acknowledge the Cowboys quarterback:
"Sometimes it was just quality play making and throws and catches," Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday. "I thought Dak went down the middle of the field to (No. 9 KaVontae Turpin) one time, and I just thought that that was a awesome look-off and really good throw, and we made the hit almost immediately. And that just speaks to the talents of Dak Prescott. And oftentimes, I certainly want to be reflective and own our component of circumstances, but I'm doing a disservice to the game sometimes if you don't acknowledge the quality, skill set and the talents of those you compete against."
Even leading up to the game, Prescott received a ton of praise from the Steelers head coach. For a quarterback that receives as much criticism as Dak does, this should give fans something to think: Tomlin consistently praises Prescott. So does Tom Brady. So did Bill Belichick. Add Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson to the list. These are critical football personalities that don't go around handing flowers to everyone.
If they all usually praise the Cowboys quarterback, it's probably for good reason, even if he can't escape criticism from the fanbase sometimes.
